Hot Cross Buns (No ABM)

I made these using 3 different recipes (more spice, more fruit, good method). Aussies-I uses Woolworths Select mixed dried fruit but picked out the glace cherries! Prep time doesn't include all the rising and so on. They took 2 hours to make start to finish, but I Face Booked and got dinner ready while they were rising!

• Ready In: 40 mins
• Yields: 16 buns

Ingredients

• 4 1⁄2 teaspoons instant yeast
• 1⁄4 cup caster sugar
• 1 1⁄2 cups  warm milk, body temp
• 4  cups all-purpose flour
• 2  teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1  teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1⁄2 teaspoon allspice
• 60  g butter, at room temperature
• 1  egg, lightly beaten
• 375  g  mixed fruit, dried sultanas, raisins currants

• Flour Paste

• 6  tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1  tablespoon caster sugar
• 4  tablespoons hot water

• Glaze

• 2  tablespoons caster sugar
• 2  tablespoons boiling water

Directions

1. Combine the yeast, sugar and tepid milk in a bowl, cover with cling wrap.
2. Stand in a warm place (approx 10 mins) until mixture foams and froths.
3. Sift flour and spices into a large bowl.
4. Rub in butter using a broad bladed knife then finish with fingertips.
5. Toss the fruit through the flour, to coat the fruit.
6. Stir in yeast/sugar/milk micture, the lightly beaten egg and mix to a sticky dough.
7. Cover with cling wrap and stand in a warm place for 45-60 minutes until dough has doubled in size.
8. Grease a square, deep sided cake pan (20-25cm)
9. Knock down the dough and gently knead on a lightly floured surface for approximately 5 minutes until dough is smooth and silky.
10. 1Cut dough in half, knead lightly, cut each half in half again and continue until you have 16 balls of dough.
11. 1Place balls into greased cooking pan, cover with cling wrap and stand in a warm place for 10-15 minutes until the dough has risen to the top. 4 x 4 balls in each row
12. To make the flour paste, combine the flour sugar and water to form a thick paste. Cover with cling wrap, or place into piping bag with medium sized round nozzle attached. I used a zip lock bag with a corner cut out.
13. Either pipe or drizzle flour paste into 'cross' shape on top of each bun - keep piping fluid by doing four at a time, first in one direction then rotate the pan and complete the cross.
14. Preheat oven to 200DegC
15. When buns have risen bake for 20-25 minutes.
16. Turn out onto tea towel then place wire rack on top, invert and cool (top side up).
17. Mix caster sugar with boiling water and brush generously over each bun while still warm.