- Pre-heat the oven to 220Âș/200Âș fan.
- In a large bowl, mix together the flour, yeast, butter, sugar, salt and spices. Use your fingertips to rub the ingredients together until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
- In a seperate jug, whisk the egg, warmed milk and lukewarm water together.
- Attatch the dough hooks onto the Dualit Hand Mixer. Slowly pour the wet mix into the flour mix, mixing continuously.
- Halfway through mixing, stop and add the marmalade to the bowl. Then continue to slowly pour in the wet ingredients until all the flour has been combined into a ball of dough,
- Continue to knead for a few minutes. The dough will become smooth when ready.
- Leave the dough in the bowl, cover with cling film and leave to rise in a warm place for at least 45 minutes.
- After 45 minutes, remove the dough from the bowl and knock the air out, before placing on a lightly floured surface. Gently knead for a few minutes, forming into a long roll.
- Grease a 2lb loaf tin and place the dough inside. Cover with cling film and leave to rise in a warm place for 60 minutes or until doubled in size.
- In the chopping blender of the Dualit Hand Blender, pulse together the second lot of flour, butter and sugar until the mix resembles breadcrumbs.
- Continue to pulse slowly as you add cold water until a thick paste is formed.
- Put the pastry paste mix into a piping bag, then pipe onto the bun loaf just before baking.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.
- Remove the loaf from the oven, place on a warming rack and brush the loaf with loosened honey to glaze.
- Allow to cool and then enjoy!
_________________________________________________________________
Top Tips:
- The dough can also be formed into 6 balls after the first initial resting period, then made into individual buns.
- Extra marmalade can be added to the dough if preferred, along with a handful of raisins or sultanas.
- This hot cross bun loaf is easy to slice and toast. Serve simply with a little butter.
- The pastry cross can be rolled and cut into thin strips by adding half the water to the mix to form a dough and roll out.
_________________________________________________________________
