A Good Friday treat fit for the Queen! Royal Pastry Chefs share their recipe for Hot Cross Buns

Ingredients:

1.5 free-range eggs                                              130ml (½ cup) tepid water

25g (1/8 cup) fresh yeast                                   2 tablespoons candied mixed peel

375g (3 cups) strong flour                                2 tablespoons golden sultanas

2 tablespoons unrefined caster sugar         2 tablespoons raisins

60g (¼ cup) unsalted butter, chilled and diced 

A generous pinch of salt 

2 teaspoons ground mixed spice    

Her Majesty’s pastry chefs took to the Royal Family’s Instagram account to share their recipe for delicious Hot Cross Buns 

For the piping paste:

4 tablespoons plain white flour

1 tablespoon unrefined caster sugar

1 tablespoon cold water

For the sugar syrup:

100ml (½ cup) water

200g (1 cup) unrefined caster sugar

Equipment:

piping bag

Place the eggs and dispersed yeast into a small bowl and mix together before pouring into the well in the centre of the dry ingredients

Method:

Preheat the oven to 220ºC (425ºF, gas mark 7)

• Disperse the yeast in the tepid water. Sieve the flour, salt, sugar and mixed spice into a large mixing bowl
• Make a well in the centre of the mixture. Place the eggs and dispersed yeast into a small bowl and mix together before pouring into the well in the centre of the dry ingredients. Mix together to form a soft pliable dough and work in the butter
• Turn the dough out on to a lightly floured work surface and carefully incorporate the dried fruit into the dough. Knead the dough for a further 5 minutes, or until it feels smooth and elastic.
• Divide the dough into evenly sized buns – this recipe will make about 15. You can weigh them on a set of scales to ensure consistent sizes; you will need about 50 grams of dough per bun.
• Roll each piece of dough into a ball and place on to a lined baking tray and cover with cling film and leave to prove for 30-45 minutes – they should double in size
• While you are waiting, mix together the ingredients for the piping paste to form a paste with a consistency that will allow you to pipe a cross on to each bun
• Once the buns have finished their prove, pipe the crosses, then place the buns on the middle shelf of the preheated oven and bake for 8–12 minutes, or until they turn a pale golden brown
• Whilst they bake, boil together the sugar and water to make the sugar syrup. As soon as you remove the buns from the oven, brush them with the warm sugar syrup and set aside to cool on a wire rack

Once the buns have finished their prove, pipe the crosses, then place the buns on the middle shelf of the preheated oven and bake for 8–12 minutes