Buns (makes 20)
Ingredients
- 325g caster sugar
- 375ml water
- 1 lemon
- 1.5 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and diced
- 1 cinnamon quill
- 700g flour
- 175g sultanas
- 10g candied orange, diced
- 14g (2 sachets) dried yeast
- 3 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp allspice
- Finely grated rind of one orange and one lemon
- 1 tsp salt
- 380ml milk
- 100g butter, coarsely chopped
- 1 egg
Method
- Preheat the oven to 220°C.
- For the buns, combine 260g of the caster sugar and water in a saucepan.
- Squeeze in the juice of half a lemon and stir over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves.
- Cut the remaining lemon half into 5mm-thick slices, and add to the pan with the Granny Smith apple slices and cinnamon quill. Allow to simmer, reduce heat to medium and cook until lemon and apple are translucent, about 20-25 minutes.
- Strain, reserving the fruit and syrup separately. When cool enough to handle, dice the fruit, making sure the lemon is chopped well.
- Combine the flour, sultanas, candied orange, yeast, ground cinnamon, allspice, rinds, remaining sugar, reserved apple mixture and salt in a large bowl and make a well in the centre.
- Combine the milk and butter in a small saucepan, warm over a low heat until the butter melts and the mixture is lukewarm.
- Whisk in the egg, add the milk mixture to the flour mixture, stirring to form a soft dough.
- Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic (8-10 minutes). Place in a lightly buttered bowl, cover and leave in a warm place until doubled in size (30-40 minutes).
- Knock back the dough and divide into 20 even pieces, then knead each piece into a smooth ball.
- Arrange the dough balls into two concentric circles on a large baking tray lined with baking paper, leaving 1cm between each ball for the dough to expand. Cover with a tea towel and leave in a warm place until doubled in size (30-40 minutes).
Crosses
Ingredients
- 50g flour
- 70ml water
Method
- Combine the flour and cold water in a bowl and stir to a smooth paste.
- Spoon into a piping bag fitted with a small round nozzle and pipe a cross shape onto each bun. Bake for 10 minutes, reduce oven to 200°C and bake for a further 8-10 minutes until golden.
- Meanwhile, combine reserved syrup and 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon in a small saucepan and stir over medium heat and cook until syrupy.
- Brush thickly over hot buns, and allow them to cool.
Image Credit: Jasmine Waheed