Clotted Cream Hot Cross Buns

Method

1. Pop the flour, sugar, spices, and salt into a large bowl. Add the yeast, but keep it on the opposite side to the salt
2. Stir through your dried fruit
3. In a jug, whisk the eggs, warm water, and clotted cream until smooth. Pour into the dry ingredients and bring everything together into a sticky dough.
4. Tip it onto a floured surface and knead for 8-10 minutes until smooth and springy (or let a mixer do the hard work with a dough hook for about 5 minutes!)
5. Pop the dough into a lightly greased bowl, cover with a clean tea towel, and leave somewhere warm for about an hour or until doubled in size
6. Once the dough’s rise, give it a gentle knock back and divide into 12 even pieces. Roll into rounds and place on a lined baking tray in rows. Leave a little space between them to grow. Cover again and leave to rise for another 45 minutes
7. Mix the flour and water to make a thick paste. Spoon into a piping bag and pipe a cross over each bun
8. Pop into a preheated oven at 200C/180C fan/Gas Mark 6 for 20-25 minutes, until they’re golden on top and sound hollow when tapped
9. Warm the apricot jam or honey and brush over the buns while they’re still warm to give them that classic sticky shine
10. Serve halved, toasted, with more jam and a spoonful of Rodda’s Cornish clotted cream!