Portions:
12
Ingredients
Buns
- 4 ½ cups bread flour
- 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
- ½ Tbsp ground thyme
- 2 ½ tsp instant yeast
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup dried fruits such as raisins, dried cranberries, dried cherries, or cut-up dried apricots
- grated zest of 1 lemon
- 3 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 large egg beaten
- ¾ cup pure Canadian maple syrup
- 1 stick (half cup) butter
- ⅓ cup milk
Cross
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- ¼ cup water
Glaze
- 2 Tbsp apricot jam
- 2 Tbsp pure Canadian maple syrup
Method
- Warm the milk, butter, and maple syrup together until melted and combined. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Place flour, cinnamon, yeast, thyme, and salt into a large mixing bowl and stir to combine. Then stir in the dried fruit and lemon zest.
- Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the wet ingredients. Mix to a soft, slightly sticky dough, adding a little more water, if required.
- Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes until the dough becomes less sticky.
- Shape into a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl, turning to lightly coat the dough in the oil. Cover and leave in a warm place to rise for about 1½ hours, or until doubled in size.
- Grease a 9 x 13 baking pan with baking parchment. Gently punch down. Divide the dough into 12 even-sized pieces and shape into balls. Arrange the buns in the baking pan, leaving space between each one. Cover with a damp towel and leave to rise for 45 mins
- To make the crosses, mix the flour with 1 tbsp of water at a time in a small bowl to create a thick, pipeable paste. Spoon the paste into a piping bag fitted with a small round nozzle and pipe crosses on the buns.
- While you preheat the oven to 375°F, place the pan of buns in the fridge
- Place on the middle shelf of the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until deep golden brown.
- For the glaze, gently heat the jam and maple syrup in a small saucepan over a low heat then use to glaze the buns.
