Sweet Bunny Bread & Hot Cross Buns

Ingredients:

300ml full-fat milk

50g butter

500g strong bread flour

1 tsp salt

75g caster sugar

1 tbsp sunflower oil

7g (sachet) fast action yeast

1 egg, beaten

35g sultanas

25g mixed peel

Zest 1 orange

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp mixed spice

For the glaze – 2 tbsp apricot jam

Method:

Bring 300ml full fat milk to the boil, remove from the heat and add 50g butter.  Leave to cool until it reaches hand temperature.  Add flour, salt, caster sugar and yeast into a bowl. Make a well in the centre.  Pour in the warm milk and butter mixture.  Add 1 beaten egg. Using a wooden spoon, mix well, then bring everything together with your hands until you have a sticky dough. 

Tip on a lightly floured surface and knead by holding the dough with one hand and stretching it with the heal of the other hand, then folding it back on itself.  Repeat for 5 minutes until smooth and elastic.  Put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl.  Cover with oiled cling film and leave to rise in a warm place for an hour or until doubled in size, and a finger pressed into it leaves a dent!

With the dough still in the bowl, add the ground cinnamon, and mixed spice.

Divide the dough into half. Remove half for your bunny set aside.

To the rest of the dough add in 35g sultanas, 25g mixed peel and zest of 1 orange.

Bunny

Shape your bunny on to a baking sheet and leave to prove for another hour.

Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Remember to add nose, eyes anything else you need for your bunny before baking for about 20 mins on the middle shelf of the oven, until golden brown.

Hot Cross Buns

Pull off 6 even pieces and mould into round balls/rolls. Arrange the buns on a baking tray lined with parchment paper leaving enough space for the dough to expand. Cover for 1 hour to allow further proving.

Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Mix 75g plain flour with about 5 tbsp of water to make the paste for the crosses.  Spoon in to a piping bag with a small nozzle.  Pipe a line along each row of buns , then repeat in the other direction to create crosses. Bake for 20 minutes on the middle shelf of the oven, until golden brown.

Gentle heat apricot jam to melt. While the jam is still warm, brush over the top of the warm buns and bunny – leave to cool, before enjoying!