The Recipe

Ingredients:

• 450g plain flour (approx 4 cups or 1 lb)
• 50g soft brown sugar (approx one quarter cup or 2 oz)
• 1 sachet fast action bread yeast
• 1 heaped teaspoon ground mixed spice
• 50g butter (that's a cube about 1.5 inches across)
• 1 egg
• 130g sultanas or raisins (approx 1 cup or 4.5 oz)
• 50g candied mixed citrus peel (approx quarter of a cup or 2 oz)
  (you can just use more raisins if you don't like mixed peel, but why not try it?)
• 150ml cold milk (approx two thirds of a cup)
• 100ml hot water (approx half a cup)

• Plain flour
• Cold water

• The juice of 1 lemon
• 5 teaspoons soft brown sugar

Method:

Mix the flour, sugar and yeast together in a bowl. melt the butter (15 seconds or so in the microwave. Add the melted butter and the egg to the dry ingredients, then mix well using a table knife.

Add the fruit, mix again, then add the milk and water.

Mix thoroughly with the knife until dough is formed (if it seems too sticky, add some more flour until it is workable).

Turn the dough out onto a clean floured surface and knead it for a few minutes - dusting with flour if it starts to stick.

Return the dough to the bowl, cover and leave somewhere warm until it doubles in size.

Lightly grease a baking tray. Cut the dough into twelve pieces, shape them with your hands to round, flat shapes - place them on the tray with a small gap between them.

Spread a small amount of oil over a piece of plastic wrap (clingfilm) and drape it over the buns to stop them drying out.

Preheat the oven to 200C (400F, Gas Mark 6)

For the crosses, mix some flour and water together - the amounts aren't critical, but you're aiming for a smooth soft paste - pour this into a plastic sandwich bag.

When the buns have risen a little, remove the plastic wrap, cut a small corner off the plastic bag and squeeze the flour/water paste in lines across all of the buns at once - forming crosses on each one.

Place in the oven for 20 minutes

While they're baking, squeeze the juice from one lemon and mix it with five teaspoons of soft brown sugar - stir this until the sugar dissolves and brush this mixture across the tops of the buns as soon as they come out of the oven.