1 ¼ cups milk
¼ cup caster sugar
2 x 8g sachets dried yeast
4 cups plain flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons mixed spice
1 teaspoon salt
60g butter, at room temperature
1 ½ cups sultanas
2 eggs, lightly beaten
¼ cup self-raising flour
In a microwave safe jug, heat the milk for just around 60 sec or until warm. Add the caster sugar ( I used raw caster sugar ) and stir until dissolved, then mix in the dried yeast.
Leave this mixture for 5 – 10 minutes or until it froths up.
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon, mixed spice and salt. Then rub through the butter with your fingertips until it is evenly distributed.
Stir in the eggs and the yeast mixture until it comes together in a rough dough.
Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead by hand for 5 minutes until elastic and smooth. I put my dough in my mixer for 5 mins with the dough hook attachment, as I was feeling lazy :)
Place the dough in a large, greased bowl covered with a clean, damp tea towel.
Place in a warm place for about 45 minutes until is rises to almost twice its size. ( If there are no warm or sunny spots in the kitchen, put the bowl under the range hood light, I have also been known to place it on the bonnet of my car in the garage! )
Knead the dough for a couple of minutes a second time, then divide into 12 or so balls. Place the balls on a greased baking tray, pressed up against each other.
Cover and leave in a warm place for another 15 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Combine the self-raising flour with two tablespoons of water and mix well. Place in a small piping bag with a narrow nozzle, I which I didn't have so I used a large zip lock bag, with a tiny piece of the corner snipped off. Pipe a cross onto each of the buns.
Bake for 20 minutes or until the buns are risen and sound hollow when tapped.
I just made a simple sugar glaze, using 1 tablespoon of caster sugar and mixing it with 1 tablespoon of boiling water, bushed lightly over the surface of each of the buns.
adapted from julia goodwin's cookbook
