White Chocolate, Apple & Ginger Hot Cross Buns.

Ingredients:

Makes 15 buns

300 ml Whole milk

50g Butter

500g Strong white bread flour

75g plain flour

1 tsp salt

75g Caster sugar

10g Dried yeast

1 Egg

100g White chocolate chips

100g Stem ginger in syrup, finely chopped

100g Cooking apple, peeled, cored and finely diced

2 tblsp Golden syrup

0.5 tsp Mixed spice

Method:

In a small sauce pan melt the butter before adding the milk, heat to luke warm and remove from the heat.
Add the yeast and whisk until dissolved, allow to stand for five minutes.
In a large bowl mix the bread flour, caster sugar and salt along with milk, butter and yeast mix until a sticky dough is formed.
Tip onto a lightly floured surface and kneed until the dough becomes smooth and elastic (5-10 minutes)

Flatten the dough out slightly and place the apple, ginger and chocolate pieces into the centre. Fold the edges of the dough around the pieces and slowly kneed until everything is incorporated.
Pace the dough into a lightly greased bowl, cover with clingfilm and leave at room temperature for two hours and until at least doubled in size.

Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and dived into 15 equal pieces. Shape into balls by rolling on the surface in circular motions inside a cupped hand, try and make the outer surface of the ball as smooth as possible.
Place the buns onto a baking tray lined with baking parchment with about 2cm space between each one.
Cover again with lightly greased cling film and leave at room temperature to proove for a further hour.
Pre-heat an oven to 180 degrees C (350 degrees F) Gas mark 4
Mix the plain flour with enough water to form a thick paste.
Using a piping bag with a small nozzle or a disposable piping bag with a 2mm opening cut out of the point, fill with the flour paste and pipe crosses over the top of the buns.

Bake the buns for 15 minutes or until golden grown and cooked through.
Melt the golden syrup in a pan with the mixed spice and when the buns come out of the oven, brush over the top of the buns whilst still warm.