Choc Chip Hot Cross Buns

• 1¼ cups milk
• ½ cup CSR Caster Sugar
• 1 tbsp dried yeast
• 4 ¼ cups White Wings Plain Flour
• 2 tbsp mixed spice
• ¼ tsp salt
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 50g butter, melted
• 1½ cups milk choc chips

For Crosses:

• ½ cup White Wings Plain Flour
• 1/3 cup water

For Glaze:

• ¼ apricot jam

1. Heat milk until just warm (do not overheat). Stir in 1 tablespoon of the sugar. Add yeast and stir to combine. Put in a warm place for 10 minutes, until frothy.
2. Next, sift flour, mixed spice and salt together in a large bowl. Stir in remaining sugar. Make a well in the centre. Add yeast mixture, eggs and butter and mix to combine. Turn onto a lightly floured bench and knead for 10 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Place into a lightly oiled, large bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Put in a warm place for 1 hour, until double in size.
3. Grease a 31cm x 21cm lamington pan with butter and line base with baking paper. Punch dough down. Turn out of bowl and onto a lightly floured bench. Scatter chocolate chips over dough. Knead until evenly distributed. Divide dough into 15 pieces. Lightly knead each piece to form a ball and place, side by side, into prepared pan. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and put in a warm place for 30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 200ºC. Make cross dough by mixing flour and water together. Add more water if necessary. Place into a piping bag fitted with a small round plain nozzle. Pipe dough over buns to form crosses. Bake buns for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 160ºC and bake 15 minutes longer, until cooked. Turn out of pan onto a wire cooling rack.
5. Heat apricot jam, then push through a small sieve or strainer. Brush jam over top of hot buns. Serve warm.

Tips:

To make fruit hot cross buns, omit chocolate and add ¾ cup sultanas and 1/3 cup mixed peel.

If you do not have a piping bag, place cross dough into a small plastic zip-lock bag and cut a small snip from one corner.

To reheat a bun, place in the microwave on a damp paper towel and heat for about 10 seconds, until just warm.