Chocolate Hot Cross Buns

DRY INGREDIENTS

5 cups of cake flour or strong bread flour 1 and ½ packets of instant yeast (15g)

½ tsp salt

6 tbs caster sugar

2½ tsp mixed spice

2½ tsp fine cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg

2 tsp fine ginger (I use grated fresh ginger) 1½ cups of chocolate pieces (I used milk chocolate slabs, chopped into small chunks the size of a raisin).

WET INGREDIENTS

300ml lukewarm milk 70g melted butter 2 extra-large eggs whisked

Put all dry ingredients in a bowl and stir until combined.

Add the wet ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon, until well combined.

Transfer the dough to a floured surface, knead for 10 minutes and place in a lightly oiled bowl.

Cover and allow to rise for 90 minutes. Knock down the dough and shape it into round balls, placing it 2cm apart on a baking tray lined with baking paper.

Cover with a tea towel and allow to rise again for 35 minutes.

Take half a ¼ cup of cake flour, 2 tbs of cocoa powder and just enough water to make a soft thick paste.

Take this paste and spoon it into a piping bag with a thin nozzle or a plastic bag, cut off a small piece with scissors at the tip corner and pipe down on each row, all the way to the last bun and do the same with the other rows of buns, forming the cross shapes.

Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.

While still hot out of the oven, brush with a simple sugar syrup. Take a quarter cup of boiling water and stir in about 4-5 tablespoons of sugar.

Stir until dissolved.

You can cook this syrup for a few minutes on the stove or stir into the sugar syrup a teaspoon of apricot jam until dissolved, and brush over hot buns.

TIP: Do not be tempted to add more flour to dough mix. This will result in a heavy and dense bun. To take it to another level, add the zest of one orange.

I used freshly-grated ginger. You may use the remaining syrup to brush for a second time after it has cooled. You can store in an airtight container in the fridge to keep for the next day.

Simply pop in the microwave for a few seconds and it will taste oven-fresh again.