Honeybrook Delights: Easy Hot Cross Buns

Living in Singapore, I had completely forgot that it is Easter next week until I stumbled upon some overly overpriced Mini Eggs (I mean £5 for a tube, come on!)

Once realisation hit, there was one thing for it - I had to bring Hot Cross Buns to Singapore.
I remember Easter's spent as a child sat in the garden with my chocolate eggs melting all over my hands - apparently it's -2 in Britain today, what's going on?!
This is the easiest Hot Cross Bun recipe I could think of and takes no more than 30 minutes to make less than a dozen larges buns.

Ingredients

For the buns:

350g white bread flour
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
100g unsalted butter
2 tablespoons honey
100g raisins
300ml milk
1 egg

For the white cross:

150g icing sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1 drop almond or vanilla extract

Mix the white flour, baking powder, salt and butter together with your hands to create a crumby mixture..

Add the honey and raisins and shake the mixture, make a well in the middle and slowly mix and add the milk to create a sticky combination...

Line a baking tray with baking paper and spoon the mixture into large balls.
Mark a cross on the top of each bun as deep as possible - the sticky texture makes this quite difficult but this helps when you ice the buns.
Create a glaze texture on top by whisking one egg and bushing lightly over the top.

While the buns are cooking, mix together the icing sugar, milk and essence.
Once the buns have cooled, use the icing to accentuate the crosses and there you go...