Hot Cross Buns

Method

1. mix8 min
   milk lukewarm, butter soft; dough shaggy before butter is fully worked in
   Combine the milk, yeast, sugar and egg, then add flour, salt, cinnamon and allspice. Mix to a shaggy dough before working in the softened butter. Enriched dough develops strength more reliably when the flour first hydrates and begins forming gluten instead of being coated immediately in fat.
2. knead12 min
   smooth, elastic and tacky rather than wet; raisins + orange zest folded in near the end
   Knead until the dough stretches without tearing easily, then work in the raisins and orange zest just until distributed. Add the fruit late so its edges do not shred the developing gluten for the entire knead. The finished dough should feel supple and slightly tacky, not require enough extra flour to become stiff.
3. proof75 min
   covered in a warm place until roughly doubled and visibly aerated
   Let the dough rise until it has expanded substantially and a gentle fingertip dent returns slowly. Sugar, egg and butter all slow yeast relative to a lean bread, so the clock is only a guide; visible expansion and dough response are the evidence that the first proof is complete.
4. prep12 min
   divided into 12 equal pieces and rounded under a cupped palm
   Deflate gently, divide by weight into 12 pieces and shape each into a tight smooth ball. Arrange in a parchment-lined pan with small gaps between them. Surface tension from rounding helps each bun rise upward instead of spreading flat.
5. proof40 min
   covered until puffy, nearly touching and slow to spring back when lightly pressed
   Give the shaped buns their second rise until they look inflated rather than merely larger. Underproofed buns split unpredictably in the oven; overproofed buns lose the strength to spring. Judge the dough, not a fixed forty-minute promise.
6. mix3 min
   cross paste thick enough to pipe without running
   Stir the cross flour with just enough water to make a smooth thick paste, transfer it to a piping bag or zip bag and pipe one continuous line across each row of buns in both directions. This flour paste bakes into the traditional cross rather than adding a sugary icing after the bread is finished.
7. bake22 min
   375°F / 190°C until deeply golden and the center buns are fully set
   Bake until the tops are deep golden and the buns sound light rather than damp when lifted from the pan. The fruit and sugar darken the crust readily, so color alone is not enough; the center buns must feel set where they touch.
8. glaze3 min
   sugar + water heated just until dissolved; brushed onto hot buns
   Dissolve the glaze sugar in the water and brush the syrup over the buns as soon as they leave the oven. A thin hot glaze gives the classic shine and lightly softens the crust without turning the buns into iced sweet rolls.