Bath buns recipe

This recipe makes 12 sweet and soft buns. They are great as a snack or for afternoon tea and very delicious if eaten warm. For extra treat, spread butter and jam on halved buns

Ingredients

• 350g (12oz) plain flour
• Pinch of salt
• 90g (3oz) butter
• 1 x 7g sachet easy-bake dried yeast (or ¾oz fresh yeast)
• 100g (3½oz) caster sugar
• 125ml (4fl oz) milk, warmed to blood heat
• 2 med eggs, beaten
• 60g (2oz) sultanas
• 30g (1oz) mixed peel
• Grated rind of ½ lemon
• 1 extra tbs milk
• 4 sugar cubes, crushed
• Butter, to serve

2 heavy baking sheets, buttered

Method

1. Sift the flour and salt in a bowl and leave in a warm place for 10 mins (or microwave on High for 30 secs). Rub in the butter, then stir in the yeast and 1 tsp of the sugar. Make a well in the centre of the mixture.
2. Pour in the warmed milk and the beaten eggs and mix well with a round-bladed knife, then your hand, to make a smooth dough.
3. Put the dough into a buttered bowl and cover with cling film (or a cloth), and stand it in a warm place for 1-1½ hrs, until double in size.
4. Mix the sultanas, mixed peel and lemon rind with the rest of the sugar. When the dough has risen to twice its size, turn it out on to a lightly floured work surface and knead it, working in the fruit mixture.
5. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces and shape these into buns. Put them on the baking sheets. Cover loosely with oiled cling film and put in a warm place again to rise, for about 15 mins.
6. Set the oven to 220°C/Gas Mark 7.
7. Brush the buns lightly with milk and sprinkle with sugar. Bake the buns, just above the centre of the oven, for 10 mins, then turn the oven temperature down to 190°C/Gas Mark 5 and bake for another 5 mins. Cool them on a wire rack. Split and serve with butter.