‘Tear and Share’ Maple Hot Cross Buns

for the ferment

• 1/4 cup ’00’ flour (or All-Purpose flour)
• 1/4 tsp dried yeast
• 1/3 cups + 1 tbsp water, room temperature
• Pinch of salt

For the dough

• 1/3 cup orange marmalade
• 12 fennel seeds
• 1/2 cup dried fruits
• 1 1/2 cups ’00’ flour (or All-Purpose flour), plus extra for dusting
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 2 medium eggs
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp dried yeast
• 1/4 cup maple sugar
• 1/3 cup pure Canadian maple syrup (preferably Amber for its rich taste)
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened and cut into pieces
• 1/2 cup + 4 tsp water, room temperature

For the cross topping

• 1/4 cup plain flour
• 1/8 cup self-raising flour
• Pinch of maple sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tsp vegetable oil, plus extra to grease the tin

For the glaze

• 1 tbsp marmalade or orange jam
• 2 tbsp pure Canadian maple syrup (preferably amber for its rich taste)

Equipment

• Stand mixer with dough hook
• Spring-form cake tin, lightly buttered
• Disposable piping bag

1. Mix the ferment ingredients in a small bowl to form a stiff dough. Cover with cling film and leave at room temperature overnight until it more than doubles in size.
2. The next day, mix the marmalade with the fennel seeds, dried fruits and maple syrup in a mixing bowl, then set aside to soak.
3. Weigh 190g of the ferment mix, tear it into pieces and put in the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook attached. Add the flour, milk, egg, salt, yeast and water.
4. Mix on a low speed for 2 minutes, scrape the sides of the bowl down with a spatula or palette knife, then mix for another minute or so until all the dry ingredients are incorporated.
5. Increase the speed to medium for around 5 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic.
6. On a medium speed, add small amounts of the maple sugar to the bowl until combined, this should around take 2 minutes.
7. Add the butter to the bowl piece by piece, then mix again on a medium speed for 2 minutes or so until fully incorporated.
8. Finally, add the soaked fruit mixture to the bowl and mix on a low speed until evenly distributed.
9. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with cling film or a clean tea towel. Leave to rise at room temperature until at least doubled in size (about 1½ hours).
10. Once the dough has risen, turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead gently to remove any large air pockets.
11. Divide the dough into 6 equal balls and place into the cake tin. Cover the tin with a clean tea towel and leave to prove for 1½-2 hours.
12. To make the cross topping, put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well until smooth. Scrape into a piping bag and set aside.
13. Heat the oven to 200ºC.
14. When the dough has at least doubled in size, brush generously with beaten egg all over, then pipe a cross on top of each dough ball.
15. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden. Just before the baking time is up, warm the marmalade and the maple syrup in a small pan to make a thick syrup.
16. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack and brush all over with the glaze. Leave to cool before serving.