This began as a baking experiment and also as a response to Nike’s shameful abuse of the English National Flag, hence the very RED cross. It’s still something of a “work in progress”. I’ll put a few suggestions in the “Method” section so you can adapt as you go.

Makes: 12 quite large buns

Time: Initial prep: 30 minutes. First prove: 60 – 75 minutes. Second hands-on: 10 minutes Second prove: 60 minutes. Shaping into rolls: 15 – 20 minutes. Third prove: about 40 – 60 minutes. Adding crosses: 15 minutes. Baking: 20 – 25 minutes. + cooling time. Glazing: 10 minutes. It’s certainly not a quick bake, but worth the effort.

Level: The sloppy dough could be a challenge

Need: A stand mixer makes things a lot easier, but it’s not essential.

Ingredients for the buns

300ml/10fl oz milk
50g/1¾oz butter
A little raspberry extract/flavouring (optional)
500g/1lb 2oz strong bread flour
1 tsp salt
75g/2½oz caster sugar
7g – 10g fast-action/instant yeast
1 egg , beaten
75g/2½oz – 100g/3½oz frozen raspberries (or fresh)
100g/3½oz White chocolate chips

For the cross

75g/2½oz plain flour , plus extra for dusting
50ml/1¾fl oz water
A squirt of Red food colouring

For the glaze

About 75g/2½oz apricot jam/glaze (or maybe use raspberry jam)
A little water

Method

1. Bring the milk to the boil, then remove from the heat and add the butter and raspberry extract (if using). Leave to cool until lukewarm. Meanwhile, put the strong bread flour, salt, caster sugar and yeast into a (stand mixer) bowl and mix.

2. Make a well in the centre and pour in the warm milk and butter mixture. Add the beaten egg and mix well then bring everything together until you have a sticky dough – or mix in a stand mixer.

3. Either use a stand mixer with a dough hook or tip out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until a smooth ball forms. Put the dough ball into a lightly oiled bowl, cover and leave to rise in a warm place for at least an hour or until doubled in size.

NB The dough will be very wet and sticky, so kneading will take a while. It might be helpful to give it some time in the fridge first to solidify a little. I didn’t, but will next time.

4. With the risen dough still in the bowl tip in the raspberries and white chocolate. (Or tip out the dough and roll it flat.) Gently knead the raspberries and chocolate into the dough, making sure everything is well distributed. Re-cover the bowl and leave for the dough to rise again, until doubled in size – about an hour, depending on room temperature.

NB One benefit of frozen raspberries is that they can easily be crumbled into small pieces. I think this is worth doing, but feel free to have whole raspberries if you want. Either way, the raspberries will “bleed” colour into the mixture – which I quite like.

5. Weigh the dough then divide it into 12 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a smooth bun on a lightly floured work surface. Arrange the buns on one or two baking trays lined with parchment, leaving enough space for the dough to expand. Put the trays inside large plastic bags (white kitchen bin liners are ideal), then set aside to prove for an hour or more.

NB I found the dough incredibly wet and difficult to work with due to the moisture from the raspberries. I resorted to adding lots of flour which, to my surprise, didn’t cause any problems.

6. Heat oven to 220°C / 200°C fan / 425°F / gas 7.

7. Mix 75g/2½oz plain flour with about 50ml/1¾fl oz water to make the paste for the cross – add the liquid gradually, so you add just enough for a thick paste. Mix in some red food colouring. Make sure there are no lumps, then spoon the mixture into a piping bag with a medium/small nozzle, or simply cut the bag. Pipe a line along each row of buns, then repeat in the other direction to create crosses.

8. Bake for about 20 minutes on the middle shelves of the oven, until golden brown. Check half way through and turn the trays if necessary for an even colour. You might also need to cover the buns with foil if they look likely to over-darken.

9. Gently heat the jam with a little water. If necessary, sieve to get rid of any chunks. While it’s still warm, brush it over the top of the warm buns and leave to cool.

NB Take care not to brush hot jam over any exposed chocolate chunks or it will leave smears of chocolate over the buns.

Gallery

For many more lovely recipes click this link. If you’d like to make a comment or ask a question that would be great, just go to the contact page. Click here for the home page. In the meantime, below is a selection my bakes that you could try, but first here’s a link to My Easter Collection.

Rolo Caramel Cheesecake