Happy Easter All

Hope everyone had a good Easter weekend whatever you got up to!

We had a lovely day out on the Saturday with family. Picnic at our local park with lots of food. A walk for farm Dog. Playing on the swings and see saw and a trip on a miniature railway for farm baby and grandad!

I took a shot at making some Easter cupcakes for the day out. Creme Egg ones and marshmallow sheep! They came out better than I expected, my decorating skills aren't the best! They tasted pretty good too!

Farm Baby also got a new dress and sunhat for Easter. I just managed to get them both finished in time, just seemed to keep running out of stuff or the various machines breaking down!

A great day out, tiring and enjoyable!

Easter Weekend - Hot Cross Buns

INGREDIENTS

• 450g strong white flour , plus extra for dusting
• 2 x 7g sachets easy-blend yeast
• 50g caster sugar
• 150ml warm milk
• 1 , beaten
• 50g unsalted butter , melted, plus extra for greasing
• oil , for greasing
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp mixed spice
• ¼ tsp grated nutmeg
• 100g currants
• 4 tbsp plain flour
• 2 tbsp granulated sugar

INGREDIENTS

1. Put the flour, yeast, caster sugar and 1 tsp salt into a large mixing bowl with the spices and dried fruit and mix well. Make a well in the centre and pour in the warm milk, 50ml warm water, the beaten egg and the melted butter. Mix everything together to form a dough - start with a wooden spoon and finish with your hands. If the dough is too dry, add a little more warm water; if it's too wet, add more flour.
2. Knead in the bowl or on a floured surface until the dough becomes smooth and springy. Transfer to a clean, lightly greased bowl and cover loosely with a clean, damp tea towel. Leave in a warm place to rise until roughly doubled in size - this will take about 1 hr depending on how warm the room is.
3. Tip the risen dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for a few secs, then divide into 12 even portions - I roll my dough into a long sausage shape, then quarter and divide each quarter into 3 pieces. Shape each portion into a smooth round and place on a baking sheet greased with butter, leaving some room between each bun for it to rise.
4. Use a small, sharp knife to score a cross on the top of each bun, then cover with the damp tea towel again and leave in a warm place to prove for 20 mins until almost doubled in size again. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
5. When the buns are ready to bake, mix the plain flour with just enough water to give you a thick paste. Spoon into a piping bag (or into a plastic food bag and snip the corner off) and pipe a white cross into the crosses you cut earlier. Bake for 12-15 mins until the buns are golden and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. While still warm, melt the granulated sugar with 1 tbsp water in a small pan, then brush over the buns.