Please a crowd these holidays with buns packed with spices, dried apricots, raisins and sultanas.

Recipe: Ruth Pretty

Makes: one 25cm ring or 9 buns

INGREDIENTS

2 tsp honey
190ml boiling water
250ml cold water
3½ teaspoons active dried yeast granules
450g bakers’ flour
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1½ teaspoon mixed spice
1 teaspoon salt
75g raisins
75g sultanas
75g dried apricots ,roughly chopped
50g mixed peel
25g sliced almonds
olive oil for greasing hands

METHOD

Preheat oven to 80ºC. (80ºC is correct! This temperature is only to prove the bread).

In a large bowl, combine honey and boiling water. Stir until honey is dissolved. Add cold water to honey mixture and stir to combine.

Sprinkle yeast over honey mixture and cover bowl with plastic wrap. Place bowl in a warm area for 15 minutes or until mixture is bubbly and slightly risen

In a separate bowl combine flour, spices, salt and dried fruits.

Once sponge is ready beat vigorously, with an eggbeater. until frothy. Gradually incorporate flour and fruit mixture into sponge, mixing with a wooden spoon.

For the ring tin: Lightly grease a 25cm ring tin with baking spray. Lightly grease your hands with a little oil and lift the dough, it will be very wet, from the bowl and stretch to fit around the ring. Sprinkle dough with sliced almonds if using.

(Alternatively with lightly oiled hands divide dough into 9 even pieces. Grease a 22cm square tin and place dough balls evenly into tin.)

Allow dough to prove in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until dough is level with top of tin (it may rise above top of tin during this time, but do not be concerned!).

Without removing bread from oven, raise oven temperature to 210ºC, and bake ring for a further 25-30 minutes (and buns for a further 20 minutes) or until bread sounds hollow when tapped.

Turn bread out onto a cooling rack and allow to cool slightly before drizzling with Lemon Drizzle. (Serve buns hot with butter.)

Lemon Icing Drizzle

INGREDIENTS

95g icing sugar, sifted
½ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
juice of one lemon, or to taste
1½ teaspoons olive oil

METHOD

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients and whisk until smooth.