This is the third time I’ve made Hot Cross Buns. The two previous times ended in heavy, dense disappointment and I was a little concerned about these as the yeast predictably behaved like first years on Spring Break even in the fridge, before collapsing in a heap overnight. I thought I’d killed it when the dough didn’t rise much on the second prove but here they are. I was concerned because I used Plain Flour, as the recipe stated, instead of bread flour, as insisted on by Nigella after I’d made the dough but this Leckford flour turned out to be plenty glutinous enough. The piping went wrong, again, and I burnt the first lot of jam for glazing but let us gloss over this.

These turned out to be the best Hot Cross Buns I’ve ever made. The recipe is here at Sophia’s Kitchen.