Name: How to make perfect chocolate hot cross buns
Yield: Makes 12
Ingredients: 60g caster sugar; 40g Dutch-process cocoa, sieved; 10g dried yeast; 3 tsp ground cinnamon; 520g plain flour; 300ml milk; 70g butter, coarsely chopped; 1 egg; 80g sultanas; 100g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), finely chopped; 40g candied orange, diced; ½ tsp sunflower oil; Cinnamon glaze; 60g caster sugar; ½ tsp ground cinnamon

This hot cross buns recipe is a simple homemade Easter treat chocoholics will love. Get the kids in on the action by letting them help out with the kneading. Follow our easy step-by-step instructions using basic ingredients such as sugar, cocoa, cinnamon, milk and butter. Your home will be filled with the sweet aroma of baking bread with a dash of chocolate before too long. Traditionalists will be glad to see the addition of sultanas and candied orange, while chocolate lovers will enjoy the explosions of chocolate sweetness in the mouth as you bite into one.

This hot cross buns recipe shares a few tricks of the trade, too – like tapping the buns to check they sound hollow before declaring them ready. Then it’s time to add the sugar and cinnamon glaze and enjoy with a generous slather of butter. Lured by the aroma, you can guarantee that you’ll draw a crowd. Have one for brekkie or serve with brunch. Pop some in the freezer so you can have a hot cross bun any time.

If you’re in the mood for chocolate baking, cook this chocolate babka, make this no-bake chocolate tart or check out these decadent chocolate desserts.

Ingredients

60g caster sugar

40g Dutch-process cocoa, sieved

10g dried yeast

3 tsp ground cinnamon

520g plain flour

300ml milk

70g butter, coarsely chopped

1 egg

80g sultanas

100g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), finely chopped

40g candied orange, diced

½ tsp sunflower oil

Cinnamon glaze

60g caster sugar

½ tsp ground cinnamon

Method

Combine sugar, cocoa, yeast, cinnamon, 450g flour and 1 teaspoon of salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook and mix on low speed to combine. Heat milk and butter in a small saucepan over low heat until butter melts, cool to lukewarm, then whisk in egg. Add milk mixture to flour mixture and knead until smooth and elastic (8-10 minutes; dough will be quite soft). Add sultanas, chocolate and candied orange, knead to combine, then transfer dough to a lightly buttered bowl, cover and stand in a warm place until doubled in size (50 minutes to 1 hour).

Knock back dough, divide into 12 even pieces, then roll each into a smooth ball. Arrange in four rows of three on a large baking tray lined with baking paper, leaving 1.5cm between each for dough to expand. Cover with a tea towel and stand in a warm place until doubled in size (30-40 minutes).

Preheat oven to 220˚C . Stir remaining flour, sunflower oil and 50ml cold water, adding a little more water if necessary to achieve a smooth paste. Spoon into a piping bag fitted with a small plain nozzle and pipe a cross on each bun. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce oven to 200˚C and bake until buns are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped (8-10 minutes).

For the cinnamon glaze, stir sugar, cinnamon and 50ml water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves, bring to a simmer, then cool briefly to thicken a little (5 minutes). Brush warm buns with glaze and serve.