Hot Cross Buns

This year I thought I'd buy some hot cross buns, but after looking at them yesterday in Tesco, I thought no way! They all looked pretty nasty and expensive. Then I thought - we'll just not bother this year, but then tradition took over and I found myself making these little beauties. It's the quickest recipe I could devise, with some lovely buns at the end. They are best eaten fresh, but after a day old, toast them and smoother with butter. Yum...

Ingredients:
500g strong white flour
Half tsp salt
2 tsp mixed spice
50g caster sugar
50g butter
150g mixed dried fruit
Zest of 1 lemon and 1 small orange
7g sachet easy blend yeast
200ml milk
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
For the cross:
3 tbsp plain flour
2 tbsp water
Golden syrup to glaze

HOW TO MAKE:
Put all the dry ingredients in a bowl and mix. Rub in the butter, stir in the fruit and zest, sprinkle the yeast over and stir.
Gently warm the milk and add to the dry ingredients with the egg and vanilla. Using a blunt knife, mix the ingredients into a moist dough. Leave it to rest for 5 mins, then cut into 8 pieces.
Shape the dough into buns on a floured surface, place on making try and cover loosely with some oiled cling film. Leave in a warm place to double in size for about an hour.
Mix the flour and water into a paste and pipe over the buns in a cross shape. Bake in a preheated oven, 220C, for 10-15 mins.
Once baked, glaze with the golden syrup and enjoy!