Classic hot cross buns

The perfect Easter recipe comes from a lovely book called A Good Egg by Bristol-based cookery writer Genevieve Taylor who describes herself as an 'urban henkeeper'.

This isn't the eggiest of them but there are some brilliant ideas for how to use eggs imaginatively, written in diary form to tie in with the seasons.

Genevieve writes: "Why go to the bother of making your own hot cross buns? Well, first, you can add as much spice as you like, and secondly your house will smell divine as they bake.

This recipe, like a lot of breads –particularly the sweet ones, uses an egg to enrich and soften the dough. The flour-paste cross on the top adds nothing in the taste department but is completely necessary all the same."

makes 12 buns

150ml hand-hot water (use half boiling & half cold)

1 tbsp dried yeast

40g caster sugar

500g strong (bread) flour

1 heaped tsp ground mixed spice

1 tsp salt

50g butter, melted

1 beaten egg

75ml warm milk

Vegetable oil for greasing

75g raisins or currants

50g chopped mixed peel

For the topping:

4 tbsp plain flour

4 tbsp cold water

2 tbsp caster sugar

2 tbsp boiling water

"Measure the water into a jug, stir through the yeast and a teaspoon of the caster sugar. Set aside for about 10 minutes until a foamy head forms on the surface. Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl and stir through the spice, salt and the rest of the caster sugar. Make a well in the middle and set aside.

In another mixing jug or small bowl, beat together the melted butter, egg and warm milk. Pour into the well in the flour, along with the foaming yeast. Mix together with a spoon until the dough comes together in a rough ball, then tip on to the work surface. Knead the dough for at least 5 minutes, pushing away with the heel of your hand and rolling back towards you until it becomes stretchy and smooth. If it is sticking to the worktop, add a little flour, but be careful not to add too much or it will become dry. The fluffiest lightest bread comes from dough that is a bit sticky and wet to work with. Place the dough in a bowl which you have lightly oiled, and cover with a clean tea towel or piece of clingfilm.

Set aside in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size. Depending on the temperature of the room, this will take an hour or two, maybe longer. Once the dough has doubled in size, tip on to the worktop and flatten slightly with the palm of your hand. Sprinkle over the dried fruit and mixed peel and gently knead into the dough. Using a knife, cut the dough in half, then cut each half into 6 equal-sized pieces. Gently roll each piece into a ball, tucking any fruit under the surface as much as possible because it can burn in the oven, and place in a deep-sided baking tin lined with baking paper. (You need a deep tin so that when you cover it, the buns have room to rise without sticking to the clingfilm.)

Repeat with the remaining dough until you have 12 buns equally spaced in the baking tin. Cover lightly with a double layer of clingfilm, tucking it under the tray to keep the air out. Leave to prove again for 30–45 minutes until the buns have risen by half. Preheat the oven to 220°C/Gas 7.

Once the buns have proved for the final time, prepare the flour paste for the ‘crosses’ by mixing the flour and cold water until smooth. Spoon into a small sandwich bag and snip off a tiny corner to create a quick piping bag. Pipe crosses on to each bun. Transfer to the hot oven and bake for about 10 minutes until golden brown. While they are cooking, dissolve the caster sugar in the boiling water. As soon as you remove the buns from the oven, glaze them by brushing with the sugar syrup. Put them on a rack to cool."

As you can see the recipes are really clear in this book and the photography charming. A lovely gift to take someone as an Easter present.

What to drink: My original thought was black tea, drunk English-style with milk but I'm rather taken with M & S wine buyer Jeneve Williams' idea of Marsala

For more Easter wine pairing ideas see 15 Easter pairings to learn by heart

From A Good Egg by Genevieve Taylor, published by Eden Project books. Photograph © Jason Ingram

Porridge, honey and raspberry loaves

The perfect weekend breakfast bake from Richard Bertinet's lovely book, Crumb.

Richard says: I love this bread lightly toasted the day after it’s made with fresh raspberries and goat’s milk yogurt for breakfast.

MAKES 2 MEDIUM TIN LOAVES

50g porridge oats, plus extra for dusting and coating

100g goat’s milk

40g honey

300g cool water

450g strong white bread flour

10g fine sea salt

10g fresh yeast

250g frozen raspberries

a little vegetable oil or butter, for greasing the tins

1 Bring the oats and milk to the boil in a pan. Stir in the honey, then take off the heat, scrape into a bowl and leave to cool.

2 To make the dough, transfer the porridge mixture to a food mixer, add the water, then the flour and salt and roughly break up the yeast on top on the opposite side of the bowl to the salt. Mix for 4 minutes on a slow speed, then turn up to medium for about a further 12 minutes until you have a dough that comes away cleanly from the sides of the bowl.

3 Lightly dust a work surface with oats, then turn out the dough. Also dust a clean bowl with oats. Fold the frozen raspberries gently into the dough but do not knead. then form into a ball and rest for about 45 minutes–1 hour until just under double in size.

4 Divide the dough in half using your scraper and re-shape each piece into a ball as above. Cover as before and leave to rest for a further 10 minutes.

5 Grease two medium loaf tins with oil or butter and place on a baking tray. Have some more oats in a large shallow bowl. Brush the top and sides of each ball with water and dip into the oats to coat, then put into the tins. Cover with a baking cloth or a large freezer bag and allow to prove for 45 minutes–1 hour until just under double in size.

6 Preheat the oven to 230°C. Fill a clean spray bottle with water. Using a sharp serrated-edged knife, make a cut along the length of each loaf, then put the tray into the preheated oven. Just before closing the door, quickly mist the inside generously with a water spray, pumping it for about 5–6 seconds, and avoiding spraying the loaves as much as possible.

7 Bake for about 15–20 minutes, then turn the heat down to 210°C for 10 minutes (leave the oven door very slightly ajar for the last 3–4 minutes to allow some steam to escape in order to enhance the crust) until the tops of the loaves are golden and the oats are light brown.

Extracted from Crumb by Richard Bertinet, published by Kyle Books. Photography © Jean Cazals.