Ladybirds Chocy Choc Cross Buns

1. 1

   Lightly oil a large bowl and set aside till dough is ready .Grease a 6cm deep by 23cm base square cake pan and set aside till needed .

2. 2

   In a medium bowl place the yeast , milk and 1 tablespoon of the raw sugar and whisk to dissolve the yeast , then cover and set aside in a warm place for about 10 minutes or until foamy .

3. 3

   In a separate medium bowl sift the together flour , cocoa and cinnamon , then add the cubed butter and rub the butter into the flour mix , best done with clean fingertips , until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs .

4. 4

   Now make a well in the centre of the crumbed flour mix and add the prepared yeast mixture , the lightly whisked egg and the remaining raw sugar and stir to combine all to form a dough .

5. 5

   Turn the prepared dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 1 minute , then transfer to the prepared lightly oiled bowl , cover and set aside in a warm place for 1 hour or until dough has doubled in size .

6. 6

   Once dough has doubled risen , punch the dough down then turn onto a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes or until dough becomes smooth , then add the combined choc chips and knead to combine all .

7. 7

   Preheat oven to 200C / 400F .

8. 8

   Roll dough into 16 equal sized balls and place on the prepared square cake pan and cover and set aside in a warm place for 30 minutes or until dough has almost doubled in size .

9. 9

   TO MAKE THE PASTE : Place the flour , sugar and the cold water into a bowl and mix well to combine all , then spoon the paste into a piping bag with small nozzle end and carefully pipe crosses ontop and across each bun evenly as possible .

10. 10

    Place prepared bun dough into the preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes on 200C then reduce the heat to 180C / 360F and cook for a further 20 minutes or until the buns are golden brown and cooked through / springs back to touch .

11. 11

    TO MAKE THE GLAZE : sprinkle gelatine and sugar over the boiling water in a heatproof jug and stir with a fork until gelatine has dissolved .

12. 12

    Turn the cooked buns , top side up , onto a wise rack and brush the tops of all the buns with the glaze let cool and serve .

13. 13

    Buns can be eaten hot or cold , with butter , cream or anyway you like .

14. 14

    Enjoy .

15. 15

    :-) .

16. 16

    NOTE : to turn these into normal hot cross buns , just replace the cocoa powder with plain flour and replace combined chocolate chips with raisins and saltanas .

17. 17

    ;-) .

* Per serving · 4 servings · Values may vary.