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Iced Fruit Buns

Everyone will adore these moist, soft, fruity buns – they're the perfect treat at the end of a baking session and well worth the effort.

Vegetarian

Preparation time: 30 minutes plus approx 1.5 hours proving
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Total time: 2 hours 15 minutes

Makes: 10

Ingredients

150g mixed dried fruit (try glacé cherries, apricots and pineapple)
½ tsp ground mixed spice
4 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
350g Very Strong Canadian White Bread Flour
7g sachet easy-blend dried yeast
25g caster sugar
1 medium egg
100g unsalted butter
150g icing sugar

Method

Put the dried fruit, spice and the orange juice in a small saucepan and heat gently until the fruit starts to plump up and the juice is absorbed. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.
Put the flour, yeast and sugar in a bowl and make a well in the centre. Break in the egg. Melt the butter and add to the bowl, along with 100ml tepid water. Bring the mixture together with a round-bladed knife until it starts to form a soft dough.
Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently for at least 10 minutes or until very smooth and elastic, adding the dried fruit towards the end of kneading. Return to a clean bowl, cover with clingfilm and leave in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1½ hours. Grease a large baking sheet.
Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and 'punch' with your fist to release the air. Cut into 10 even-sized pieces and shape each piece into a sausage shape. Space these well apart on the baking sheet and cover loosely with lightly oiled clingfilm. Leave to rise until doubled in size, about 1½ hours. Towards the end of the proving time, preheat the oven to 180°C, gas mark 4.
Bake the buns for about 15 minutes until well risen and just golden. Transfer them to a wire rack, then cover with a clean tea towel and leave to cool. Blend the icing sugar with a little water and spoon over the buns.