Add dried fruit to these scrummy buns.

Ingredients

• ¾ cup tepid milk
• 1¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
• 500 grams high-grade flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup caster sugar
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1 tablespoon vanilla essence
• 100 grams butter, melted and cooled

Method

1. Stir the milk and yeast together and set aside for 10 minutes or until the mixture is frothy. Sift the flour, salt and sugar into a bowl. Make a well in the centre. Beat the eggs and vanilla together; set 1 tablespoon aside to use for glazing before cooking.
2. Into the well, pour the frothy milk, egg mixture and melted butter and mix by hand or with a wooden spoon to make a moist dough. Turn out onto a floured board and knead for 10 minutes to make a smooth dough. Place in a greased bowl, cover and set aside for 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.
3. Preheat the oven to 200ºC. Grease and line a 23cm cake tin with baking paper.
4. Turn the dough out on to a floured bench and deflate gently. Divide equally into 16 rounds. Place these into the cake tin, cover and set aside again for 40-60 minutes until the buns have doubled in size. Brush with the reserved beaten egg and sift over a little caster sugar.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes until well-risen, golden and cooked. Turn out onto a cake rack. Serve warm.

Cooks Tips

Variations - Add ½ cup coarsley chopped cranberries or ½ cup mixed peel or currants and the grated rind of 1 orange.