Triple chocolate hot cross buns

Place the milk and butter into a saucepan and gently warm through until the butter has melted. Set to one side to cool, then beat in the egg.

Put the flour into the bowl of a stand mixer. Add 50g sugar, plus the salt, cinnamon and cocoa powder to one side of the bowl, and the yeast to the other. Using the dough hook on medium speed, slowly pour the warm milk mixture into the flour and knead for 4-5 minutes, or until a smooth and elastic dough has formed. You might not need to add all the milk or you might need a splash more to clean any floury patches from the inside of the bowl.

When the dough feels soft and silky, place it in a lightly oiled bowl and leave to rise for at least 1 hour or until at least doubled in size. Line two baking trays with baking parchment.

Tip the risen dough onto the work surface and fold it repeatedly over itself to knock out any large pockets of air. Sprinkle over the chocolate chips and knead until evenly distributed through the dough.

Divide the dough into 10 pieces and use a cupped hand to roll them into balls. Evenly space the dough on the prepared baking trays, leaving enough room for them to expand. Cover and leave for 1 hour or until the buns are noticeably larger (they won’t double in size but will start to look puffy). Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200°C, gas mark 6.

For the crosses, mix the plain flour with a few tsp of water to make a loose paste. Transfer the paste to a piping bag and pipe a thin line in a cross shape over each bun.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until they sound hollow when tapped on the base. While the buns are baking, mix together the remaining 2 tbsp sugar with 1 tbsp water and heat gently, until the sugar has just dissolved, to make a glaze. Remove from the heat. Remove the buns from the oven and, while still hot, use a pastry brush to paint the glaze all over the tops, then allow to cool. Enjoy warm, cold or toasted.