• Combine dried apricots and sultanas in a bowl with orange juice then cover and soak for 1-2 hours.
• Warm half the milk, plus a little squeeze of honey (this will help activate the yeast) in a saucepan over low heat. Gently heat and stir the milk until it’s lukewarm. Remove from the stove and combine with yeast in a jug or bowl for approximately 10 minutes. If the yeast is happy, you will notice a foamy top. This means it’s ready to go!
• Gently heat the remaining milk with the 45g honey, which will help to combine the honey into the rest of the mix.
• Place 450g flour, spices (reserve ⅓ tsp), egg, milk yeast mix, melted butter and remaining milk and honey, with a pinch of salt into a large mixing bowl.
• Mix roughly until the mixture comes together. Drain and squeeze the fruit mixture, and add to the dough along with the butter and orange zest.  Bring mixture together with your hands, and turn out onto a clean surface, lightly dusted with flour. Knead the dough for 5 minutes, until firm and shiny. If you press your finger into the dough and it springs back, it’s ready!
• Cover the mixing bowl with a dampened tea towel, and set aside in a warm place for approximately 2 hours. The mixture should have doubled in size, this is called proving the dough.
• It’s time to “Knock back” the dough, which simply means to bang out the air pockets with a little punch. Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface, and cut the dough into 12 even pieces. Roll each piece into a small ball, and place on the tray. We like to leave approximately 2xm between each bun, which allows for the buns to prove for the second time. This should take approximately 50 mins.
• Preheat oven to 180°C.
• Add the remaining 50g flour and spice mixture in a small bowl, along with 50ml of cold water. Stir thoroughly until a paste has formed. You don’t want this mix to be too runny or firm, so play around with adding additional water or flour to reach the desired consistency. We aim for toothpaste consistency. Scoop the spice paste into a piping bag, with the small nozzle, and slowly pipe across the buns.
• Transfer to the oven and bake for 25 mins, or until golden brown.

Honey Glaze

• For the glaze, warm honey gently in a saucepan in low heat, and glaze liberally over the bun while they are still warm to the touch. Sprinkle lightly with a pinch of good quality salt flakes.
• Best served with a liberal spread of good quality butter and your choice of Beechworth Creamed Honey. Our pick is the plain Bee Creamy, which works in perfect harmony with the spices and dried fruits. Happy Easter!