Is there anything better than I giant squidgy bun, this one is filled with ricotta, blood orange zest and cardamom. I love making bread and experimenting with flavours so for the dough I infused the milk with loose earl grey tea. it was so full of flavour and the tea in the dough was subtle but you could taste a hint of it. I drizzled the bun with some blood orange icing. I love blood oranges there colour is so pretty, when they are in season I tend to go a bit mad a buy loads of them. I am meant to be packing for London and India as I leave in two days and I haven’t packed anything, but instead I’m am writing this while a savoury hot cross bun experiment proves in the kitchen. the signs of spring here in Devon are in full swing and there are so many recipes i want to try and flowers that I want to pick, I got these flowers whilst on a dog walk. I will have to save them for when I get back. I am really excited about visiting India for the workshop I am doing with box of spice. we have another planned in kerala in the summer if you are interested.

recipe

• 3 eggs
• 3 1/2 cups strong white flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 sachet’s of fast action yeast or 14g
• 1 tsp salt
• 250ml milk
• 1 tbsp. loose earl grey tea I used (jing earl grey)

filling

• 250g ricotta
• zest of two blood oranges
• 100g caster sugar
• 8 cardamom pods seeds ground

to make the dough add the milk and earl grey in a pan and heat gently until it reaches the boil and turn off heat and leave to infuse for 10 minutes. meanwhile add the flour, sugar, salt and yeast (on the opposite side of the bowl from the salt) into a mixing bowl. strain the milk to remove the tea leaves and pour into a jug. add the eggs, and start mixing while adding the milk. knead for about 5 minutes until the dough has become elastic (I used a mixer with a dough hook) place in oiled bowl and leave for 1 to 2 hours until doubled in size.

once risen tip out on to a floured work surface and knock the air out then roll out into a large rectangle, spread on the ricotta with a palette knife then sprinkle over the sugar, orange zest and ground cardamom seeds. and cut into long strips and coil one up then take the next piece and start coiling it around the first coil so that you have a large snail shell. place in a large lined tin and leave to prove again for 1 to 2 hours

bake at 180c/350f for 40 minutes or until it sounds hollow when the base is tapped.

once cool add some blood orange juice with icing sugar until a thick icing is made and drizzled over.