Makes 12
2 x 7g instant dried yeast
4 cups plain flour
½ cup warm milk
4 eggs
2 egg yolks (extra)
¾ cup caster sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
375g butter, at room temperature
½ cup craisins
½ cup dried apricots, finely chopped
½ cup sultanas
½ cup currants
1 large orange, finely grated rind
egg (extra), whisked
300g frozen cranberries, thawed, for jam
1 cup caster sugar (extra), for jam
1 Pour ½ cup warm water into a bowl. Add 7g of yeast and whisk with a fork until combined. Stand in a warm place for 10 minutes or until frothy. Add ½ cup flour and stir until combined. Cover and stand in a warm place for 30 minutes or until mixture has doubled in size.
2 Meanwhile, combine remaining yeast and warm milk in a jug. Stand in a warm place for 10 minutes or until frothy.
3 Put eggs, egg yolks (extra), sugar and vanilla in a bowl. Using an electric hand-beater, beat until thick and creamy. Add milk mixture and stir until well combined.
Attach a Y-shaped beater to your electric beater. Put butter in beater bowl with half of remaining flour. Gently beat at low speed until flour is combined. Add remaining flour and gently beat until combined and mixture is crumbly.
With motor running on low speed, add yeast/flour mixture and egg/milk mixture, beating slowly until well combined. Increase speed to medium and beat for 5 minutes or until dough is elastic and pale lemon in colour. Remove bowl from beater. Add craisins, apricots, sultanas, currants and orange rind. Stir until well combined.
4 Lightly grease a bowl. Transfer dough to bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and stand in a warm place for 1 to 1½ hours or until mixture has doubled in size.
5 Preheat oven to 200C. Put 12 paper moulds on a large baking tray. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Divide mixture into 4 even portions. Lightly knead each portion and divide again into 3 even portions. Roll each portion into a ball and drop each ball into a mould. Stand in a warm place for 20–25 minutes or until dough rises and just reaches the top of the moulds. Brush with egg (extra). Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 180C and bake for a further 15 minutes or until cooked through. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Serve with cranberry jam.
CRANBERRY JAM
Put cranberries and sugar (extra) in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until sugar has dissolved and mixture comes to the boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Cool.