Chocolate Chunk Hot Cross Buns

1. Whisk together flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger in a large bowl.

2. In a small bowl, stir fresh yeast with 1 tsp sugar until it liquefies. Dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup of milk, then add to the flour mixture.

3. Add butter, egg, vanilla, remaining milk, and water. Knead until the dough is soft, smooth, and slightly pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Transfer to an oiled bowl.

4. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for 1-1.5 hours until the dough has doubled in size.

5. Mix raisins and chocolate into the dough, cover, and let it rise again for 30 minutes.

6. On a lightly floured surface, divide the dough into 12 pieces and roll each piece into balls.

7. Place the dough balls on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and cover with oiled plastic wrap. Let them rest for another 30-45 minutes.

8. Preheat the oven to 400F (200C).

9. In a bowl, combine flour and water to form a thick paste. Transfer the paste into a piping bag fitted with a small 3 mm tip. Pipe crosses onto the buns.

10. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

11. Brush the buns with warm apricot jam immediately after taking them out of the oven.