Whisk the yeast into the warm milk with 1 tablespoon of sugar. Set aside.

In a large bowl of your stand mixer, combine ½ cup sugar, flour, sifted Cocoa, Baking Spice and salt. When the yeast mixture looks slightly frothy, whisk in the melted butter, egg, Vanilla Essence and orange zest until combined. Pour the wet mixture into the dry and bring together into a dough using the dough hook attachment. Knead on medium-low speed for 8-10 minutes until soft, smooth and elastic.

Transfer the ball of dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover and allow to proof until doubled in size, about 1 ½ – 2 hours (see Tips).

Punch down the dough and tip out onto a lightly floured work surface. Incorporate the chocolate chunks into the dough by sprinkling them over and gently folding/kneading them in – be careful not to work the dough too much as the warmth from your hands can cause the chocolate to melt.

Grease and line a rectangular baking tin with baking paper (approx 18 x 25 cm). Portion and roll the dough into 12 even balls and arrange evenly in the tin. Cover with a piece of greased cling film and set aside to proof for about 1 hour or until the buns are puffed and the dough springs back slightly when pressed.

While the dough is proofing, preheat the oven to 180°C.

For the cross mixture, sift together the flour and Cocoa, then whisk in enough water to form a soft, pipeable paste. Place in a piping bag, snip a small hole off the end and pipe the mixture across the buns to form their characteristic cross.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, then brush the tops of the warm buns with the combined glaze ingredients. Allow to cool for 30 minutes before tucking in to allow the crumb to set! We liked to slice the buns in half and lightly toast them, and serve with a good spread of butter and honey.

Tip: If you want to have freshly baked hot cross buns ready in the morning, prepare the dough the night before and place in the fridge overnight to proof slowly. Continue with the recipe as written the next day.

Adding the chocolate chunks to the dough after the first rise helps it to develop strong elastic gluten strands without disruption. This gives your buns a super soft and fluffy crumb.

Feel free to add in some raisins, sultanas or candied orange peel to the dough along with the chocolate chunks.