Preheat the oven to 180°C.

To prepare the dough, gently heat the milk, butter and Vanilla Essence in a saucepan until the butter has melted. Remove from the heat and allow to cool before whisking in the egg.

Sift the flour into a mixing bowl and add the remaining ingredients. Make a well in the centre of the mixture and add the warm milk mixture. Mix to form a shaggy dough, then knead well until smooth and glossy. If your dough is too dry, add an extra splash of milk.

Form the dough into a tight ball, place in a covered mixing bowl and leave in a warm place to double in size. This should take approximately 2 hours.

Divide the dough into 12 pieces and shape into small buns. Place in neat rows onto a lightly buttered baking tray. Leave a 3cm space between them so there is room to expand, but so that they will be joined snugly after cooking.

Using a serrated knife, swiftly cut a cross into the top of each bun. Leave in a warm place to rise for another hour, covered with a damp tea towel.

Mix together the ingredients for the cross mixture to form a smooth paste. Then using a teaspoon or a small piping bag, fill the slashes on top of the buns to form a cross. Brush the buns with some egg wash and place in the oven.

Bake in the oven for approximately 20 minutes until golden brown.

In the meantime, make the sugar glaze by placing the sugar and water in a saucepan and bringing the mixture to the boil until all the sugar has dissolved.

Insert a skewer into a bun to test if they are ready. If the skewer comes out clean, the buns are ready. Remove the buns from the oven and brush with sugar glaze while they’re still warm.