Bread advice

Here we go again .

Attempting hot cross buns with a twist today - going to substitute some fruit weight with little bits of marzipan. Hope last week's fresh yeast hasn't died - MIL said it can keep for up to 10 days ... meant to freeze it, but forgot.

Top tips for hot cross bunnies anyone?

Looking at the instructions on mine proving outside the breadmaker needs a temp of about 40decC .
I wonder how easy to do that would be this weather and I am not sure my oven could keep the temp down to just 40C.

I am going to try proving it in the top oven leaving the bottom oven on.
experimentation needed. (Or kneaded even)

No advice, just follow a good recipe. They probably won't rise as much as plain bread. Fruit bread with marzipan sounds like stollen - I made that once and it didn't rise at all, but tasted good.
I've kept yeast for a week or so in the fridge in the past, it can develop a brown crust on the outside, so cut that off.
Freezing yeast didn't work for me - it melted when defrosted.

I have put my oven to the lowest setting and then tweaked the dial up a millimetre - very imprecise, but who knows! The proof will be there - or not, as the case may be! I have used the BBC Good Food basic recipe - says to leave for just 55 mins - I think this must be because there is quite a lot of yeast in it - double what I used for making cheesy rolls last week. (Such a novice I haven't a clue!)

Ah, I do love bread making! The kneading exercise makes me feel everso slightly virtuous and well warmed up and then there is time to do other things inbetween the phases ...

Kitchen did look like a bomb had gone off in it tho ...

They worked! Amazing! Sorry no photo as proof - but they did - light and fluffy and actually ... hot cross-bun like! Ridiculously pleased!

I think I worked out two things I did wrong last week and adjusted them - prepared the yeast at a warmer temperature and also was gentler with knocking back.

The trouble with making really nice bread is that some poor soul has to eat it and at the moment the house is too cold to keep the butter soft even out of the fridge and in the dish. With our "new" breadmaker we seem to be eating much more bread because it is so nice.

Imperfect I know what you mean about a good feeling when a good loaf works.
I get a similar feeling when making jam and chutney, or batch cooking for the freezer.