Into the bowl of a stand mixer, sieve in the flour and sugar. Pour in the Baileys, egg, milk, water, yeast and the zest of the orange. Mix on a medium low speed until the dough starts to pull away from the side of the bowl - about 3 minutes. Add in the soft butter in pieces and continue to knead the dough for a further 4-5 minutes. The dough should be smooth and elastic when it is done. Once the dough is ready, tip in the chocolate chips and knead very briefly just until they are incorporated. Scoop the dough into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and allow it to proof at room temperature for 1 hour.
Once proofed, cut the dough into 10 equal pieces (roughly 95g per piece). Take a piece of dough and carefully roll it under your hand to form a smooth ball. Repeat this with the remaining pieces of dough. Place a 16cm tart ring or cake pan in the centre of a tray lined with parchment. Place the balls of dough evenly around the ring, leaving about ½” gap between each ball. Loosely cover with cling film and proof for 1 hour. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 175C Non-Fan Assisted.
The Cross
Into a bowl, add the flour, water, oil & milk. Whisk together until smooth. Set it to one side.
Once the buns have proofed, add the cross mixture into a piping bag (or a sandwich bag) and snip the end off to create a small hole. Pipe the cross mixture across the hot cross buns in the traditional “+” design. Place the buns into the pre-heated oven and bake for 45-50 minutes or until a nice golden brown colour.
Simple Syrup
While the buns are baking, add the sugar and water into a small saucepan and place it over a medium heat. Bring it to a boil then turn off the heat and allow it to cool.
Once the buns have baked and are still warm, brush a light layer of the simple syrup over the top of the buns to give them a nice gloss. Allow the buns to cool slightly.
Sauces
Into a small saucepan, add the double cream & Baileys Original Irish Cream. Place it over a medium heat until it is steaming. Meanwhile, add the milk chocolate to a medium bowl.
Pour the hot cream over the milk chocolate, and allow it to sit for 2 minutes. Then whisk the mixture together until smooth.
Repeat this exact same process for the remaining sauces.
Lift the hot cross bun wreath onto your serving plate. Place 3 small dishes into the centre, and fill these with your sauces.