how to get crosses in my hot cross buns?

[MummyAbroad]

Cant buy them in the shops where I live so I had a go at making them. Dough came out great in my breadmaker using this recipe:
www.food.com/recipe/hot-cross-buns-bread-machine-86866

BUT after I shaped the buns and let them rise, as instructed, I couldnt make the crosses with the knife very well. Basically if I pressed too hard then the air started sinking out of the buns. So I baked them lightly crossed and whilst cooking the cross grooves disappeared. I then tried to smear drizzle the icing as instructed but it just kind of slid off...

oh dear. Taste great, but I would like them to look nice next time. Tips please!

You need a really sharp, non-serrated knife. Don't press, let the edge do the work!

Thanks Naoko!

I thought that the crosses were usually made out of a flour paste, so the white cross stands out from the brown bun.

Mix some plain flour with a little water and then pipe it on to the buns before cooking. Or I guess if you made the mix thicker it would be like pastry and you could cut thin strips to make the crosses.

Just made a batch (my third effort experimenting) and they were pretty good. Only difficulty was piping the crosses (some people slash but I think the flour paste crosses look very nice).

Using flour paste is tricky because it is quite thick and elastic, unlike icing sugar. I put the paste in a sandwich bag, snipped a tiny hole in one corner and just squeezed the paste through. I made double the amount required for mass - this helps with the squeezing.