Hot cross buns
One a penny, two a penny.....I think all.... Well most remember that tune. I knew it from memory but never knew the history behind it. It is of British origin but you can get it pretty much anywhere in the world now. It is traditionally made and eaten on Good Friday. It is believed that if you have some leftover , it will not spoil for a whole year. If you keep it in in your kitchen, it will bring you a year of good luck, sailors believed if they took it with them, they would have a safe and fruitful journey. You can get different types now, with chocolate and caramel, but I don't need chocolate in everything. There is something comforting about fluffy, chewy bread scented with warm spices and orange with a burst of flavor from the raisins. I put every few raisins in this batch so the kids could pick it out. My kids love raisins by themselves, not in something else.... I guess everyone has their own idiosyncrasies.
Ingredients:
2 cups milk, heated just to boiling point and then cool slightly
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup sugar
4 1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp yeast
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp salt
Zest of an orange
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup raisins
Dissolve the sugar in the milk and add the oil to it. Add yeast to it, make sure it is just warm and not boiling hot as that will kill the yeast. Let this sit for a few minutes and then dump in the flour. I use my stand mixer with the dough hook and I let it run for 4-5 mins. Wrap the dough with cling wrap and allow it to rise for about an hour.
After an hour, punch the dough, add the spices, the orange zest and raisins and knead the dough till all blended in.
This dough should make about 20 rolls, so divide it in four parts and divide each quarter into 5 balls. Take each ball, roll it then pull the corners and draw it to the center on the underside of each bun. This will help shape them into perfectly round buns.
Set them about one inch apart on a baking tray. You will need two and cover with cling wrap. Let it rest for another hour.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Brush the top of each with the egg wash and then bake for 20-22 mins. Once they are done, pull them out and cool on the cooling rack. When completely cooled, decorate each with a cross.
Take 1/2 cup of icing sugar and add milk to it, one teaspoon at a time till you have a thick slurry. Place it in a ziplock bag and snip one corner of the bag. Make a cross on each bun and let it set before you enjoy them.
Ingredients:
2 cups milk, heated just to boiling point and then cool slightly
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup sugar
4 1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp yeast
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp salt
Zest of an orange
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup raisins
Dissolve the sugar in the milk and add the oil to it. Add yeast to it, make sure it is just warm and not boiling hot as that will kill the yeast. Let this sit for a few minutes and then dump in the flour. I use my stand mixer with the dough hook and I let it run for 4-5 mins. Wrap the dough with cling wrap and allow it to rise for about an hour.
After an hour, punch the dough, add the spices, the orange zest and raisins and knead the dough till all blended in.
This dough should make about 20 rolls, so divide it in four parts and divide each quarter into 5 balls. Take each ball, roll it then pull the corners and draw it to the center on the underside of each bun. This will help shape them into perfectly round buns.
Set them about one inch apart on a baking tray. You will need two and cover with cling wrap. Let it rest for another hour.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Brush the top of each with the egg wash and then bake for 20-22 mins. Once they are done, pull them out and cool on the cooling rack. When completely cooled, decorate each with a cross.
Take 1/2 cup of icing sugar and add milk to it, one teaspoon at a time till you have a thick slurry. Place it in a ziplock bag and snip one corner of the bag. Make a cross on each bun and let it set before you enjoy them.
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