One a penny, Two a penny...

I have been seeing a lot of different blogs posting about Hot Cross Buns recently. And it is only fitting that they do. I hadn't ever tried one before and was wondering what made them an "Easter time" dish.

I headed over to Google and began a little searching. The consensus was that "Baking hot cross buns on Good Friday is an old custom that has now been extended to the whole season of Lent. Hot cross buns often have raisins or dried fruit to give them some taste, but no sweet filling because Lent is a penitential season. However, white icing is placed on the top and always in the shape of a cross - as a reminder that Easter is coming. Hot cross bus are reported to have first appeared on Good Friday in 1361. Fr. Thomas Rockliffe distributed the small cakes, marked by a cross, to the poor of St. Albans Abbey."

So, I decided since today is Good Friday, it would be the perfect time to try out Hot Cross Buns. I was in a hunt for a recipe next.

The recipe I settled was found at Allrecipes.com. The reason I picked it was because it had good reviews, I had all of the ingredients at home, it looked pretty simple, and it only made 6 rolls. That's right...six! I made some tweaks to the recipe based off of other recipes I had seen and was very happy with the results. Some of the tweaks I made was to add orange zest to the dough. It made a big difference. I am sure that lemon zest would also work. I didn't have any currants, but had cranberries, so I used those. I chopped the raisins and cranberries up so I had smaller pieces of them throughout the dough.

I ended up using about 1/8 c more flour than the recipe called for. The next step was to knead the dough and let it rise. As you can see, it rose. I think I am finally getting over my fear of yeast (thanks to the Daring Bakers and Tuesdays with Dorie!). It didn't take as long for it to rise as the recipe stated. I let it rise in my oven with the oven light on. That is the best way to do it.

Once it was done with the first rise, I shaped them into rolls and used scissors to cut the cross shapes into the top. Then it was back to the oven for a second rise. Again, this rise didn't take as long as the recipe stated it would. Finally, I brushed the top with an egg glaze and baked them.

The final product before icing. The egg wash made them turn a gorgeous brown. Once they were cool, I piped the icing cross on the top using a sandwich bag with the corner cut out. I made the icing as the recipe states, but ended up making a second batch to finish. I am really happy with how these turned out and will make them again for Good Friday. The story behind them is great and the taste is awesome!

Traditional Hot Cross Buns

From Allrecipes.com

Makes 6 rolls

2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm 2% milk (110 to 115 degrees F)
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1 egg
4 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons raisins
2 tablespoons dried currants
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 dash ground allspice
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon water
ICING:
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon 2% milk

In a small mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in milk. Stir in butter, egg, sugar and salt. Combine 3/4 cup flour, raisins, currants, cinnamon and allspice (I also added about 1 t of orange zest); add to the yeast mixture and mix well. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.

Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 4-6 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Punch dough down; shape into six 2-in. balls. Place 2 in. apart on a baking sheet coated with nonstick cooking spray. Using a sharp knife, cut a cross on top of each bun. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.

Beat egg yolk and water; brush over buns. Bake at 375 degrees F for 13-15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire racks. Combine icing ingredients; pipe over buns.