Happy National Hot Cross Bun Day!
Besides creating food posts, cooking and writing articles; I am a classical piano teacher and pianist. 🎶
One of the many pieces I teach my students is the classic “Hot Cross Buns”. Every year I explain the story around this delicious breakfast dish. They always think its amazing that this piece is over one hundred years old.
A hot cross bun is a sweet, spiced bun made with currants or raisins and leavened with yeast. Just as the name suggests, these baked goodies are marked with a cross on the top, which is supposed to symbolize the crucifixion.
In many Christian countries, these buns are traditionally eaten toasted or hot during Lent, starting on the evening before Ash Wednesday through midday on Good Friday.
Ingredients:
4 cups All-purpose Flour
1/2 cup (additional) Flour
1/2 teaspoon (heaping) Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon (scant) Baking Soda
2 teaspoons Salt
1/4 cup Sugar
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
Spices:
Cardamom, Nutmeg, Allspice (optional)1/2 cup Raisins
GLAZE:
1 whole Egg White
Splash Of Milk
Icing:
1 whole Egg White
Powdered Sugar
Splash Of Milk
Instructions:
Add the 2 cups milk, oil, and 1/2 cup sugar in a pan. Stir and heat until warm. Remove from heat and let it cool about 45 minutes.
Sprinkle yeast over mixture. Add 4 cups of flour and stir to combine. Mixture will be very sticky. Cover with a towel and set aside for 60 minutes.
Add 1/2 cup flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix well.
Combine 1/4 cup sugar with cinnamon.
Lightly flour countertop, slightly flatten dough. Sprinkle a couple tablespoons of the sugar/cinnamon mixture. Sprinkle on about a 4th of the raisins. Then fold the dough over on itself and flatten again. Repeat the sugar/raisin process, then fold the dough again. Repeat a third time until all the raisins are used. Keep some of the cinnamon mixture.
Remove about a golf ball-size amount of dough. With floured hands, quickly roll it into a ball, then turn the edges under themselves slightly. Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Cover and allow to rise in a warm place for at least 30 minutes…an hour-plus is better.
PREHEAT OVEN TO 400 degrees
GLAZE
Mix 1 egg white with a splash of milk. Brush onto each roll.
Bake for 20 minutes, give or take, or until tops of buns have turned nice and golden brown.
Remove from pan and allow to cool on a cooling rack.
ICING
Mix 1 egg white with enough powdered sugar for icing to be very thick. Splash in milk as needed for consistency.
Add icing to a small Ziploc bag and snip the corner. Make icing crosses on each roll, making sure they’re completely cooled first.
Enjoy it with jam and butter! 👌
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Food Credit: Free Food Photos
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