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Mar 9, 2011

Hot Cross Buns





Happy Easter! (I know, I'm super early but I got spurred on by a friend and had a sudden craving for the buns and also I'd thought Easter was early April ..... duh)

Sharing a hot cross bun with another is supposed to ensure friendship throughout the coming year.

I'm not going to share just ONE hot cross bun with you, my dear readers and friends, but a whole recipe! That's one big bun! ... or a whole lot of little ones .... 16 to be exact. Now, our friendship is ensured for many years to come! Yay!

So many recipes with so many variations .... makes my head spin. So, I've decided to tweak my usual bread recipe, add the traditional spices and fruits to it ... tadaaa!!

The crosses on the top (which supposedly signifies the four quarters of the moon or the four seasons) can be made using a variety of methods: Flour and water, sugar and water (icing), some with a little powdered gelatin to make it gooey. I opted for a simple icing made with orange juice since I had added orange rind to the buns ... just to keep within the theme of things, y'know.

Out comes my trusty bread machine to do the kneading for me.


INGREDIENTS


Dough:


2 eggs plus enough water to get 1 1/3 cups

4 ozs / 1 stick butter (melted, I just zapped mine in the microwave)

4 cups bread flour

3/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp grated nutmeg

1 1/2 tsp salt

2 tbs sugar

1 1/2 tsp quick active yeast


1 cup dried currants

1/2 tbs orange zest


Egg Wash:


1 egg yolk

1 tbs cold water


Orange Icing:


1/2 cup icing sugar

1/4 tbs orange juice

a drop or 2 orange oil


METHOD


Plonk dough ingredients in your bread machine in the order they are listed except for the currants and the zest, which are to be added 10 mins before the final kneading cycle ends.

Use dough/manual cycle. This should include the first rising.

Punch down and remove dough from bread machine pan.

With floured hands, knead a little to remove the air bubbles.

Divide the dough into 16 equal pieces, shape into balls and place on oiled baking tray. You can also put them in muffin tins, which I did for some of mine, except they turned out looking like muffins instead of a roll/bun.

Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 45 mins - 1 hour or until doubled in size. Brush with egg wash and bake in a 180ÂșC oven for about 20 mins.

Cover the top with aluminum foil after 15 mins into the baking to prevent over-browning.

Cool and pipe orange icing over the top.


PS: It's good toasted too but leave out the icing if you intend to do that.










23 comments:

  1. Easter? Already?
    I like so much easy recipes using the bread machine! Gorgeous!

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  2. Ohh, I love hot cross buns. I like to cut them in half through the middle, toast them and then out lots of butter on. Naughty but very nice! :)

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  3. Something Good: Oh gosh. I am early, aren't I? Oh well, if anyone's looking for a bun recipe ....

    Julia: Oh yes! Naughty's always more fun!

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  4. Oh my gosh, I never knew that's what the crosses symbolized. Cool! These look delicious!

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  5. Ping, these buns look so warm and cozy! What a decadent and delicious breakfast. Thanks for sharing. You have a beautiful blog and I'm looking forward to exploring your recipes. :)

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  6. Great idea in using muffin pan for your buns :-P

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  7. Have award you the Stylish Blogger Award because you are a rocking blogger :)

    http://www.eizels.com/2011/03/stylish-blogger-award-1-and-2.html

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  8. Tiffany: Hiya! Thanks for dropping by.

    Georgia: Hello! Happy to share and thanks for the kind comment.

    Yin: Haha! Yes, but I was wondering if I should still call them "buns" :P

    Eizel: Thanks, Eizel. Your blog rocks too!

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  9. Hot cross buns remind me of something from when I was a child. I can't put my finger on what but I know I was exposed to them when I was little and learned something about their origin too. I wish I could remember but every time I see one it brings make a distant haze. Perhaps I need to make them to put my finger on the exact memory.

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  10. Kita: Haha! Yes, do make them. And hopefully it'll help jog your memory about some good stuff. Good Friday, perhaps?

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  11. I didn't realize how ate Easter is this year. I am so looking forward to Hot Cross buns.

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  12. Hi Felice: Yeah, I had thought it was early April as last year, hence the early post of this recipe. Too late now to take it off but I'm planning a different version later on. Btw, I tried posting a comment on your Portugese tarts post but had some trouble ... so, here it is ... they're beautiful!

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  13. Ping, these look wonderful! And I like my recipes way in advance, so I can plan...so thank you :)

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  14. Hi Lizzy. Thanks for saying that. My friends tell me I've gone bonkers putting it out so early. Very positive indeed! Good mistake :D

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  15. I don't think I've actually ever had hot crossed buns! I just know the song :) I think I'll be keeping this for Easter!

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  16. Hi Evan. These aren't really the traditional ones coz of the icing. Watch out for a more authentic "cross" buns post closer to Easter. Btw, I don't think the song is relevant anymore with the way inflation is going ... one a penny, two a penny? Nah, no way!

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  17. Ping-Thanks for sharing your hot cross buns yummy recipe, early on before Easter. I did have a very nice recipe before, but can't find it...I do love your recipe, and photo. The buns turned out so good.
    Thanks for sharing!
    xoxo

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  18. OK, you may be early but a big thank you for posting this so we can get organised for Easter. As we are in France, hot cross buns are not something we can get at the boulangerie or patisserie and so you've given me inspiration to make them at home. We love these!

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  19. Elizabeth: Hello dear Elisabeth! Aww... I would have loved to try out your recipe. Always interested to try out different versions. ♥

    Jill: Merci! That's a relief. After being dubbed "nuts" and "duh" for posting so early ... I feel better now. Thanks!

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  20. I can't believe my eyes when I saw your cross buns! I eat these every time i am in London but never thought I could make them myself. With your recipe I can now have hot cross buns with Devon cream at breakfast or teatime! Cheers and thanks for sharing!!!

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  21. i love hot cross bun, thanks for an early reminder :p

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  22. I love your bun Ping.... bookmarked it! Thx for sharing

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  23. Hi Citra! You're very welcome! Enjoy!

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