Hot Cross Buns
Hot Cross Buns are traditionally served in many countries on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, and often even on Easter morning.
Ingredients:
1 c. scalded milk
1/3 c. sugar or brown sugar or a blend
2 eggs
1 T. lemon juice
1/2 c. butter or margarine
1 pkg. dry yeast
4- 4 1/2 c. flour
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp. grated lemon rind
2/3 c. raisins
1 egg, well beaten (this is to glaze the tops of the buns)
Instructions: Stir together the milk sugar, egg, lemon juice, and butter until well blended. Stir in the yeast. Add 2 1/2 c. of the flour, the salt, spices and lemon rind and beat together well. Cover the bowl, place in a warm spot, and leave to rise for an hour. Add the raisins and knead into the bread. As you knead, add as much of the remaining flour as needed to make a smooth elastic dough. Form into a ball and place in a covered buttered bowl in a warm place to rise until it doubles in size. Punch the dough down and form into buns. Place the buns in a greased pan with at least an inch in between each one. Cut a cross in the top of each bun and brush with the beaten egg. Let rise again until double in size. Bake in a 375 degree F oven for about 20 minutes until golden brown. I prefer to eat hot cross buns just as is but some people like to frost them with icing. If desired, here is an icing recipe you can use: Beat 3 egg whites with 1 T. lemon juice. Gradually mix in 1 1/2 c. icing sugar until a stiff icing is formed.
Cornish Saffron Buns
It is tradition to eat these buns instead of Hot Cross Buns with clotted cream on Good Friday and Easter.
Follow the recipe for the Hot Cross Buns with these changes: Instead of the spices listed, use 2 tsp. ground nutmeg; when you combine the yeast mixture with the flour mixture, add 1/4 tsp. saffron that you have steeped in 1 1/2 tsp. of warm water for 10 minutes; mix in 1/2 cup mixed candied fruit peel; use less of the flour in total, making a softer, less firm dough than you would for Hot Cross Buns
Italian Rosemary Buns
These are essentially the Italian version of the English Hot Cross Buns.
Ingredients:
1 pkg dry yeast
1 1/4 cups warm water
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
3/4 olive oil
4- 4 1/2 cups flour, sifted
3/4 cup golden raisins
3 T. rosemary leaves
Optional: 1-2 T. sugar
Instructions: Sprinkle yeast over the warm water in a bowl. Stir in the sugar and let it sit until it gets frothy. Mix in the salt and 1/4 cup of the oil. Slowly add in 3 1/2 cups of the flour. Toss the raisins with 1/2 cup of the flour and add this mixture to the dough. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead it until it is smooth and elastic – about 10-15 minutes. Add more flour as needed to create a pretty stiff dough. Put the dough in a greased bowl – turn it over until it is covered with oil on all sides. Cover with a tea towel and place in a warm place to rise until it has doubled in size – about an hour and a half to two hours. Saute the rosemary leaves in the rest of the olive oil until they are golden in colour. Once risen, turn out the dough onto a floured surface. Make a well in the dough and pour in the rosemary and oil mixture. Knead for about 5-10 minutes to work the oil and rosemary through the dough. Cut the dough into about 2 dozen buns and then cut a cross into the top of each bun. Place on greased baking sheets about 1 1/2 inches apart, cover with a clean tea towel and allow to rise until doubled in size. If you’d like, you can sprinkle with the optional sugar. Bake in a 425 degree F oven for 10 minutes and then reduce the heat to 375 degrees F. Bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until golden.
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