Birthdays aren’t birthdays without balloons. July 4th isn’t the Fourth of July without a flag-filled parade. And a particular Thursday in November isn’t Thanksgiving without a turkey.
In the Christian tradition, Good Friday’s resurrection promise begs no adornment or heraldry.
Still, in many homes around the world, Good Friday isn’t Good Friday without rich, spiced buns topped with crosses to signify Christ’s sacrifice.
One year, my sister called early Good Friday, wondering if our mother were ‘beaming from heaven’ because her daughters were each elbow-deep in dough for hot cross buns.
Though my sister and I use different recipes – and neither one use our mother’s – we still treasure the tradition. Within a few minutes of my sister’s call, Mom had reason to beam!
The Penzeys spice people sell a blend of cinnamon, star anise, nutmeg, allspice, ginger and cloves. It’s called ‘cake spice’ and has been a family favorite for several years now. Use it whenever cinnamon or nutmeg are called for – and prepare yourself for compliments! Order via 800-741-7787 or penzeys.com.
HOT CROSS BUNS
Total time to complete: 3½ - 4 hours
Makes 24 large buns
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 packages dry yeast (5 teaspoons)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
- 1 cup currants
- Zests from 1 orange and 1 lemon
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 4 cups flour
- 1 tablespoon allspice (see TIPS)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon (or cake spice)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 10 tablespoons butter, in small bits
- Additional flour for kneading
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons sugar
In a small dish, heat milk in microwave about 1 minute to 105F – 115F. Gently stir in yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar. Set aside until foamy, about 5 minutes.
In a small bowl, whisk egg and yolk well. Stir in currants and zests. Set aside. In large bowl, stir together ½ cup sugar, flour, spices and salt. With fingertips, blend butter into flour until a coarse meal forms. Make well in center, pour in yeast and currant mixtures. Blend thoroughly with hands, then form into ball and transfer to lightly floured counter (dough will be sticky). Knead 10 minutes, adding as little flour as possible to work dough.
Transfer dough to oiled bowl, first rubbing it against bowl to lightly coat with oil. Cover, let rise in warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
With a fist, gently deflate dough. Cut into 24 pieces. Form buns and arrange on two greased baking sheets. Cover with clean towels and let rise in warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 400F. Whisk egg and 2 tablespoons sugar. Brush tops of buns with egg mixture. Bake until golden, about 12 minutes per baking sheet.
My friend Anne, aka the pastry whisperer, wrote after making Hot Cross Buns. "Have you ever read a recipe and just had to rush into the kitchen to make it? That happened to me today when I read about Hot Cross Buns. I had not made them in twenty years and they are delightfully yummy. The dough is a butter-egg rich dough — like a brioche — flavored with currants and spices, then iced with a powdered sugar cross. I was intrigued by the liberal use of spices in this recipe (1 teaspoon per cup of flour) ... now I understand why hot cross buns are full of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, mace, and cloves. Those aromas perfumed my kitchen while the buns were baking and they are intoxicatingly delicious." Anne soaked the currants in warm brandy, then used part bread flour and her own spice mix, all good options. Check her variation on my hot cross buns. (2008) I typically move back and forth between rapid rise and regular dry yeast. This year, I used rapid rise yeast and the buns were particularly light and airy. (2008) A 50:50 mix of currants and dried cranberries is a nice variation. If the cranberries are large, snip them into smaller pieces otherwise they sort of take over.(2008) When forming the rolls, make sure that no currants stick out from the dough because they'll either get hard or burn while baking. When allowed to rise properly, these hot cross buns are as light and airy as pillows. For both the first and the second rise, judge when the dough is risen by its size, which should be doubled, not by time passed. The cooler the temperature, the longer the rise time. Some people have good luck letting bread rise in an oven with the oven light on. In my cold winter house, I let bread rise in a 'proofing box' -- just a large cardboard box on its side with a small space heater blowing warm air into the open side. This year I learned that during the first rise, a double layer of towel sloooooows down the rise time, where a single layer of towel lets in just the right amount of warm air. (2008) If the egg/sugar mixture brushed on at the end seems a little thick and hard to brush on smoothly without glops or drips, just whisk in a couple of teaspoons of water. (2008) I use only about 1/4 the icing but intentionally list the ingredients for more so that it can be distributed into bags for delivering to friends and neighbors. But good news: this also drops the calories to 164 per roll with 3 Weight Watchers points. Originally published in 2006, republished online in 2008. More Easter Recipes
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Your Comments:
4/12/2006
Btw, thanks for dropping by at my blog, AK. Keep coming.
4/13/2006
4/14/2006
4/17/2006
Thanks for the reminder. I didn't make the buns last year and I should have.
http://krissyscookingblog.blogspot.com/2008/03/hot-cross-buns-redux.html