HOT CROSS BUNS (RECIPE)
HOT CROSS BUNS (RECIPE)
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QUICK BACKSTORY OF HOT CROSS BUNS
Ok so from the research I’ve done, hot cross buns’ origins date as far back as the 12th century. It’s said that a monk created them to mark the end of Lent.
These fruit filled spiced buns were historically marked with cross made of simple flour and water. Sometimes a cross was cut into the buns.
The symbolism of the cross was to honor Good Friday. It seems the trend gained popularity and it’s now synonymous with Easter weekend.
ARE CROSS BUNS JUST BREAD?
Well yeah, in a nutshell. Although history points to these buns being heavily tied to paganism — reality is, it’s just bread folks!
Believe what you want but I make these buns because they’re tasty morsels. And what’s more, I’m a carb fiend, it’s as simple as that.
If the cross offends, you can omit them all together or make a fancy design of some other sort.
I read that people used to hang a bun in a window on Good Friday and it was said to never grow moldy. Reality — if you leave one of these buns out uncovered, it will likely turn into a hard stale ball, much like a hockey puck!
Moisture contributes to mold so it’s totally possible these buns won’t mold in the right conditions. I live in Florida so that theory may be tossed out the window because it’s very humid here.
ABOUT THE RECIPE
Hot Cross Bun are typically made with dried fruits such as raisins. Spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg are also common ingredients.
If you’re not afraid to break tradition, try making these with other mix-ins like chocolate chips, dried cherries, cranberries, grated citrus rind or nuts. Some non-traditional Hot Cross Buns using icing on top in stead of the flour/water mixture.
Let’s get to the Hot Cross Bun recipe I used.
Hot Cross Buns (Recipe)
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup Raisins
- 1/2 cup Hot water
- 3/4 cup Evaporated milk
- 1 cup White granulated sugar
- 1½ tsp Instant yeast
- 3½ cups All-Purpose Flour
- 3 Large Eggs
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 tbsp Cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp Nutmeg (optional)
- 3/4 cup Unsalted butter softened
Cross topping
- 1/2 cup All-Purpose Flour
- 3 tsp Cold water
Glaze
- 1 cup Powdered Sugar
- 3-4 tsp Warm water
- 1/2 cup Jam (Apricot, Strawberry or Orange Marmalade)
- 1 tbsp Water
Instructions
- Soak raisins in hot water to re-hydrate them. Set aside.
- Pour evaporated into a microwave safe measuring cup or bowl
- Warm evaporated milk in 15 sec. increments just to warm slightly. Milk should be slightly warm, do not over-heat. (It should be the temperature of tepid bath water)
- Pour warmed evaporated milk into mixing bowl, add in sugar and mix gently so sugar starts to melt.
- Add in yeast, flour, cinnamon and salt.
- Using the dough hook attachment on your mixer, mix ingredients starting on the slowest speed and increasing to medium speed. Continue mixing for approximately 5 minutes.
- Stop mixer and add in softened butter. Continue to mix 2 minutes.
- Pour out water from raisins that have been soaking. Place raisins into dough mixture and continue to mix for one more minute.
- Turn out dough onto lightly floured surface and gently knead to form a smooth dough.
- Place dough into a lightly oiled clean bowl. Cover with a dish towel or plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm, draft free place in your kitchen until doubled in size.The time is takes to rise will depend on the climate where you are located.
- Once dough has doubled in size, punch out the air and place on a lightly flour dusted surface.Knead a few times and pat dough into a rectangle. Cut into 12 pieces. Shape pieces into round balls.I happened to weigh out my dough to approx. 3 oz each because I'm neurotic that way. So while I did have remaining dough, I made it into a separate braided loaf.
- Place dough balls into a shallow baking dish. Cover lightly with a dish towel and allow to rise one more time. Tip: I put my baking dish uncovered into the microwave and just shut the door. I allowed my buns to rise while sitting in the microwave. (DO NOT turn microwave on, that would be a huge problem.)
Cross Topping
- While the dough is rising, start putting the topping together.Mix the flour and water together until it's the consistency of a paste. If you need a little more water, add in small amounts until your flour mix is a smooth paste.Place flour past into a piping bag. If you don't have a piping bag, use a zip top bag instead. Pour the mix into your bag and snip off a corner.
- Once your Hot Cross Buns have risen the second time, carefully pipe the crosses over each the unbaked dough, using the flour/water mixture.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 350° until buns start to become golden color.
Glaze coat
- Place powdered sugar and water in a cup and mix until it has a smooth and pourable type consistency. Set this aside.Once buns are golden color, remove from the oven and brush all over with the powdered sugar liquid. Place back in the oven and bake until buns are done. If using a thermometer, the temp should read about 190°.You may note the sugar glaze has crystalized a bit, but don't worry...we have one more step.
- Place jam in a microwavable container and add in tablespoon of water. Warm in the microwave and mix. This should be a thin consistency.After removing the hot cross buns from the oven, brush all over with warmed jam and allow to completely cool off.
So that’s the recipe I used for Hot Cross Buns. The consistency of these buns is much like a brioche. Because they don’t have any preservatives, the buns won’t last for weeks (and certainly not a year as in the days of old).
If you happen to have any left over buns, you might consider slicing them up to make a nice French toast. You can also cube up the remaining buns and make an amazing bread pudding out of them. I’ll have to post a recipe for that because I could definitely see these reworked into some other deliciousness!
Have you tried this recipe? If you have, I’d love to hear how it turned out for you and please post pictures.
Happy baking my friends!
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