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It's almost time for Hot Cross Buns!


Laura Corin
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They are traditionally eaten on Good Friday, but as I'm working that morning, we will have them for breakfast on the Saturday. We warm them in the oven, split them, then spread them with thick cream. Delish. Then I tell my only joke:

 

What do you get if you pour boiling water down a rabbit hole?

 

A hot cross bunny.

 

Laura

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That's because store hot cross buns taste nothing like the real ones. Store HCB are glorified donuts. :leaving:

 

Doughnuts? I buy them from the supermarket here, but they are nothing like doughnuts. They are yeasty, bready, sweet, spiced, raisiny.......

 

Laura

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I bought Tesco Finest HCB today. The ingredients are:

 

Wheat flour, orange juice soaked fruit (30%), water, butter (2.5%), mixed peel (2%), invert sugar, wheat protein, vegetable oil, honey, demerara sugar, buttermilk powder, yeast, salt, free range dried egg, flavouring, maize starch, mixed spice, ascorbic acid, soya flour.

 

I could eat that. I will eat that. With thick, thick cream.

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Thanks for reminding me. I love making hot cross buns! I just make up my own recipe. I use my zwiebach recipe, add an egg or two to make it richer, add a little more sugar, some cinnamon and raisins and then put a frosting cross on top when they're done.

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Is the cream you are talking about cream cheese or whipped cream or something else entirely?

 

 

It's thick double cream: not whipped, not cheese, just very heavy cream. It has roughly the spreadability of greek yoghurt. Butter is often spread instead though.

 

Laura

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It's thick double cream: not whipped, not cheese, just very heavy cream. It has roughly the spreadability of greek yoghurt. Butter is often spread instead though.

 

Laura

 

 

Thanks! I will check our grocery store. Sounds delicious! It also sounds like it would be yummy on scones. :)

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Thanks! I will check our grocery store. Sounds delicious! It also sounds like it would be yummy on scones. :)

 

 

Yes. Clotted cream is traditional on scones and would work well with hot cross buns too if you like. The key - for me - is the contrast between the warmed HCB and the cold cream.

 

Laura

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I like this recipe, photocopied from one of the kid's magazines:

HOT CROSS BUNS

2 Tbsp. yeast

1/2 c. warm water

1 c. warm milk

1/2 c. sugar

1/4 c. butter, softened

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1 c. raisins

6 1/2 c. flour

4 eggs

2 Tbsp. cold water

1 egg yolk

1 c. powdered sugar

1 Tbsp. milk or water

1/2 tsp. vanilla

Dissolve yeast into water. Stir in milk, sugar, butter, salt, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, raisins and 4 c. flour. Beat until smooth.

Continue to stir and add one egg at a time. Mix in remaining flour to form soft dough.

Put dough on lightly floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic. Put in a greased bowl, cover and let rise more than an hour.

Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and divide it into halves. Make 15 balls out of each half of the dough. Place the balls about 2 inches apart on lightly greased baking sheets. Carefully cut a cross on the top of each bun. Cover and let rise until double.

While the buns rise, mix the water and egg yolk. Heat oven to 375 F.

Brush the tops of the buns with the egg and water mixture. Bake for 15-18 minutes.

After the buns cool, mix powdered sugar, water and vanilla. Use the frosting to paint in the crosses on each roll.

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