Hot Cross Buns

One a penny, Two a penny, Hot Cross Buns!

I was surprised at the difficulty finding a recipe for these traditional Holy Week  buns, but I finally located a simple method in an old Sunset cookbook, Gifts from Your Kitchen, published in 1988. The buns are delicious, the recipe is straightforward, and the technique is easily adaptable to the 21st Century kitchen.

Hot Cross Buns happily incorporate butter, eggs and sugar that were forbidden through the long 6 weeks of Lent. The inclusion of currants and citrus peel reflects the scarcity of other fruit on a date so early in the European spring. BTW, if currants aren't easily available at your market, use raisins or other sweet dried fruit, cut into 1/4" dice.

Hot Cross Buns are legendary for keeping well. One folk tale claims that a Hot Cross Bun baked on Good Friday will keep through Easter of the following year. That may be a bit of an exaggeration, but these buns will remain tasty for a day or so after baking, and freeze quite nicely. I'll take half of this batch to our neighborhood breakfast tomorrow morning and freeze the rest, to be reheated for Easter Sunday dinner.


Recipe: Hot Cross Buns

If you have not ground cinnamon yourself before, you're in for a fragrant treat.
Break up half a cinnamon stick into a whirligig coffee grinder and process until very fine.

2 tsp. (1 pkg.) active dry yeast

1 1/4 warm milk (between 100 - 110 degrees)
2 Tbs. melted butter or canola oil
1/3 c. fine raw sugar
2 eggs
1 c. currants
2 Tbs. grated orange or other citrus peel
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. freshly ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1 c. bread flour
2 c. whole wheat or spelt flour
1 c. unbleached all purpose flour (extra for kneading)

for wash:
1  egg yolk beaten with 1 Tbs. water

Lemon Frosting:
2/3 c. powdered sugar
1Tbs. lemon juice, more or less

Sprinkle yeast over warm milk, let sit 5 minutes, until foamy. Combine in large mixer bowl with butter or oil and sugar. With mixing paddle, mix on medium speed to dissolve sugar, then add eggs, currants and grated peel.  Replace mixer paddle with dough hook. Add spices with flours, a cup at a time, using dust shield if your mixer has one. Mix just until flour is incorporated. Let dough rest 15 minutes.

Using dough hook, knead about 15 minutes until dough comes together nicely. Alternatively, turn dough out onto floured bowl and knead by hand until dough is smooth and elastic, adding up to 1/2 c. additional flour as needed.  Place ball of dough in greased bowl, cover and let rise until doubled.

Gently deflate dough and knead five or six times. Divide into 24 equal pieces (or 48 if making mini-buns.) Photo shows a method of dividing dough by squeezing between thumb and fingers. Roll each piece into a ball and arrange  in greased pans. Buns baked in individual mini-tins will be crisp all over. Those baked together will have a crisp top and soft sides. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise again until doubled, about 30 min.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Very gently brush buns with egg yolk beaten with 1 Tbs. water. Bake until lightly browned, 12 to 14 minutes. (The egg wash intensifies browning, so watch carefully.)  Remove to rack and cool completely.  Buns may now be wrapped airtight and refrigerated or frozen.

Before serving, warm briefly in 200 degree oven.  While still warm, mix up a thick icing with powdered sugar and lemon juice added drop by drop. Drizzle a thick cross with icing on each bun. Serve warm.