Hot Cross Buns!

[Portia_Smith]

....and many more pennies if i went out and bought the loveliest looking ones from borough market today. they're SO expensive!

so - with the inspiration gleaned from the pastry and baking forum, i've got up very early this beautifully clear good friday morn and started baking them myself. i'm quite excited!

i've not a confident baker and have almost no experience messing around with yeast. i've already managed to cover most of the kitchen in flour, the dough is sitting in an oiled bowl rising away at the moment. If they're appalling. i'll come back to the experts here and ask questions based on the technique i used and the result.

oh - i'm using a recipe from mary berry and marlena spieler's (i know she posts on eg, but not sure if she ever lurks in the pastry/baking forum) 'classic home cooking'.

i'll be posting photos later and i hope that whatever spring holiday you are commerating/celebrating, it's a sweet one

[lapin d'or]

i've got up very early this beautifully clear good friday morn and started baking them myself.  i'm quite excited!

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I am afraid I was not organised enough to have home made buns ready for breakfast but I have just put mine in the oven and they should be ready for afternoon tea - outside in the sunshine this lovely sunny day.

I have been a bit lazy and not attempted the crosses - just glazed and sprinkled with a few sugar crystals so no good for a purest but they are packed with warm spices and dried fruit so if all goes well they will taste good.

I have tried many recipes over the years and never found a favourite so we continue to get different ones each year. I like mine with a lot of spice and in particular dried mace in the spice mix.

Look forward to hearing how yours came out

Jill

[sugarseattle]

I made a bunch of these last year, I don't know why i was so obsessed...probably feeling a surge of Catholic guilt.

anyway, I just took a brioche recipe and added some orange zest, my favorite dried fruits (currants, apricots, cranberries), cinnamon, nutmeg, and I think allspice (not sure what the classic "hot cross bun" spices are?) When they came out of the oven, I waited 5 mins and brushed with honey butter (equal parts honey and butter) for a nice shine. Then when they had cooled completely, put an orange cross on the top. These are best eaten within 6 hours of baking.

I've also seen the cross made with a thin dough that is actually put on the bun BEFORE baking. This worked out fairly well, but I think I like the sweet frosting

[Portia_Smith]

Mine worked out really well for a first attempt. I was quite worried about dealing with the whole yeastie beastie thing, but found the kneading all very relaxing and I'd probably add a bit more spice next time if I was being fussy. The recipe I used had a teaspoon of mixed spice, a teaspoon of cinnamon and 1/2 a teaspoon of nutmeg.

I made the crosses out of plain dough and stuck them on the buns before baking and then glazed them with a spiced sugar and water syrup when they were taken out.

We've just eaten the last ones for breakfast today - a lot went fresh out of the oven and four accompanied us on our 12 mile walk from Tower Bridge to the Thames Flood Barrier yesterday - we ate them whilst looking at the river in front of Greenwich Naval College. All very Enid Blyton except for the lack of ginger beer...

I had LOTS of photos of the entire creative process from dough to whoa - but, a camera mishap meant they were deleted and now, I can only give you these links to them on flickr.

Click Here!

and

Here!

the brioche dough ones sound fabulous - sugar seattle! And I need to add more mace to my baking lapin...

[lapin d'or]

Portia, your hot cross buns look really tasty. So good when baking turns outs right the first time, and bread smells so divine when you are baking that it all seems worth the effort. I can eat far too many when they are still warm from the oven.

I love the knitted companions - did you make those too?

Happy Easter

Jill

[Portia_Smith]

Thank you for the compliments! whether it was beginner's luck or not, my next attempt will tell.

the knitted fellas sadly are not mine - they were bought last year at the Andover Women's Institute market (friday mornings in the guildhall) 75 p each and I wish i'd bought more. They're designed to be stuffed with mini-eggs apparently - but i just like to have them hanging around.

Happy Easter and enjoy the sunshine

[thecuriousone]

HI All-

I really like hot cross buns,the yeasty rolls that are studded with candied fruit that the bakery makes between Ash wednesday and Easter only. If there another type of bread that is basically the same thing but baked through the rest of the year? Is pannettonne the same thing?

I would appreciate any recipes or suggestions you could offer. Thanks. H. Lee

[lapin d'or]

Hi curiousone,

I think if you take any sweet fruited bread recipe and add mixed spices and some citrus flavour (candied orange peel if you can get it) you will be very close. There are hot cross bun recipes on the internet but I do not have a favourite recipe to recommend. Try looking at recipe link and search for hot cross buns.

Pannetonne from my experience has the fruity citrus flavours but no spices and I can only buy those near Christmas.

I can buy plain fruited buns all year round and I sometimes split them, toast, butter and dust with cinnamon sugar - I quick spiced bun fix.

Jill