Mar 17

Mar 17 Hot Cross Buns

This hot cross buns recipe is a throwback from my old blog Sophistimom. (I don’t recommend visiting that site anymore, it’s just a bizarro, hacked version of my site now.) After I took the website down, someone requested this hot cross buns recipe on my Facebook page. It took me awhile to find it in my archives along with the photos I took. But here it is, just in time for Easter.

I’ve learned recently, through watching The Great British Baking Show, that the cross was traditionally a flour and water mixture that is piped on the top of the buns before baking. That makes so much sense! And if I had known, I probably would have used that method instead of snipping the tops of each bun with kitchen shears.

But it wouldn’t have stopped me from piping on the thick, delicious, criss cross of frosting after they’re baked. Because honestly, that’s the best part, says this New England girl who always got them like that when she was a kid!

Hot Cross Buns

1 cup currants or raisins

3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 scant tablespoon instant yeast

3 tablespoons sugar

1 1/4 cup milk

3 egg yolks

6 tablespoons butter, melted

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 egg, well beaten with a teaspoon of water

hot cross bun frosting (recipe follows)

Place currants in a small microwave safe bowl and cover with water. Microwave on high for 1 minute, and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook, mix together flour, cinnamon, instant yeast*, and sugar. Pour in milk, egg yolks, melted butter, and salt. Scrape down the bowl if necessary, and knead for 10 minutes, until dough is sticky and elastic. Drain currants or raisins, and mix into the dough.

Turn dough out onto a well floured board and knead a few times. Shape into a ball, and place in a buttered bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, and let rise for 30-45 minutes, or until dough has doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Butter a 13x9 inch baking pan, or two 8x8 inch baking pans. Divide dough into 16 equal portions, and shape each piece into a ball. Cover with a buttered piece of plastic wrap, and let rise for 20-30 minutes, or until doubled in size. Brush each bun with egg wash, and use kitchen shears to cut a cross into the top of each bun. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until buns are shiny and golden. Allow to cool for several minutes. Place frosting in a disposable pastry bag, and cut off the tip to make a 1/4 inch opening. Decorate the buns.

* If for some reason, you're unsure about the freshness of the yeast, proof it first by mixing it with it withe the milk first. If after a few minutes, the mixture starts to bubble, then the yeast is good, and you can add the mixture in with the rest of the ingredients. If the yeast mixture does not bubble after a few minutes, then discard the yeast, and replace it with a fresh package. If the yeast is new, however, and you're sure it's fresh, go ahead and mix it right in, as instructed.