More like Hot Cross YUMS!...sorry 'funs' was already taken...

Easter in my house is pretty much like any other day. A whirl-wind in the kitchen, swarms of people coming and going and, of course, an abundance of chocolate!

We have a couple of Easter traditions that have stuck in our household. They are egg decorating on Good Friday and Easter egg hunts on the Sunday. Yes, it’s slightly pathetic to watch a 21 and 22 year old girl and boy run around the house with a little wicker basket, gradually filling it up with little chocolate delights, but what can I say, we love it!

This year, I added a new tradition to the list;

Hot Cross Buns

Makes: 12

Ingredients:
Melted butter to grease
3 ¼ cups plain flour
1 cup sultanas
2tbs mixed peel (I used chopped dates because they’re yummier and… it’s all I had.)
2 tbs caster sugar
1 tsp mixed spice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
Large pinch of salt
1 cup warm milk
50g butter, melted
1 egg, lightly whisked
Plain flour, to dust
Butter to serve

Cross paste:
¼ cup plain flour
2 tbs cold water

Glaze:
1/3 cup caster sugar
1/3 cup cold water



Method:

1. Brush a baking tray with melted butter. Combine the flour, sultanas, mixed peel, sugar, yeast and spices in a large bowl. Stir in the salt.

2. Make a well in the centre. Add the milk, butter and egg. Use a wooden spoon to stir until just combined. Use your hands to bring the dough together in the bowl.


3. Turn onto a well-floured surface. Kneed for approx. 10 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Brush a large bowl with melted butter. Place dough in the bowl. Turn to coat. Cover with a damp tea towel. Place in a warm place to prove for 1 ½ hours or until dough doubles in size.

4. Preheat oven to 200C. Punch down the centre of dough with your fist! (Get some of that rage out). Turn onto a lightly floured surface. Kneed for 2-3 minuets or until dough is smooth and elastic and has returned to original size. Divide into 12 equal portions. Shape into balls. Place, side by side, on the prepared tray, (Nice and close, just hugging gently, is good because when they cook they will rise and stick together. That way you get that luscious soft side when you peel them apart. Mmm).
Place in a warm place for 30 minuets or until they have risen 1-2 cm.

5. To make the cross paste, combine the flour and water in a bowl until a smooth paste forms. Transfer to a piping bag…you can make your own but make sure you have sticky sticky-tape. Or you will end up like I did, with paste all over my hands, hair and basically everywhere in my kitchen except my buns. Grrr. Once you have figured out the piping bag, pipe in a continuous line along the centre of each row of buns. Repeat in the opposite direction to make crosses. Bake for 20minuets or until golden.

6. In the meantime make the glaze by placing sugar and water in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar has dissolved and mixture thickens slightly.
I was lazy/didn’t read the recipe properly so I just put cold water and sugar in a bowl, then panicked and stuck it in the microwave a 20 seconds. This worked just fine to dissolve the sugar.

7. Brush the tops of the buns with glaze. Serve hot with lots butter. Best.


This recipe is based on the ‘Traditional hot cross buns’ found in Good Taste magazine. Volume 15. Page 89-91.