Hot Cross Buns are a cinnamon and allspice yeast bread. The spices make this bread so tasty. Like all yeast breads, I find it helpful to use a thermometer to make sure the yeast is dissolved in the right temperature liquid. Typically the buns are about the size of a fist with a sugar glaze in a cross on top. The recipe calls for currants, but any raisins will do. This recipe also calls for scalded milk, which is milk heated to about 180 degrees or just as it starts to bubble.
Hot Cross Buns
- 3/4 cup scalded milk
- 1/3 cup very soft butter or shortening
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 eggs, well beaten
- 1/2 tsp vanilla about
- 3 1/2 flour
- 3/4 cup currants, simmered and drained
- 3/4 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp. allspice
- 1 packaged dry yeast dissolved in 1/4 cup warm water
Pour scalded milk over butter, sugar and salt. When completely melted, add well beaten eggs and vanilla slowly. When liquid is lukewarm, add dissolved yeast. Blend well. Add spice to flour. Add about half of flour to liquid slowly, beating dough until smooth. Add raisins gradually and blend well. Add the rest of the flour. Beat until dough is smooth and too stiff to mix with a spoon. Turn out dough onto a floured surface and kneed gently about 2-3 minutes. Put into greased bowl and let rise until double in size.
Turn out dough onto floured surface and kneed again about one-half minute. Let double a second time. After second rise, cut dough into 20 buns and shape round with hands. Place buns on greased cookie sheets and allow to double in size. Cut cross into top. Bake on 350 for 20-25 minutes.
For the coffee cake icing: mix together 1 tsp hot milk, 1/4 tsp vanilla, 1 cup powdered sugar. Top buns with a cross of frosting. Enjoy!
No comments:
Post a Comment