Hot Cross Buns
So perfectly paired… oranges ripening, Easter & old time traditions
Nothing makes a kitchen or a cappuccino more delightful
leaven:
either 2 ¼ tsp conventional yeast
OR ½ cup starter & ¼ tsp yeast
mix with ¼ cup warm water & let rest 15minutes
add in:
½ cup melted butter
1 cup warm milk
⅓ cup cane sugar
½ tsp salt
2 eggs
4-5 cups bread flour (central milling High Mountain)
add flour or milk if too wet/dry… want dough to form soft ball pulling away from edge of bowl after a few minutes
knead in stand mixer 5min (or by hand 8-10min)
let rest covered in warm place about an hour
in separate bowl:
½ c dried currants (soak in hot water for 10 minutes, drain, mix with spices and orange zest
1 tsp cinnamon, ⅛ tsp nutmeg, ⅛ tsp ginger
zest of one orange
fold spice/orange/currant mixture into dough after 1 hr (not incorporated fully, just evenly folded into - cinnamon has a negative effect on rise)
let rest 10min
divide dough into roughly 24 pieces
stretch & fold to form balls out of each piece, placing seam side down on baking pan
baking pan options… dough can be placed with space on a lined baking sheet for round separate rolls OR in a low-lip pan for slightly touching OR (my favorite) in a glass 9x13 baking dish for pull-apart style rolls
let rest at room temp for 1.5 hours OR place in fridge overnight and bake next morning
brush each bun with egg wash (1 tablespoon of cream & one egg yolk whisked together)
bake at 350
sheet pan 30 minutes
glass pan pull-apart rolls about 45 minutes
when cool, add a frosting cross to each bun
HCB frosting -
whisk together until smooth:
1 tbs soft butter
½ tsp vanilla
¼ c powdered sugar
a little cream
fold in:
zest of one orange
2 cups powdered sugar
add one teaspoon of cream at a time until consistency is thick and holds shape but soft enough to pipe
NEED a SOURDOUGH STARTER? Click HERE
Garden Bunny HERE
And just in case you need permission,
go ahead and take the best looking MIDDLE one!
Happy Easter to you 💗