Buns and Bunnies

Hello Lovely Readers,

Last year, Ash Wednesday was the last time we had visited our local church. After that with increasing worry of crowded places we stopped. Amidst uncertain fear and movement curfews, Lent and Easter was the first festival we experienced caged in the pandemic. 

Sadly the scene is no different this year, but we are better adjusted to accepting the online mass celebrations/prayers and virtual family meetings😇. 

In terms of Easter goodies, I anyway made all of them at home so we never felt any different. But yes, one thing I sorely missed was Hot Cross Buns. 

On a sheer whim on Maundy Thursday last year I attempted making 'Hot Cross Buns'. Can you imagine our surprise they turned out absolutely 😋 yum. The shape was a concern and my crosses were too thick, but we relished them with gusto. 

This year I was a little more practiced and so these Hot Cross Buns are a tad more symmetrical, what say😉?

If you are gonna miss Hot Cross buns and have the baking time, give this recipe a try. These Hot Cross Buns are mildly sweet, with a hint of tutti-frutti and the crosses ontop chewy and sweet. 

RECIPE 

Time taken : 1.5 to 2 hours

Yield : 12 medium sized buns or 15 small sized buns

Method:

1) To 2 tbsp warm water add 3/4 packet of dried yeast granules. Keep aside for yeast to activate and froth. 

2) Take half cup milk and 50gms frozen unsalted butter and put in microwave to melt the butter. Add 1/3 cup sugar and let the mixture cool. Once cooled add one egg and whisk lighlty. 

3) Take 2.5 cups of all purpose flour and add salt to it. Keep half cup flour extra ready

4) Add the milk mixture and yeast mixture to the flour. And knead lightly. Initially it will be very sticky, but as you continue kneading the mositure will be absorbed. Keep adding 1 tsp of the extra half cup flour as and when the mixture is too sticky to handle for you. I end up using all to half of it; it depends on the quality of the all purpose flour or the general room temperature. 

5) Once you get the dough to a pliable shiny mass, I add some home-made orange tutti frutti very finely diced. I dont add it add the initial stage as for me it interferes with my kneading process of the sticky dough, if using a processer add in earlier stage to the all purpose flour. 

6) Now stretch the dough for a good 10 mins. This activates the gluten and makes the dough glossy pale. 

7) Let it proof in a warm place for 45 mins to 1 hour, it depends on how warm or cold your kitchen is. Warmer temperatures means dough rises faster. 

8) After the first proofing, punch out all the air out of the dough. Knead it lightly for 2 mins.

9) Divide the dough in equal portions. Knead and roll each dough portion to a smooth ball. 

10) Lightly brush with oil the tray/cake pan you want to bake the the buns in. Place each dough ball spacing them out to allow to proof and rise (I keep minimum 1 cm distance). Store in a warm place for the second proofing. 

11) Pre-heat oven to 200 degree C. 

12) Prepare the dough for the crosses - 2 tbsp plain flour, 1tsp sugar and a half tsp of butter mix well add 1. 5 cup tsp of water make a stiff dough. Contrary to the recipes I have seen on intranet, in my hometown mumbai the crosses on hot-cross buns was a stiff but sweet dough. I obviously preferred to make stiffer crosses, so this crossss dough recipe is something I had taken a wild wild guess and fortunately it worked perfect for us. Roll out the crosses dough and cut strips to fashion the crosses. 

13) Once the buns are sufficiently doubled. Brush them with a egg wash, gently place the crosses across the buns. 

14) Lower the temperature of the oven to 190 deg C and bake the buns for approx 12 to 14 mins. Well proofed buns will rise further in the oven so make sure your tray allows room for it. Once cooked to your preference of browning remove from oven. 

15) Brush the buns with egg wash again, immediately after removing from oven (optional). Cover with a tea towel and let it cool for 5 mins. Remove from the baking tray/pan and let it further cool on a wire rack. 

16) These buns are best enjoyed fresh outta the oven, we always gobble a couple immediately. But they stay well for a day or two.

These buns are the perfect balance of sweetness with a hint of tang n bitterness from the orange tutti frutti. It makes the perfect next day breakfast slathered in butter and enjoyed with a cup of tea/coffee. 

Cheers!!