These are a springtime tradition, usually an Easter morning treat that goes well with eggs –
either boiled or chocolate! I make the dough night before and let it rose overnight. Shaping and baking is easy in the
morning and they are so delicious fresh from the oven…
Lannie’s Hot Cross Buns
(This recipe makes about 18)
Dough:
2 tsp dry yeast
½ cup warm water
1½ cups milk
1/3 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 Tbsp soft butter
1 tsp salt
Zest and juice from half an orange*
½ cups chopped almonds
½ cup chopped dried fruit (cranberries, apricots, raisins)
½ cup diced candied peel*
5 cups unbleached flour
1 tsp cardamom
¼ tsp allspice
Icing:
2 tsp orange juice + about ½ cup confectioners sugar.
To make the dough:
Soften the yeast in ½ cup of warm water.
Add yeast-water to 1½ cups milk in a large mixing bowl. (You may use a stand mixer to make
this easier.)
Add the sugar, egg, soft butter, salt, orange zest and juice, nuts, diced fruit and peel. Stir
thoroughly to make sure the butter is well distributed.
Add 2 cups of flour and mix for a few minutes (or hand beat) to develop gluten. Add the rest of
the flour a cup at a time, kneading a minute or so after each addition. (If hand mixing, you’ll
have hands-in on the counter hands-in by the time you add the last cup.)
Dough should be soft and pliable; gently shape into a ball and place in a bowl, cover top surface
with a little oil or place a lid/towel on the bowl while the dough rises, a few hours – or
overnight.
Cut the risen dough into 18 pieces, or however many you want, and place in a buttered baking
dish or parchment-lined tray. Brush with a beaten egg and let the dough rise for 20-30 minutes.
BAKE: Preheat oven to 350 F and bake for about 25 minutes until golden on top.
While buns are baking, mix the icing – it needs to be smooth and about the texture of nut
butter. Put icing in a pastry tube or the corner of a small plastic bag with a tiny snip cut off the
corner. When the baked rolls have cooled just slightly, draw icing across the tops.
Delicious served with a little butter, almond butter, and/or cream cheese* … Enjoy!
NOTES:
* Stir the remaining orange zest and a bit of honey into a cup of cream cheese…
* To avoid chemicals in the peel, it’s really best to use organically grown when zesting citrus.
*Candied Citrus Peel
(If you have time, homemade is extra tasty)
Be sure to use organically grown fruits. Collect peels from oranges and lemons (can freeze) until
you have enough to make 4 cups of sliced strips about 1 cm (3/8”) wide. To remove bitterness,
place sliced peel in a pot and cover with cold water; bring to a boil for 3 minutes; drain and
repeat (cold water to boiling) two more times. In a heavy-bottomed pot, boil 1 cup water and 2
cups sugar to make a syrup. Add the peels and cook over low heat, shaking the pot as the is
syrup absorbed. When the peel is dry and translucent, spread it on a cookie rack to dry. (This is
a tasty treat, dip some in chocolate!) For baking, use a sharp knife to cut the peel into small
cubes.