Hot Cross Buns

"One a penny... two a penny..."

The kids had the week before and the week after Easter off from school this year. While making plans for these two weeks, Maddie asked if we could try making Hot Cross Buns.

I didn't know much about Hot Cross Buns before moving to England, except for the song of course. It turns out that Hot Cross Buns have been made for centuries in England to mark Good Friday. They are a type of bun seasoned with cinnamon and currants and always marked with a cross on top.

So, on Good Friday, we made our own Hot Cross Buns. I found the following recipe on allrecipes.com, which starts the dough off in a bread machine.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 3 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 tablespoon instant powdered milk
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 3/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 1 egg white
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
• 3/4 cup dried currants (we used chopped-up raisins instead)
  
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons milk

Directions

1. Put warm water, butter, skim milk powder, 1/4 cup sugar, salt, egg, egg white, flour, and yeast in bread maker and start on dough program.
2. When 5 minutes of kneading are left, add currants and cinnamon. Leave in machine till double.
3. Punch down on floured surface, cover, and let rest 10 minutes.
4. Shape into 12 balls and place in a greased 9 x 12 inch pan. Cover and let rise in a warm place till double, about 35-40 minutes.
5. Mix egg yolk and 2 tablespoons water. Brush on balls.
6. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 20 minutes. Remove from pan immediately and cool on wire rack.
7. To make crosses: mix together confectioners' sugar, vanilla, and milk. Brush an X on each cooled bun.

How magical it was to pull those beautiful buns out of the oven! The kids were mesmerized by the whole process, and were so delighted to see (and eat) the fruits of their labor.Truthfully, they weren't the most delicious things I've ever eaten. They were basically a cinnamon raisin bread in bun form. But, it was so much fun making them with the kids. It might just have to be a new Good Friday tradition.