We were traveling back down the coast from Powell River, after a lovely Easter weekend with my mom, when I had the urge to bake. But not to bake some ordinary, boring bread, but to create my most favorite of the leavened masterpieces - hot-cross buns.
At Christmas, I adore walking into the grocery store and seeing large red globes of sweet goodness piled high in the produce department - pomegranates are not only an alluring product of the Middle Eastern but also my favorite fruit. Just like Christmas is an exciting time for me to shop, Easter is also one of my grocery store highlights of the year. However, it isn't the produce section during this season of bunnies and chicks that interests me, its the bakery.
There is nothing better than mixing together a fluffy plain bun with dried fruit, cinnamon, and candied citrus rinds, served with two fine lines of sweet icing. I enjoy them so much, it seems almost wrong to eat them before Easter Monday - I think I should be a little more in tune with Jesus' suffering before then; the amount of enjoyment I get from biting into one little sweet bun must be sinful. But they are just so good. So gooey on the top with their slight glaze, and fluffy on the inside. Or toasted, with brown edges and a crusty surface on which to melt just the right amount of butter. It needs no other condiment, for the bun, in and of itself, is perfect.
I was watching the movie Chocolat while I was making the buns and realized that if I wasn't able to eat hot cross buns until after Lent, I would end up like the towns mayor in one of the final scenes - just gorging myself on what I desired most (though for him it was chocolate, for me, I would be sprawled, legs splayed, arms outstretched, gluttony apparent, on a mound of hot cross buns - there would be a very angry baker confronting me the next day).
There are a lot of stories surrounding the little fluffy pieces of bready goodness. Some believe that the bun is as old as leavened bread itself, with crosses cut into the top rather than icing drizzled on them - the greeks may have had them, with the cross representing the quarters of the moon rather than the holy Christian cross. Others state that the first reference to the buns, sometime in the 1700s, were when they became mainstream. Still more argue that the buns (believed to be catholic) threatened the protestant movement so much, yet were so popular that the British monarchs couldn't ban them outright but only allowed them on Easter. But these buns have become so massively popular throughout the world, that people are clamoring to claim it as their own - one such example is St. Albans Cathedral in Hertfordshire, England, arguing that the bun was created by a parish monk, and the bun should be named the 'Alban'.
No matter what the origin, one fact is clear - the hot cross bun has been popular enough to last centuries. And deservedly so.
The recipes, however, are varied. I tried two. The first, moist, dense, flavorful. The second, light, fluffy, still flavorful. It depends what you prefer. I enjoyed both. If I was to choose one, it would be the second on the day I baked them, and the first a day or so after - this one seemed to absorb the flavors and become richer on the second day. Depends what mood you're in - if its sunny out, I'd say bake the second one and enjoy it with tea. If it's raining, bake the first one and curl up with a good book and some hot milk. But no matter their qualities, hot cross buns still, by far, outstripe any other buns.
Hot Cross Buns (thick and moist)
(Adapted from The Vancouver Sun)
Dough
3 c. all-purpose flour, divided
2 tsp. bread machine yeast
3 tbs. sugar
1 tsp. salt
11/2 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. allspice
3/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 c. milk (room temperature)
1/4 c. plus 1 tbs. water (room temperature)
3 tbs. butter (room temperature, cut into small pieces)
1 tbs. potato flakes (instant mashed potatoes)
1/3 c. currants or raisins
1/3 c. diced candied mixed fruit or peel
Egg wash
1 egg yolk
1 tbs. water
Icing
1 c. icing sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 tbs. milk (around)
1. Put all ingredients for dough, except dried/candied fruit and peel, into bread machine in the order according to manufacturer's instructions. Put on dough cycle.
2. When done, transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead in dried/candied fruit and peel. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.
3. Grease a square baking pan (8 1/2"). Divide dough into 9 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball. Place them in pan. Flatten buns slightly. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double in size, about 30 minutes.
4. Preheat oven to 375 F. Beat together ingredients for egg wash. Brush over the buns with a pastry brush.
5. Bake for 30 minutes or until done (cover with foil after about 20 minutes so the buns don't get too brown!).
6. Remove from the pan and let cool on a cooling rack. Must be completely cool until piping on icing.
7. Mix ingredients for icing - make sure its at a consistency so it can pipe. Spoon or pipe the icing in the form of a cross on the top of each bun.
Enjoy the dense goodness on their own or toasted with a dab of butter - no more, no less. If really adventurous, try with a touch of honey, but don't overpower the spices in the bun with the sweetness.
Hot Cross Buns (fluffy and light)
(Adapted from Canadian Living)
Dough
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. warm water
2 tsp.
3-1/2 cups (875 mL) all purpose flour
2 tbsp (25 mL) cinnamon
1 tsp (5 mL) nutmeg
1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
1/4 tsp (1 mL) ground cloves
3/4 cup (175 mL) milk, warmed
1/4 cup (50 mL) melted butter
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup (125 mL) dried currants
1/4 cup (50 mL) chopped candied peel, mixed
Glaze
2 tbsp (25 mL) granulated sugar
2 tbsp (25 mL) water
Icing
1/2 cup (125 mL) icing sugar
2 tsp (10 mL) water
1. Put all ingredients for dough, except dried/candied fruit and peel, into bread machine in the order according to manufacturer's instructions. Put on dough cycle.
2. When done, transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead in dried/candied fruit and peel. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.
3. Grease a square baking pan (8 1/2"). Divide dough into 9 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball. Place them in pan. Flatten buns slightly. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double in size, about 35 minutes.
4. Preheat oven to 400 F. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
6. In a saucepan, stir the ingredients for the glaze over medium heat until dissolved - brush over the buns. Let the buns completely cool in the pan.
7. Mix ingredients for icing - make sure its at a consistency so it can pipe. Spoon or pipe the icing in the form of a cross on the top of each bun.
Enjoy the fluffy goodness in line with the advice above. These ones, I find however, are better on their own - they don't even need butter. Though it does make it better. As Julia Child says: butter makes everything better.
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