Hot Cross Buns And New Food52 App
This recipe comes from The Bakers Catalogue/King Arthur Flour. I am working my way to Easter and Hot Cross Buns are an Easter tradition for many. I have never made them before, I’ve bought and eaten them and love them but never tried making them myself. This recipe sounds easy enough, I love the boozy fruit in the buns and am a sucker for that sweet cross on the top of the bun.
They turned out just beautiful, soft and pillowy, they smell amazing and have a very good rise. They are really delicious and made only a few minor changes mainly with the dried fruit and the soaking liquid and they turned out so good that I will do it again just as I made them.
On a completely unrelated topic, Food52 launched a new app for ipad and iPhone that I am having so much fun with, it’s all about cooking without a recipe or #notrecipes. Half of what I make does not involve a recipe except for baking. It’s a fun app, you interact with other cooks and there are great food52 contests as well. Try it out, it’s very cool, a real source of inspiration and it’s free.
Hot Cross Buns
Recipe from King Arthur Flour
Makes 12-14 buns
Buns
- 1/4 cup apple juice or rum(I used Poire William)
- 1/2 cup mixed dried fruit(apricots, golden raisins, cherries,cranberries,pears)
- 1/2 cup raisins or dried currants(didn’t use currants used golden raisins)
- 1 1/4 cups milk, room temperature (Used 2% but recommend whole milk)
- 3 large eggs, 1 separated
- 6 tablespoons butter, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves or allspice (I used allspice)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 3/4 teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 4 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
Topping
- 1 large egg white, reserved from above
- 1 tablespoon milk
Icing
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- 4 teaspoons milk, or enough to make a thick, pipeable icing (It was very thick but was better thick than too thin)
Directions
- Lightly grease a 10″ square pan or 9″ x 13″ pan. (I used a sheet pan lined with parchment)
- Mix the rum or apple juice with the dried fruit and raisins, cover with plastic wrap, and microwave briefly, just till the fruit and liquid are very warm, and the plastic starts to “shrink wrap” itself over the top of the bowl. Set aside to cool to room temperature. Note: If you worry about using plastic wrap in your microwave, simply cover the bowl with a glass lid. I don’t microwave plastic at all, heated in a saucepan, poured into a bowl, covered and sat aside.
- When the fruit is cool, mix together all of the dough ingredients except the fruit, and knead, using an electric mixer or bread machine, till the dough is soft and elastic. Mix in the fruit and any liquid not absorbed.
- Let the dough rise for 1 hour, covered. It should become puffy, though may not double in bulk.
- Divide the dough into billiard ball-sized pieces, about 3 3/4 ounces each. A heaped muffin scoop (about 1/3 cup) makes about the right portion. You’ll make 12 to 14 buns. Use your greased hands to round them into balls. Arrange them in the prepared pan.
- Cover the pan, and let the buns rise for 1 hour, or until they’ve puffed up and are touching one another. While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 375°F. Now this is not included in the recipe but I saw several that all do this, with a knife or razor blade slice a cross on top of each bun, not a deep cut really just the surface only.
- Whisk together the reserved egg white and milk, and brush it over the buns.
- Bake the buns for 20 minutes, until they’re golden brown. Remove from the oven, and transfer to a rack to cool.
make sure they cool completely before adding the cross
- Mix together the icing ingredients, and when the buns are completely cool, pipe it in a cross shape atop each bun.
These hot cross buns are delicious.
apuginthekitchen 