Hot cross buns - recipe wanted

[smallblueplanet]

Anyone have a tried and tested recipe for hot cross buns?

[Glutton4...]

No, sorry, but have you tried Warburton's 'Hot-Cross Bun Loaf?' It's blimmin lovely!

[Flummery]

I use the Mrs Beeton one - Old Fashioned Gal me!

1 lb plain flour
pinch salt
2 oz marge
4 oz sugar
1 tsp mixed spice OR cinnamon
half ounce fresh or pack dried yeast
1 - 2 eggs
8 - 10 fl oz milk
2 oz currants ( I prefer raisings or sultanas)

Mix salt and flour, rub in fat, add sugar, spice and creamed yeast (or or sprinkle in packet of yeast). mix well with egg and enough warmed milk to make a light dough. Beat well and put to rise.

I find this doesn't rise as fast as bread dough - might be the milk and egg mixture. I sometime use half milk, half water.

When well risen, knock it back lightly working in the fruit. Divide into about 20 pieces (unless you're a guts like me and fancy a dozen considerably bigger buns!) Form them into round shapes and flatten slightly and leave to prove for about 15 - 30 mins.

They suggest making the crosses with shortcrust pastry - ok if you have a bit left but I dont make any specially. I cut crosses in, then egg-wash and bake in a hot oven - 425, gas 7.

Good luck. They're yummy!

[smallblueplanet]

Found this Tesco recipe - sounds good, although I think I'll give the glace cherries a miss!



Hot cross bun loaf

Ingredients:

425g (14oz) strong plain
white bread flour
50g (2oz) butter,
cut into small pieces
1x7g sachet easy blend
fast-action yeast
1tsp mixed spice
½tsp cinnamon
50g (2oz) light muscovado sugar
100g (3½oz) raisins
50g (2oz) sultanas
50g (2oz) glacé cherries, chopped
25g (1oz) mixed candied peel
125ml (4fl oz) milk

For the dough cross
1tbsp milk
1tbsp plain flour
1tbsp water

Method:

Place the flour and butter in a large mixing bowl. Rub butter into flour until it resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the yeast, then add all the remaining ingredients except the milk.
Pour the milk into a jug and add 125ml (4fl oz) boiling water. Test the temperature of the milk and water mixture — it should be no more than hand hot. Stir into the dough and mix well until the dough gathers into a soft ball.

Turn the mixture out on to a floured work surface and knead for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Form the dough into a ball and place on a baking tray. Leave in a warm place, for about 1-1½ hours until it doubles in size and feels very light and airy.

Preheat the oven to Gas 6, 200°C, fan180°C. When ready to bake, brush the top of the risen dough with the milk. To make the cross, mix the flour and water to make a soft but pipeable paste. Pour the mixture into a disposable piping bag, snip the end and pipe a cross over the dough.

Bake in the oven for 30 minutes until golden brown. Turn loaf over and tap its base — if it sounds hollow it is cooked. Leave to cool on a wire rack. Best eaten on the day it is made or the following day. Also delicious toasted.

[organic]

Does anyone here remember a time when hot cross buns were one a penny or two a penny?
At 29¼ I'm too young to remember such reasonable prices.. but I also don't know how long ago that was the price.
Anyone?


(Since I'm making a nursery rhyme reference, the ¼ seemed appropriate.)

[PAULW]

The earliest record of the rhyme is in Christmas Box, published in London in 1798. However, there are earlier references to the rhyme as a street cry, for example in Poor Robin's Almanack for 1733, which noted:

Good Friday come this month, the old woman runs
With one or two a penny hot cross buns

[organic]

Well, that's the age of rhyme sorted.
So when did price rises make the rhyme less "current"?

[sarraceniac]

Flum, is that 1 2 eggs? Seems rather rich to 1lb of flour.

[Rhona]

Flum, is that 1 2 eggs? Seems rather rich to 1lb of flour.

I suspect it's 1 - 2 eggs, depending on their size. But Lord knows I'm no baking expert!

I'm not crazy about hot cross buns, but Mr R likes them and our little girl will enjoy helping to make them, so I'll give them a go this weekend.

[Flummery]

Flum, is that 1 2 eggs? Seems rather rich to 1lb of flour.

1 - 2 (me hand must have slipped!)

[sarraceniac]

And there was me thinking that Mrs Beeton had struck again. 'Take 6 lobsters......'

[smallblueplanet]

1 - 2 (me hand must have slipped!)

..and its only taken us a year to notice Flum!

[wollyanna]

used this recipe for a number of years,
1/2pt +3tabs lukewarm milk/water
1/2oz dried yeast....1oz fresh
1lb 5 oz Strong flour
1/2 l.tsp salt.
4 tsp mixed spice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2oz butter/marge
5 oz sugar
1 large egg
3 0z currants
1 oz sultanas (4 oz dried fruit of choice)
1/2 oz candied peel (optional)
4 tabs milk.

1) Activate yeast
2)sift 1 1/4 lbs flour and spices together
3) Rub in fat.
4)Stir in 3oz sugar.Make well in centre .Beat egg and add to the flour mixture with the yeast liquid
5) Mix to soft dough.
6) turn onto floured board and knead until smooth and springy
7)Form into smooth ball and place in clean bowl Lightly oil a large plastic bag and put bowl with dough in side . Tuck ends under and leave in warm place about 1hr or until doubled in size
8) Turn risen dough onto floured board and make a well in centre and add fruit and peel if used.Knead until evenly distributed.
9) Divide into 18 equal pieces. Knead each into a ball and place 2in apart on lightly greased trays.
10) Mix remaining flour with 2 tabs cold water to form a paste and use to pipe cross on buns
11) Leave for about 30 mins or until doubled in size.
12) Cook 12 - 15 mins until risen and golden towards top of oven pre heated 425deg F/mark 7
13) Whilst cooking heat rest of sugar and milk until dissolved .Bring to boil and remove from heat.
14)Remove buns from oven and immediately brush with sugar glaze.
15)Leave to cool.

Well worth the effort and they always go down a storm.
I would be grateful if anyone has the reason why homebaked hotcross buns are slightly dark due to the spices whereas shop bought ones are white. Is it possible to get mixed spice in liquid form. This has puzzled me for sometime and it seems the only solution.

[mrdinkle]

I followed the recipe in the latest Lakeland catalogue and was rather disappointed in the result (not sweet enough). I think I might try some of the above (once I figure out what to do with the 14 I have kicking about in the kitchen!)

[Flummery]

I followed the recipe in the latest Lakeland catalogue and was rather disappointed in the result (not sweet enough). I think I might try some of the above (once I figure out what to do with the 14 I have kicking about in the kitchen!)

Do you like bread and butter pudding? Hot cross buns or spiced tea loaves make FABULOUS ones!