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Hot Cross Buns
The Complete Cook


Hot Cross Buns:
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup currants
2 teaspoons grated orange peel
1/2 egg white, slightly beaten

Sweet Dough:
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup butter or margarine
2 tablespoons water
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 (1/4 ounce)package active dry yeast
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

Powdered Sugar Glaze:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 to 3 teaspoons milk
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions for Sweet Dough:
Grease a 2 quart bowl for dough rising, set aside. In a 1 quart saucepan, combine milk, butter or margarine and water. Heat over medium-high heat or until warm (120°F) 2 to 2 1/2 minutes. Butter or margarine does not need to melt. In a 3 quart mixer bowl, beat first amount of flour, sugar, salt and yeast at low speed of an electric mixer, about 10 seconds. Add warm milk mixture. Beat at medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Scrape sides of bowl occasionally.

Add eggs and second amount of flour. Beat at low speed of mixer 20 seconds. Turn mixer to high speed. Beat 2 minutes. Scrape sides of bowl occasionally.

By hand, gradually stir in enough of third amount of flour to make a moderately stiff dough. Turn out dough on a floured board; coat with flour. Knead dough on floured board 4 to 8 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Place in greased bowl, turning dough once to grease top.

Cover and let rise in a warm place 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours or until doubled in bulk. Punch down dough. Turn out on floured board. Cover and let stand 10 minutes.

Directions for Hot Cross Buns:
Grease 1 baking sheet; set aside. Prepare Sweet Dough, adding cinnamon and nutmeg to yeast flour mixture. Stir currants and orange peel into dough before last addition of flour. Continue following directions for Sweet dough. Divide into 3 portions. Divide each portion in 6 pieces. Shape each piece into a ball, rolling edges under to form smooth top. Gently pinch dough together at bottom of each ball.

Place buns, smooth sides up, on greased baking sheet. Arrange on each baking sheet in 6 rows of 3 buns touching. Cover and let rise in a warm place 30 to 40 minutes or until almost doubled in bulk.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Gently brush rolls with egg white.

Bake in preheated oven 15 to 17 minutes or until browned. Remove from baking sheet. Cool on a rack 25 minutes. Drizzle Powdered Sugar Glaze in a cross shape on each roll. Serve warm.

Directions for Powdered Sugar Glaze:
In a small bowl combine all ingredients. Beat until smooth. Drizzle on warm rolls.

Makes 18 buns.

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