Hot Cross Buns
Hot cross buns are a traditional Easter bread enjoyed by people of all ages. They are made with a sweet dough flavored with cinnamon and currants and typically topped with a cross made of icing.
Hot cross buns are a traditional Easter bread enjoyed by people of all ages. They are made with a sweet dough flavored with cinnamon and currants and typically topped with a cross made of icing.
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup warm water (110 degrees f/45 degrees c)
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon instant powdered milk
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 3/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg white
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup dried currants
- 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
- 2 teaspoons milk
- Carbohydrate 37.4285978298035 g
- Cholesterol 25.9546434032956 mg
- Fat 3.89321650937212 g
- Fiber 1.57538221300568 g
- Protein 4.56074204853998 g
- Saturated Fat 2.16553073532988 g
- Serving Size 1 1 bun (68g)
- Sodium 426.958552119075 mg
- Sugar 35.8532156167978 g
- Trans Fat 0.362200557451509 g
- Calories 203 calories
Step-by-step
- 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.
- When 5 minutes of kneading are left, add currants and cinnamon. Leave in machine till double.
- Punch down on floured surface, cover, and let rest 10 minutes.
- 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.
- Mix egg yolk and 2 tablespoons water. Brush on balls.
- Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 20 minutes. Remove from pan immediately and cool on wire rack.
- To make crosses: mix together confectioners' sugar, vanilla, and milk. Brush an X on each cooled bun.
Stale hot cross buns make superior bread pudding because drying out allows the crumb to absorb custard without disintegrating. Bread historians note that spiced yeast cakes marked with protective symbols date back to antiquity, though the modern sweet dough tradition solidified in Britain. Stale baked goods lose moisture rapidly through starch retrogradation, a process where gelatinized starch molecules recrystallize and harden. Reviving these dried loaves requires applying moisture and heat to reverse starch crystallization partially.
Chemical reactions during baking dictate the characteristic texture and flavor of this spiced loaf. Maillard reactions occur between amino acids in the milk powder and egg proteins alongside reducing sugars, creating the golden crust coloration at 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Cinnamon contains cinnamaldehyde, a compound that interacts with dairy fats to yield a rounded aromatic profile. Yeast fermentation produces carbon dioxide gas, trapped by gluten networks formed from all-purpose flour during the machine kneading phase.
Leftover buns left on the counter past forty-eight hours transition quickly from dry to completely unpalatable without proper intervention. Slicing hardened loaves and toasting them gently restores crispness to the exterior while warming the interior starches. Alternatively, dipping day-old buns into a standard custard mixture transforms them into a rich baked dessert that utilizes the dense, fruit-studded crumb. Dried currants embedded throughout the dough provide pockets of concentrated sweetness that balance the eggy richness of any secondary preparation.
Storage practices directly influence how long these spiced pastries retain their eating quality. Wrapping baked goods tightly in plastic wrap immediately after they cool completely on a wire rack traps residual moisture and prevents premature staling. Freezing individual buns extends their viability for up to three months, provided they are sealed inside airtight freezer bags to prevent freezer burn. Thawing frozen units directly in a moderate oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for five minutes restores the original crumb texture more effectively than microwave defrosting.
