We had a wonderful Easter! Since all the adults were vaccinated we could reunite and gather at my house for dinner again this year. What a great feeling! All the grandchildren had a wonderful time together.
Hot Cross Buns
Ingredients:
Buns:
3 teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast (9 grams)
1/2 cup (110g) sugar
1 1/2 cups (375ml) milk, warm, full fat, or low fat
4 1/4 cups (640g) bread flour (or plain/all-purpose)
2 tsp cinnamon powder
2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups (210g) raisins
3.5 tbsp (50g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 egg at room temperature
Glaze:
1 tbsp apricot jam
2 tsp water
Instructions:
Place flour, yeast, sugar, allspice, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Briefly mix with a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook.
Add butter, milk, egg, raisins, finely chopped apricots, and orange zest.
Stand mixer: Mix until a smooth elastic dough forms - 5 minutes on Speed 2 of a stand mixer. After 1 minute, add an extra 1/4 cup flour if required, just enough so the dough comes away from the side of the bowl when mixing and doesn't stick terribly to your fingers.
Hand kneading: Alternatively, dust a work surface with flour and knead by hand for 10 minutes.
The dough is kneaded enough when it's smooth and does not break when stretched.
Dough Rise #1:
Leave the dough in the bowl, cover with cling wrap, and place in a warm, draft-free place to rise until doubled in size. This will take anywhere between 30 minutes to 1 1/2 hours depending on how warm it is.
Line a 9 x 13" tray with baking paper with overhang.
Remove cling wrap and punch dough to deflate.
Dust work surface with flour, place dough on the work surface, shape into a log - this will deflate the air. Cut into 12 equal pieces.
Take one piece and press down with your palm, then use your fingers to gather into a ball, then roll the dough briefly to form a ball.
Place the ball with the smooth side up on the tray. Repeat with the remaining dough. Line them up 3 x 4.
Dough Rise #2
Spray a piece of cling wrap lightly with oil (any), then loosely place over the tray.
Return tray to warm place and leave 30 - 45 minutes until the dough has risen by about 75% (less than double in size).
Partway through dough rise #2, preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 C)
Bake for 22 minutes, or until the surface is a deep golden brown. The surface color is the best test for this recipe.
Meanwhile, place jam and water in a bowl, microwave for 30 seconds. Mix to combine.
Remove buns from the oven. Use overhang to lift buns onto a cooling rack. (If you do not have apricot jam you can substitute honey or maple syrup as a glaze.) Brush buns with jam mixture while warm. Allow buns to cool before icing.
3 Tablespoons of milk and a splash of vanilla extract for plain icing
As you can see, the grandchildren enjoyed having both sets of grandparents to celebrate with this year. They are all getting so big!