Hot Cross Buns

I love baking Hot Cross Buns, it is sort of my thing, that I do on Easter.  I like them because they are not heavy and they are only slightly sweet.  This year, I should have followed tradition and baked our buns on Friday as we had some mishap.  I waited until Saturday afternoon, to whip up this batch of buns.  They are basically pretty easy to make.  A simple yeast dough that is normally flavored with lemon zest and raisins.  I used blood orange zest and cardamon this time.  As well I used currants.  This was a great choice.  The dough was slightly sweet, fresh and a little spicy.

I was pressed for time and after the first rising, I decided to let them rise overnight for the final one.  This morning they were all smooched together and had lost that cute little bun shape.  Normally before baking you are suppose to cut a cross into the buns and fill with a filling of flour, sugar and milk.  I don’t bake the cross into the buns.  I just egg wash them before baking and then add the cross after they have cooled. Regardless of the failure with rising, this recipe is usually fail proof, this is the first year, that they went from being cute little buns to squares.  They still tasted great!

Recipe: Hot Cross Buns

1 envelope (1/4-ounce) dry yeast

3/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups warm milk

1 stick of butter, melted

1 egg

1 tablespoon blood orange zest

1/2 cup currants

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

3 1/2 cups bleached all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

1 large egg, beaten

1 cup powdered sugar

3 tablespoons heavy cream

Combine the yeast, sugar and milk in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. Beat on low speed for 1 minute. Add the butter, egg and currants.  Mix for 1 minute. Add the salt, cardamom and flour. Beat on low speed until all of the flour is incorporated, about 1 minute. Then, beat at medium speed until the mixture forms a ball, leaves the sides of the bowl, and climbs up the dough hook. Remove the dough from the bowl. Using your hands, form the dough into a smooth ball. Lightly oil a large bowl. Place the dough in the bowl and turn it to oil all sides. Cover with plastic wrap and set-aside in a warm, draft-free place until it doubles in size, about 1 hour.

Remove the dough from the bowl and invert it onto a lightly floured surface. Pinch off 12 equal sizes of dough and roll each into a smooth round ball.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Place the rolls on the baking about /2-inch apart. With a pastry brush, brush the beaten egg evenly over the bread. Cover with plastic wrap and set-aside in a warm, draft-free place until it doubles in size, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake until lightly brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool slightly on a rack. In a mixing bowl, combine the powdered sugar and cream, mix until smooth.  Ice each bun with the frosting in the shape of a cross. Serve warm.