That would be a nice addition to Bunny Buns wouldn't it?
Linda C

I am! Tomorrow is the big day for me. I've always liked Hot Cross Buns.

I was looking for a good recipe to try last night. I found several recipes that called for a baking spice mix, like the one from Penzey's and thought I'd try that this year.

Can you link or post the Southern Living recipe?

Nancy

Hot Cross Buns
Prep: 50 min., Cook: 5 min., Cool: 20 min., Rise: 2 hrs., Bake: 15 min.

4 1/2-5 cups all-purpose flour, divided
2/3 cup sugar
1 (1/4-oz.) envelope rapid-rise yeast
1 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 cup milk
1/4 cup water
1/3 cup unsalted butter, cut up
2 large eggs
Vegetable cooking spray
2/3 cup currants
1/3 cup golden raisins
1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 egg white, lightly beaten
Hint of Lemon Icing

1. Combine 2 1/2 cups flour, sugar, and next 4 ingredients in mixing bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixer, stirring well. Set aside.
2. Combine milk, 1/4 cup water, and butter pieces in a saucepan; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, just until butter melts. Cool 5 minutes (to 130').
3. Pour milk mixture into flour mixture, and beat at low speed with dough hook attachment 2 minutes or until dry ingredients are moistened. Increase speed to medium; add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until yellow disappears after each addition. Beat 3 more minutes. Reduce speed to low, and gradually beat in enough remaining flour (up to 2 1/2 cups) to make a soft dough (dough will be sticky). Beat at medium speed with dough hook attachment 5 minutes.
4. Scrape dough into a large bowl coated with cooking spray, and lightly spray the top of the dough.
5. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85'), free from drafts, 1 hour. (dough will almost double in bulk.)
6. Punch dough down, and turn out onto a floured surface. Combine 2/3 cup currants, 1/3 cup raisins, and 1 Tbsp. flour, stirring to coat. Knead about one-fourth of fruit mixture at a time into dough until all fruit mixture is evenly dispersed.
7. Divide dough into 20 equal portions; shape each portion into a 2-inch ball. Evenly space dough balls on a parchment paper-lined 15- x 10-inch jelly-roll pan; cover and let rise in a warm place (85'), free from drafts, 1 hour or until doubled in bulk. Gently brush tops with beaten egg white.
8. Bake at 375' for 15 minutes or until buns are a deep golden brown and sound hollow when tapped. Cool buns 15 minutes in pan on a wire rack.
9. Spoon icing into a zip-top plastic freezer bag; snip a 1/4-inch piece from 1 corner of bag, and pipe an "X" on top of warm buns, forming a cross. Serve remaining icing with buns, if desired.
Makes 20 buns.

Hint of Lemon Icing:
Prep: 5 min.

2 cups powdered sugar
1 Tbsp. butter, melted
3 Tbsp. milk
1/2 tsp. grated lemon rind
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

1 Whisk together all ingredients until smooth. Makes 1/2 cup.

**Important notes**
It's tempting to pinch off dough to shape rolls, but don't. Pinching will stretch the dough, resulting in tough rolls. Instead, use a bench scraper or sharp knife to cut dough in half; then cut each in half again, and so on until you have 20 pieces. Let rolls rise one more time, and bake.
Let baked rolls cool 15 minutes before icing them--otherwise the icing will melt, rather than hold the shape of a cross.

Linda, I forgot about them! They are so precious. Too much work for me today though. Last year I never even got around to making the Hot Cross Buns... I shall have to make a note to myself to try these next year.

Thanks!
Nancy

Oh, and Nancy, I forgot to give credit when I posted the recipe above...Southern Living 2006 Annual Recipes, Page 104. I couldn't find the recipe online, so I just typed it up real quick. Hope there's no errors!

Me too!

They are Clive's favourite bread treat. It was customary growing up to have them on Good Friday but I'm not sure I can get them done today.

My furnace died and I'm in the midst of getting quotes etc. Seems we need a new one and I'll be without heat until Monday! So looks like I'll have to keep the oven going full blast! LOL

I made some two days ago and will again tonight or tomorrow. I didn't put crosses on though, all the recipes said to use icing but I didn't want them too sweet. I found how to make a dough cross so I will do that with my batch tonight. I used candied fruit and currants in mine.

Chase, I hope you get heat soon, and that your system doesn't cost an arm and a leg. Prices on HVAC units have risen drastically in the past few years. Ask me how I know..

I have two batches of the buns on their 2nd rise right now. I cheated and used my stand mixer to mix in the fruits. The dough was too stiff for me to work with my puny arms :-) Also, I substituted mace for nutmeg, since that's what's in my pantry.

I did get the dough made while the fellows were here measuring for the new unit....cha ching, cha ching!

My recipe calls for an overnight refrigerator rise, then shape and form with another two hour warm rise before baking. My problem will be finding a warm spot for my second rise! By tomorrow AM we should be pretty chilly in the house.! LOL

Oh, Lawdie, are these delicious! Really pleased with myself. Hope I can restrain myself from eating too many!

Here's the dough:

And the unrisen balls ready for the 2nd rise:

The risen buns:

Cooked buns:

And with the crosses:

My oldest son already devoured two, my youngest daughter one, and I'm divvying up a lot of them for neighbors.

I think this might be the ticket for my Easter dessert that I'm bring to my aunt's!

Nancy

Turn around, don't look. I'm grabbing two, right off the screen!

They look wonderful. Just the incentive I need to make sure I make some tomorrow.

Nancy

I tried to make some - forgot to add yeast though :(.

I've got dough for 4 dozen rising even as I type. I've made hot cross buns every Good Friday for about the last 30 years now.

Those look wonderful! If I was at home instead of out of town, I'd definitely be making these. I don't think I've ever had them but I know I'd love them.

Tracey

Thanks! Cookie, were you able to add yeast and salvage your dough? I don't even know if that's possible. What a bummer.

I have made 60, and have another 20 rising right now. DH wanted to take some to his office, which is why I made a batch last night. I've given plates of them to 4 different neighbors, and only have 4 left out of the original 60. Crazy. That's why I love baking ... sharing with neighbors.

I have never heard of this tradition, and never knew Hot Cross Buns were a sweet bread - I just thought they were a roll that was folded or formed in a way that made it look like it had an x or cross in it. DH thought the same thing. Is this a tradition specific to a region or denomination or something?

Sally

Nancy those look wonderful, great job! Mine are rising as we key.

I decided to research Hot Cross Buns, and this is the first thing I pulled up on Google. A woman bought some Hot Cross Buns from a store, and found a bullet in one of them. Here's a link to the story. I think this happened in Australia.

(Sorry if this hijacks the thread, but I just had to share this - it's just too strange.)

Sally

Here is a link that might be useful: Bullet found in Hot Cross Bun

Sally, I just googled Hot Cross Bun Tradition and this was the first link that popped up. Here's another one that's even better.
Hot Cross Bun History

Here is a link that might be useful: Hot Cross Bun Tradition

Funny thing is -- when we lived in Canada -- you could find Hot Cross Buns in so many stores -- including basic grocery stores! LOVE those buns!!

Proudmama -- you could open a Hot Cross Bun stand -- those are simply marvellous Buns! Works of art!

No, no saving, I did try adding yeast at the end - no luck. I've been having the worst time in the kitchen lately, I must be too distracted lately or something. I made some more this morning and though "perfect" what wasn't perfect - my oven temp, I had it 25 degrees too hot. I thought I remembered the temp from last time I made them until I pulled them out the oven, one pan burned and the other just overcooked. Sigh.

Made buns and played around with the camera. I should never have made them, I've already eaten two.

Nancy

Excellent Nancy!..... other Nancy!

That's how I make them with a cut cross not piped icing. Alas mine are still rising, or better said trying to rise (maybe a little Viagra?)....it's been 3 hours for the second rise and still not there! The house is just too chilly. So there may be no Hot Cross Buns this year, first time without them in 25 years : ( but I'm still hanging in.

Those links were interesting. Learn something new every day. Now I've got something else new to learn to bake! They look good! Nancy, great photography, and your buns (pardon the expression) look great!

Sally

I always wondered what that nursery rhyme was about?

Nancy, those look positively scrumptious! Stunning photography!

Nancy

Nancy thank you very much for sharing this recipe..I made some this morning and they are definitely keepers~