Hot Cross Buns

Hot-cross Buns!
Hot-cross Buns!
One a penny, two a penny,
Hot-cross Buns!

Hot-cross Buns!
Hot-cross Buns!
If ye have no daughters,
Give them to your sons.




Hot Cross Buns

1 package ( 1 Tablespoon ) active dry yeast
1 1/2 Cups warm water (105 to 115 degrees)
1 Cup unseasoned lukewarm mashed potatoes
2/3 Cup vegetable oil
1/3 Cup honey
1 1/2 salt
5 to 6 cups unbleached white flour
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup currants or raisins

This is a good recipe to make on a night when you are making mashed potatoes for dinner. Before seasoning the potatoes, reserve 1 1/2 cups of the potato water and 1 cup of the plain mashed potatoes.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the yeast and water. Then add everything else, first mix with a spoon and then kneed by hand. Add flour as necessary, until it becomes a good pliable dough. Form the dough into a large ball and oil the outside of the ball, so it won't dry out while rising. Cover and place in the refrigerator over night. The dough can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The dough does not have to be baked all at once. You can bake just what you need for each meal. Punch down dough before using. At this point, add the nutmeg and currants or raisins. Knead into dough until well blended. Add a little flour if the dough is sticky. Roll the dough into tennis ball size balls and place on a baking sheet. Use kitchen shears to cut a cross in the top of each roll. Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown.

When the rolls have cooled a little, trace the cross shape on each bun with a simple white frosting (melted butter, powered sugar, vanilla, and a tiny splash of milk).

I posted this recipe once before in an entry about foods that could be molded into different shapes, but that was to use as dinner rolls, so it was without the nutmeg, currants/raisins, or frosting.

http://overthecrescentmoon.blogspot.com/2008/10/ive-been-playing-with-my-food-again.html


While your hot cross buns are baking, you can learn how to play "Hot Cross Buns" on a recorder:




Normally I use currants when making hot cross buns, but this year I had to use raisins. We went to two different grocery stores yesterday, trying to find currants, but there were none to be found. Either something has happened to Earth's supply of currants or everyone is baking hot cross buns. We arrived home, just as Nika was eating the last handful of currants that we had at home, so we told her to savor them.