The cross is baked into real hot cross buns, not piped on afterward.
These are studded with currants that have been soaked in rum.
My recipe was inspired by one on Anson Mills' website.
30 minutes to plan
15 minutes to prepare
2 hours and 30 minutes extra
Total time: 3 hours
15 minute timer
16 servings
16 buns per batch
Ingredients:
1/4 cup currants, dried
1/4 cup rum (or enough to cover currants)
3/4 cup warm milk (100 degrees F/40 degrees C)
3 cup bread flour (distributed) or as needed
1(.25 ounce) dry active yeast in a box
5 tablespoons sugar (white)
1 big beaten egg
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest 1 tablespoon grated orange zest
1/2 teaspoon salt (fine)
1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg powder
7 tblsp. butter, melted
Crosses:
1/4 cup water
1/3 cup all-purpose flour (or as needed) to make a thin, pipeable dough
Glaze:
1/4 cup sugar
water (three tablespoons)
Instructions:
1st step
Currants should be placed in a small bowl.
In a small saucepan, heat the rum until it's steaming, then pour it over the currants to soften them for about 2 hours.
Drain and save the liquid for another reason.
2nd Step
In the bowl of a stand mixer, add warm milk, 1/4 cup flour, and yeast.
Allow 15 minutes for yeast to activate; small bubbles should begin to rise to the surface.
Combine the sugar, beaten egg, lemon and orange zest, cinnamon, salt, cardamom, nutmeg, melted butter, and the bulk of the remaining flour in a large mixing bowl (you might not need it all).
5 to 6 minutes with a dough hook attachment, mix until dough pulls away from the bowl's sides and becomes slightly elastic.
Knead for another 10 minutes or until the dough is soft and shiny.
Remove the dough hook from the dough and roll it into a ball.
Place the dough on a floured work surface.
3rd step
Create a large oval out of the dough, about 1/2 inch thick.
Currants should be uniformly distributed around the dough's surface.
Divide the dough into thirds.
Turn the paper over and fold it into thirds once more.
Form the dough into a round ball by reshaping it.
Transfer to a mixing bowl that has been lightly oiled.
Cover and let rise until doubled in size, around 2 hours in a safe, draft-free climate.
4th step
With your fingers, poke the dough down a little.
Place the dough on a floured work surface.
Make an even shape out of the dough.
Using a bench scraper, divide into 16 equal bits.
5th step
Using a silicone pad, line a baking sheet.
6th step
Roll each piece of dough into a round ball.
Arrange uniformly on the baking sheet that has been prepared.
Allow 15 minutes for the dough to rise.
7th step
In a mixing bowl, combine 1/4 cup water and 1/3 cup flour until the mixture is thick enough to maintain its shape but thin enough to pipe.
Fill a piping bag halfway with the mixture.
8th step
Pipe a cross on top of each bun after it has risen for 15 minutes.
Enable another 15 to 20 minutes for the dough to rise until it has doubled in size from the original dough balls.
9th step
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit (220 degrees C).
10th step
Put the pan in the oven, which has been preheated.
Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown.
11th step
In a medium saucepan, combine 1/4 cup sugar and 3 tablespoons water.
Bring to a low simmer and cook until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture has thickened, or until it reaches 225 degrees F.
Remove the pan from the sun.
12th step
Allow 5 minutes for the buns to cool on a rack before glazing.
Using a pastry brush, gently glaze the tops of the buns.
Advice:
Any sweet dough, particularly rich and fragrant examples like our Italian Easter Bread dough, will work with this simple technique.
Time can differ depending on the dough, but simply wait for it to double in size before proceeding.
With the flour, apply a little at a time until you're sure you'll need it all.
You can always incorporate, but you can't take anything away!
If you want all of your buns to be the same size, weigh the dough in grams first, then divide by 16.
Then weigh each of your dough balls to the exact weight, and your tray of buns will look just like the ones on the magazine cover.