Hot and Cross but not Bothered
Half for you and half for me,
Bewtween us two shall goodwill be!
If the Guardian's recent report is accurate, and the trend for this season's hen parties really is away from extravagant weekends abroad and towards more creative activities http://wwww.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/mar/o7/hen-parties-on-budget then we can imagine reprising a friend's jolly gathering. On a few occasions last year, the bakery was full of wedding chatter as our visiting hens baked bread and cupcakes. At this time of year, party bakers might fancy having a go at hot cross buns. At the very least sharing a hot cross bun with someone (half for you and half for me) is supposed to ensure friendship througout the coming year.
Any artisan baker will tell you that these delicious little spicy buns present a sad and sorry face to the world if they've been mass-produced using an industrialised process. Limp and woeful they sit in their plastic wrapping on supermarket shelves - not only at Eastertide, but all through the year. We, however, relish the benefits of a traditional baking approach, bringing together white and wholemeal flours, spice, fruit, sugar and yeast and letting them ferment naturally over the course of an hour or two. We also make a spelt version, which, with its nutty wholemeal flavour, really suits a spicy bun.
While the U.K.'s traditional recipes feature raisins and currants, on the other side of the pond candied citron or dried cranberries and cherries might be included. The means of crossing the tops also varies widely from place to place. Our crosses are made with a flour and water paste, but crosses are often made of icing or marzipan. Then there are those who cross their buns using only a knife to cut the shape into the dough. The allusions to the Crucifixion are obvious, but there are even more ancient antecedants for decorating small pieces of dough. The Greeks, Romans and Egyptians all offered decorated "buns" to their respective gods. [Somewhat] more recent.ly, the Saxons marked their buns with a cross in honour of Eostre, the goddess of Springtime (who has generously donated her name to Easter). Some people wonder whether these crosses may have represented the moon's four quarters. All this fascinating lore and more can be found in Alan Davidson's magesterial Oxford Companion to Food (revised 2006), a hefty tome well-worth owning.
During the remaining Lenten Sundays, as temperatures (hopefully) continue to rise, we'll be planting out onion sets and the chitting potatoes now patiently gathered on our kitchen windowsills in our organic garden (the source of much of the produce for the Bakery School's lunches). The chives for our cheese and chive scones are poking their way ever-upwards, and all manner of growth is becoming apparent - if somewhat delayed due to the cold winter. As the season turns and the clocks go forward, hot cross bun production speeds up as Easter approaches, and then, just like that, they are gone, only to return in a year's time.
Why not have a go yourself and try the following recipe, with a nod to the goddess Eostre?
HOT CROSS BUNS
Makes 30 buns
Dough
650g Strong White Flour
300g Wholemeal Flour
5g Salt
15g Milk Powder
75g Brown Sugar
10g Mixed Spice
5g Cardamom
45g fresh/ 22g active dried / or 18g instant Yeast
75g Butter
1 Large Egg
80g Sultanas
80g Currants
80g Mixed Peel
Zest and Juice of 1 Lemon
375g Water
Crossing Paste
220g Strong White Fllour
Pinch of Baking Powder
Pinch of Salt
20g Milk Powder
40g Vegetable Shortening
125g Water
Glaze
200g Milk
1 Whole Egg
20g Caster Sugar
Soak the fruit in a small amount of water for at least 1 hour before making the dough
Combine all the ingredients and knead until smooth and elastic. Add the fruit toward the end of the kneading (whether by hand or by machine).
Pre-heat the oven to 220°C (420°F)
Leave the dough to rise, covered, for 1 hour. Divide the dough into pieces of 65g and mould round. Place the rounded balls of dough on a baking tray, spaced quite closely together, but not touching. Cover the tray with a cloth topped with plastic and leave to prove for 30-40 minutes or until well risen and slightly puffy.
While the buns are proving, make the crossing paste: rub the fat into the dry ingredients, and whisk in the water. The paste should be free-flowing but not runny. Adjust the consistency as needed and place the paste into a piping bag with a small hole, or a re-sealable plastic bag (cut off one corner).
When the buns have proved, pipe one continuous line of paste over an entire row of buns, the pipe another continuous line across each column of buns to form the crosses.
Bake the buns for 15 - 20 minutes until a dark brown colour. Rotate the baking tray half-way through the bake. While the buns are baking prepare the glaze by whisking the ingredients together.
As soon as the buns come out of the oven, brush them lliberally with the glaze, several time over. Cool the buns on racks and enjoy!