Hot Cross Buns With Citrus Icing Recipes

HOT CROSS BUNS I

Steps:

• Put warm water, butter, skim milk powder, 1/4 cup sugar, salt, egg, egg white, flour, and yeast in bread maker and start on dough program.
• When 5 minutes of kneading are left, add currants and cinnamon. Leave in machine till double.
• Punch down on floured surface, cover, and let rest 10 minutes.
• Shape into 12 balls and place in a greased 9 x 12 inch pan. Cover and let rise in a warm place till double, about 35-40 minutes.
• Mix egg yolk and 2 tablespoons water. Brush on balls.
• Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 20 minutes. Remove from pan immediately and cool on wire rack.
• To make crosses: mix together confectioners' sugar, vanilla, and milk. Place glaze in a piping bag or a sandwich bag with the corner snipped off; pipe a cross onto each roll.

HOT CROSS BUNS

Steps:

• Combine the water and milk in a medium saucepan and warm over low heat until about 100 degrees F (but no more than 110 degrees). Remove from heat and sprinkle the yeast and a pinch of sugar and flour over the surface of the liquid. Set aside without stirring, until foamy and rising up the sides of the pan, about 30 minutes.
• Whisk the butter, egg yolk and vanilla into the yeast mixture.
• Whisk the flour, the remaining sugar, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon and ginger in a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour and stir in the yeast mixture with a wooden spoon to make a thick, shaggy, and slightly sticky dough. Stir in currants. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until soft and elastic, about 8 minutes. Shape into a ball.
• Brush the inside of a large bowl with butter. Put dough in bowl, turning to coat lightly with butter. Cover with plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature until doubled in size, about 1 hour 30 minutes. (If you have a marker, trace a circle the size of the dough on the plastic, and note the time to help you keep track.)
• To form the rolls: Butter a 9 by 14-inch baking pan. Turn the dough out of the bowl and pat into a rectangle about 16 by 8 inches. Divide the dough into 12 equal portions, about 2 ounces each, with a pizza wheel or bench scraper. (If you don't have a scale, divide the dough in half lengthwise, then in half crosswise. Cut each of those four sections into 3 equal-sized rolls.)
• Tuck the edges of the dough under to make round rolls and place them seam-side down in the prepared pan, leaving a little space in between each roll. Cover the pan with buttered plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place until the rolls rise almost to the rim of the pan and have more than doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
• Meanwhile, position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F.
• Remove the plastic wrap and brush the tops of the buns with beaten egg. Bake rolls until golden brown and puffy, and an instant read thermometer inserted into the center of the rolls registers 190 degrees F, about 25 minutes.
• For the glaze: Stir together confectioners' sugar, milk, lemon zest and vanilla until smooth. Transfer icing to a zip bag or pastry bag, and make a small cut in the corner of the bag. Ice buns in a thick cross shape over the top of the warm buns.

EASTER BUTTERMILK HOT CROSS BUNS

Steps:

• Measure the water into a large bowl and sprinkle the yeast over the top. Let stand about 5 minutes to dissolve the yeast. Stir in the buttermilk, sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and margarine. Mix in 1 cup of flour until well blended, then stir in the raisins. Gradually mix in the remaining flour until the dough is stiff enough to take out of the bowl and knead on a floured surface. Knead the dough until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning to coat and cover with a towel. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and divide into 18 pieces. Shape each piece into a ball and place in a greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Cover loosely with a towel and allow to rise again until your finger leaves an impression when you poke the dough gently, about 45 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Remove the towel from the buns. Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Spoon the frosting into a small sandwich bag or pastry bag. Snip off the corner and squeeze out frosting to make a cross on top of the buns when cool.

LEMON AND GINGER HOT CROSS BUNS

Steps:

• In large bowl, stir together milk, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, the yeast, lemon peel and vanilla. Let stand 5 minutes for yeast to dissolve.
• Add flour, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon and 1/2 cup ginger. With dough hook attachment, knead until dough no longer sticks to side of bowl and is elastic, about 5 minutes. Grease another large bowl with shortening or cooking spray. Place dough in bowl, turning dough to grease all sides. Cover loosely with plastic wrap; let rise in warm place about 1 hour 30 minutes or until dough has doubled in size.
• Grease bottom and sides of 13x9-inch pan with shortening or cooking spray. Gently push fist into dough to deflate. Divide dough into 15 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a ball; place in pan. Cover loosely with plastic wrap; let rise in warm place about 45 minutes or until dough has doubled in size.
• Heat oven to 350°F. Uncover pan. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until buns are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped.
• In small saucepan, mix glaze ingredients. Cook over medium heat about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved and glaze is thick. Brush glaze over warm buns. Cool about 30 minutes.
• In small bowl, beat powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon lemon juice with whisk. Using spoon or decorating bag, pipe icing in cross shape on top of each bun.

HOT CROSS BUNS WITH CITRUS ICING

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, sugar, yeast, cinnamon and salt. In a saucepan, heat milk and butter to 120°-130°. Add to dry ingredients; beat just until moistened. Add eggs; beat until smooth. Stir in raisins and enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. , Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a bowl coated with cooking spray, turning once to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour., Punch dough down; turn onto a lightly floured surface. Divide into 18 pieces; shape each into a ball. Place in two 9-in. round baking pans coated with cooking spray. Using a sharp knife, cut a cross on top of each roll. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes., Beat egg yolk and water; brush over buns. Bake at 375° for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool. Combine icing ingredients; pipe crosses onto rolls.

CREAM CHEESE CROSSES (ICING FOR HOT CROSS BUNS)

Steps:

• In a small bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Beat in honey and lemon rind.
• Refrigerate until ready to use.
• Make your favorite sweet bun recipe. Pipe mixture onto warm buns in the shape of crosses.
• Do not reheat once crosses are in place.

HOT CROSS BUNS

Steps:

• Measure the flour, yeast, sugar, salt, and lemon zest into a large mixing bowl or into the work bowl of a food processor.
• Heat milk to boiling in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.
• Remove from heat and add the butter.
• Stir until the butter is melted.
• Stir in the eggs.
• Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients, and process or mix with an electric mixer until the dough is smooth but soft, about 2 minutes.
• Mix in the raisins, almonds, and candied fruits.
• Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 1 hour.
• Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Turn the dough out onto an oiled surface.
• Dust the dough with flour and knead to express air bubbles.
• Divide the dough into 16 equal parts.
• Shape each into a round ball.
• Place the balls of dough, smooth side up, about 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.
• Let rise in a warm place, lightly covered, until almost doubled, for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 400 F.
• Brush the tops of the buns with the egg glaze.
• Slash a cross in the center of each bun with a sharp knife.
• Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until golden.
• While the buns bake, mix the icing ingredients in a small bowl.
• Place the icing into a pastry bag with a small tip.
• Slide the parchment onto the counter top to cool or transfer the rolls onto a wire rack to cool.
• Pipe the icing into the shape of a cross on top of each bun.
• Serve warm.
• Makes 16 buns.
• Beatrice Ojakangas.
• The Great Holiday Baking Book.