Make Your Own Hot Cross Buns
Hot cross buns are Britain’s most traditional Easter celebration treats. The spiced raisin-studded buns have been served for breakfast for Good Friday for centuries, but they had religious significance to other faiths before Christendom
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Though now deeply symbolic of the Christian faith, hot cross buns are thought by some to be Pagan in origin. They were believed, and still are by Pagans, to be symbolic of the sun wheel, which symbolises perfect balance at the time of the Spring Equinox.
The Greeks and Egyptians ate small cakes or buns in honour of their worshipped goddesses. Buns marked with a cross were eaten by the Saxons to honour their goddess Eostre: it is thought the bun represented the moon and the cross the moon’s quarters.
It is only relatively recently—since the time of Queen Elizabeth I—that hot cross buns came to symbolise Christianity, and more specifically the crucifixion.
Today, many people enjoy a lovely toasted hot cross bun with butter whether they are Christian, Pagan or otherwise. Though supermarket and bakery shelves will be teeming with hot cross buns, nothing really beats the aroma and taste of freshly baked hot cross buns straight out of the oven.
Here is a recipe for delicious sticky hot cross buns to serve for breakfast on Good Friday.
Sticky hot cross buns
For the yeast base:
1 large egg, beaten
215ml warm water
15g fresh yeast
1 tsp sugar
55g strong white flour, sifted
The remaining ingredients:
450g strong white flour, sifted
1 tsp salt
2 tsp ground mixed spice
85g butter or hard margarine, cut into cubes
85g sugar
1 lemon, grated, zest only
170g mixed dried fruit
2 tbsp plain flour, for crosses
oil, for greasing
1 tbsp golden syrup, gently heated, for glazing
Method:
Prepare the yeast base for the dough by combining the beaten egg with enough warm water to make up approximately 290ml of liquid. Whisk in the yeast, sugar and flour, cover and put in a warm place for 30 minutes.
In a large mixing bowl, sift the flour and add salt and spice. Rub in the butter. Make a well in the centre and add the sugar and lemon zest. Pour the yeast base into the mixture.
Gradually add the flour and mix well before kneading to form a smooth dough, which should be elastic in texture. Fold in the mixed dried fruit. Shape the dough into a ball, put it in a warm, greased bowl and cover with a tea towel. Allow to rise in a warm place for 1 hour.
Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead to knock out any air bubbles. Shape it into a ball again, put back into the bowl, cover and put back to rise for another 30 minutes.
Divide the dough into 12 even pieces. Shape them into buns and place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Lightly flatten each bun and then score into quarters, cutting almost all the way through the dough. Cover the tray with cling film and put back in the warm place and leave to rise for 40 minutes.
Preheat oven to 240C/475F. Make a paste for the crosses on the buns with the plain flour and 2 tbsp cold water. Mix until it is soft enough to pipe through a nozzle.
Remove the cling film and pipe a cross on each bun. Bake for 8-12 minutes or until golden. Brush the buns with hot golden syrup and allow to cool on a wire rack.
Hot cross buns are Britain’s most traditional Easter celebration treats.