History of Easter Hot Cross Buns:
The ancient Greeks may have marked bakery products with a cross for the very first time, however, the first record of hot cross buns come from a London advertising, which appeared during 1733 in Poor Robin’s Almanac, ”Good Friday comes this month, the old woman runs, with one or two penny hot cross buns”.
Hots buns are popular British Easter sweets, traditionally eaten on Good Friday in many Anglo-Saxon countries. The Tradition wants the buns representing the crucifixion of Jesus and the spices, like currants or raisins incorporated into the mixture, would signify the herbs used to embalm his body.
There is also another interesting theory that wants the Hot Cross Bun originating from St. Albans, where a 14th-century monk created a very similar recipe called “Alban Buns” and then distributed the pastries to the local poor citizens on Good Friday in 1361.
English folklore mentions many superstitions about hot cross buns like they are said to protect against shipwreck or, if hung in the kitchen, the buns should protect the family against house fires.
Hot Cross Buns Recipe:
The traditional method uses shortcrust pastry dough.
Ingredients
- 500 gr 00 flour
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 100 gr sugar
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
- ¼ tsp fresh grated nutmeg
- 300 ml milk
- 60 gr unsalted butter
- 1 large whole egg
- 140 gr of raisins or currants (or a mix if you prefer)
For the glaze
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 150 ml of boiling water
Proving time: 2 hours
Recommended oven: convection steam oven
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Procedure:
- Mix flour, yeast, sugar, spices, salt and raisins in a bowl
- Melt butter in a saucepan and add warm milk and eggs to the mixture
- Mix the dough with a dough mixer and finish mixing using your clean hands until it results in a soft pastry dough
- Knead the dough for 10 minutes until is smooth, then place it into an oiled bowl and cover with cling wrap. Place the bowl in a dry place for 1 and ½ hour and wait for proving until the dough doubles in size
- Lay the dough down on a large baking tray, divide into 10 up to 12 even portions and shape them into a ball
- Place the balls on the buns aside and cover them with an oiled film and let them proving for 30 min.
- Preheat your Moretti Forni Fanbake fan oven to 170C°
- Place the balls in the oven and bake for 20 – 25 min, or until you realize the buns are well cooked
- To make the glaze, place water and all the ingredients over the heat and stir until they dissolve, bring to the boil for 4 min and switch off the heat.
- Brush glaze over warm hot cross buns and serve them at room temperature, accompanied by some vanilla ice cream or jam.