Hot Cross Buns

Whoa! It's been a while, hasn't it? Excuse me while I blow the dust off my blog! Well, hello, I'm back! I was out of town for the Easter weekend, and then I took a few days to get myself back together (and to start a new blog!). And now I'm here, blogging for your enjoyment! Let me tell you about these hot cross buns... If you've never had them (or even heard of them) they are a traditional Easter treat. I'm not really sure why, but you can click here if you care to investigate. I had never made them before, but I wanted to start a new family tradition by making them for everyone on Easter morning. I didn't want to lug my million pound mixer on a 4 hour road trip. So I made the dough Thursday and froze it before the second proofing. I was extremely worried that the dough wouldn't survive the trip in the cooler. But it survived! Saturday night I took it out of the freezer and left it in the fridge to thaw overnight. Sunday morning, I sat it on the counter for an hour to finish proofing. When the buns were ready, I cut the X's, brushed them with egg wash, and threw them into the oven! 25 minutes later, things were smelling goooood! Instead of the plain powdered sugar glaze, I made a cream cheese glaze. They were so good! Everyone loved them... if you scroll down you'll see the proof! ;D I'm going to compare them to cinnamon rolls. They had that soft, chewy texture and a fabulous cinnamon-y, yeasty flavor. I'll definitely be making these more often than Easter!

Proofing on Sunday morning! Of course my family wouldn't settle a tiny 'X' of frosting...
I had to smother them! YUM!! How about some feedback...


WE LOVE THEM!!

HOT CROSS BUNS (from The America’s Test Kitchen Family Baking Book)
MAKES 12 buns
"These buns are traditional for Easter; however, they taste good all year round. To prevent the icing from being too thick, drizzle it over the buns while they are still warm."

BUNS
3/4 cup buttermilk, warm (110 degrees)
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3 large eggs
4 1/4 cups (21 1/4 ounces) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (1 3/4 ounces) sugar
1 envelope (2 1/4 teaspoons) instant or rapid-rise yeast
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup (3 3/4 ounces) currants or raisins
1 large egg
1 tablespoon water
GLAZE
3/4 cup (3 ounces) confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 ounces cream cheese, softened (my own addition)

1. FOR THE BUNS: Whisk the buttermilk, melted butter, and eggs together in a large liquid measuring cup. Combine 4 cups of the flour, sugar, yeast, salt, and cinnamon in a standing mixer fitted with the dough hook. With the mixer on low speed, add the buttermilk mixture and mix until the dough comes together, about 2 minutes.

2. Increase the mixer speed to medium and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. If after 5 minutes, more flour is needed, add the remaining 1/4 cup flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough clears the side of the bowl but sticks to the bottom.

3. Turn the dough out onto a clean counter, add the currants, and knead by hand to form a smooth round ball with evenly distributed currants. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

4. Grease a 13x9-inch baking pan. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter; divide it into 12 even pieces (If you have a scale, now is a great time to use it!). Round the pieces of dough into small, taut rolls. Arrange the rolls in the prepared baking pan and wrap tightly with greased plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until the rolls have nearly doubled in size and are pressed against one another, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

5. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Using a sharp knife, cut an X through the top 1/4 inch of each bun. Whisk the egg and water together and brush over the buns. Bake until golden and puffed, 25 to 30 minutes.

6. FOR THE GLAZE: Let the rolls cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Whisk the confectioners' sugar, milk, and vanilla together then drizzle it in an X into the cut grooves of the buns. (I just spread the glaze over them like cinnamon rolls!) Serve warm or let cool completely.

To Make Ahead
In step 4, do not let the buns rise, but refrigerate them overnight or up to 16 hours. (I froze mine for 2 days and then left them in the fridge overnight to thaw.) Let the buns sit at room temperature until they have nearly doubled in size, about 1 hour, then bake as directed.