Hot Cross Buns

why do you seek the living among the dead?
He is not here! but is Risen
Luke 24: 5-6

May you rejoice in His triumph! Happy Easter every one...


A hot cross bun, or cross-bun, is a type of sweet spiced bun made with currants or raisins and leavened with yeast. It has a cross marked on the top which might be effected in one of a variety of ways including: pastry, flour and water mixture, rice paper, icing, or intersecting cuts.

In many historically Christian countries, buns are traditionally eaten on Good Friday, with the cross standing as a symbol of The Crucifixion. They are believed by some to pre-date Christianity, although the first recorded use of the term "hot cross bun" is not until 1733; it is believed that buns marked with a cross were eaten by Saxons in honour of the goddess Eostre (the cross is thought to have symbolised the four quarters of the moon); "Eostre" is probably the origin of the name "Easter". Others claim that the Greeks marked cakes with a cross, much earlier.

Hot Cross Buns Recipe - Canadian Living Magazine

Ingredients

1/2 granulated sugar
1/4 cup warm water
1 pkg (15ml)active dry yeast
3-1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg

½ tsp mahleb – A Lebanese Touch
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cloves
3/4 cup milk, warmed (used one cup milk no water added)
1/4 cup melted butter
1 large egg

1 egg yolk
1/2cup cup dried currants

½ cup raisin
1/4 chopped candied peel, mixed
Glaze
2 tbsp granulated sugar
2 tbsp water
Icing
1/2 cup icing sugar
2 tsp water

Preparation:

In small bowl, dissolve 1 tbsp (15 mL) of the sugar in warm water. Sprinkle in yeast; let stand for 10 minutes or until frothy. Meanwhile, in large bowl, blend together remaining sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and cloves; make well in center. Whisk together milk, butter, egg and egg yolk; pour into well. Pour in yeast mixture. With wooden spoon, stir until soft dough forms.

Turn out dough onto lightly floured surface; knead for 8 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Place in greased bowl, turning to grease all over. Cover with plastic wrap; let rise in warm draft-free place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Punch down dough; turn out onto lightly floured surface. Knead in currants and peel. Shape into 12-inch (30 cm) log; with serrated knife, cut into 9 pieces, Shape each into ball, stretching and pinching dough underneath to make tops smooth. Place 2 inches (5 cm) apart on greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 35 minutes. Bake in center of 400ºF (200ºC) oven for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Glaze: In saucepan, stir sugar with water over medium heat until dissolved; brush over buns. Let cool in pan.

Icing: Stir icing sugar with water. Using piping bag fitted with round tip, pipe cross on top of each cooled bun.

I doubled the recipe and got 24 delicious buns.

Its too hot even to taste.

P.S. wait until the buns have cooled before adding the icing... I learned from my mistake.

the icing was melting on the hot buns...

When Middle Eastern Cuisine meets Chinese Techniques

Since I posted the Lebanese Street Kaak Bi Semsem, I wanted to do an additional posting for the Date Stars Bread, which is very popular in Lebanon, its a sweet bread stuffed with dates and cut in the shape of a star, for the sweet tooth in us. You find these stars in every bakery in Lebanon, small to a multi stories ... You can buy them from the bakery when you purchase your pita bread, also the street vendors sell them beside the Kaak Bi Semsem.

I want to take this chance to thank my dear readers; the Kaak Bi Semsem is the highest hit in my blog, followed by homemade yogurt.

I like to do another posting for two more street breads, one for kaak Allete which is a round thick sponge bread stuffed with oregano sumac mix or Dakkah. The second one is the big Barazik, extra large sesame seeds crunchy cookies. All these breads are part of my childhood; and because my mom is very strict when it comes to our food and very concerned to what we are eating. We were not allowed to buy any junk treats or beverages from the stores. She will take us to the bakery for these breads, and we buy them fresh, our drink will be freshly squeezed orange juice or lemonade.

my head is full of her stories about the food preparation and sanitation. (do you believe that I didn’t taste hot dog until I came to Orlando; my dear friend John from work, brought me a hot dog sandwich and said your mom is not here watching, I want you to taste it, I did eat it, but to me, it’s was not the big deal every one go crazy about. When you think what kind of meat they used in preparing these dogs.

I have to thank my mom for her care and concern about our safety, and what we put in our mouth, and because of her, I do every thing I like from scratch, knowing what I am using in my food, and going to my body.

For these yummy breads, I used the Hokkaido Milky Bread Recipe, instead of the additional Rye Flour I used Whole Wheat, and doubled the recipe and made the Stars, and the Brioche, which I stuffed with pastry cream and dark chocolate.

To make the date softer and easy to spread I warmed it with a spoon of butter and added some cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg, I like the spice flavour in the date and it’s a good vehicle to add spices. You can use your preference.

When I took the brioche out of the oven the cream and the chocolate were oozing out of the dough, burning hot, I didn’t dare taste it. Beside it was almost midnight, I don’t want to eat and sleep… This morning I am enjoying a very nice cup of coffee with one of these babies… and All I can leave you is my photos to drill……………

Dear Readers do you have special bread or treat from your childhood days you like to share about.

Bread Dough - Three flavours - part 2

Delicious Raisin Bread II

Good morning dear readers... I started this posting late last night , by the time I finished part I, I was freezing from cold, the temperature was -28C.

This morning still -27C below zero, It's a good time for a nice warm cinnamon and raisin bread to fill the house with amazing aroma , at the same time warm your house.

I bet when you try my recipe, you will keep it as a favourite, and you will never buy a raisin bread again.

Cinnamon Raisin Bread

makes three medium size or two large size loaves

1 1/2 cups of milk

1 cup of warm water (110F/45C)

2 pkg active dry yeast (if you have wild yeast add one cup and use one pkg of yeast)

4 eggs

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp salt

1 cup butter (use 3/4 cup in the dough and save 1/4 to spread over the bread)

8 cups of unbleached flour

2-3 cups of raisin

2 tbsp of milk

3/4 cup of white sugar

2-3 tbsp cinnamon (use more if you like)

Direction:

dissolve the yeast in the warm water and let it rise at least 1 minutes.

warm the milk add the butter and sugar and dissolve , let it cool. Whip the eggs with a fork, add them to the milk mixture, and when the yeast rise and get frothy add it to the milk mixture.

Sift your flour add the salt and the wet ingredients and the raisin, need well to combine and get a nice smooth dough. It's a beautiful dough and will not take long to mix.

At this time you have two options either to divide the dough into two freezer bags and leave them in the fridge overnight to rise slowly - which I normally do, or cover the dough and let it rise until doubled.

Divided the dough either into two large or three medium size balls.

Roll out on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle 1/2 inch thick.. Moisten dough with the milk by brushing the face of the dough, mix together 3/4 cup of sugar with 2 tbsp of cinnamon and sprinkle mixture on top of the moistened dough. I even sprinkle more raisin in the center as well. Roll up tightly as if you are rolling a cinnamon buns. Tuck ends under. place in well greased loaf pan , brush the top with melted butter and let it rise until double. (at least an hour)

Warm your oven at 425F and when its warm enough, lower the heat to 350F, bake your loaves for 35-45 minutes depends on your oven. Remove the loaves from pans, and brush them with melted butter and let them cool before you slicing... if you can wait !!!

Enjoy a nice slice...and remember me

The dough will keep rising in the fridge. It was pouring over...

A batch for the Farmer's Market in a 24 liter bin

Note: All bread freeze excellent, you can warm up in a preheated 350F oven for 5-7 minutes and they will be fresh as newly baked.

Brioche with Pastry Cream

Brioche is one of the dough that I love making , its simple and delicious, and you can flavour it any way you want....
the first time I saw this recipe in an Italian Food Blog I wanted to make it, but the author used two kinds of dough the Brioche and the puff pastry, and in between was a layer of Pastry Cream then the two dough were rolled and cut into round disks the photos attached to the recipe are awesome and it tells how delicious and flaky the dough is .. but due to my tight schedule I wanted a simple recipe where I can quickly prepare and at the same time get the same flavour and look. I spotted Sabah from Sousou'skitchen.blogspot.com recipe for Brioche and Pastry cream , and I decided to give it a try, and I am glad I did.
here are some of the photos.... For recipe go to http://www.sousoukitdhen.blogspot.com/