Hot Cross Buns

I've never made hot cross buns before and I don't remember the last time I had one. I think they are more of a British roll, as I haven't seen them in the shops around here. But I could be wrong. In any case, I thought I would try my hand at making a batch for Easter this year. I couldn't wait for them to cool before piping the icing cross, so I split one with Jed and it was mouthwatering good! Perfectly sweet without the added icing. I think these would be great rolls to make for other occasions as well. I believe the more traditional hot cross buns have a cross made out of a flour/water paste which is piped onto the unbaked buns before going into the oven. I decided to pipe mine with icing after they were baked, however. Maybe I will try making them the more traditional way next year.

I scoured the internet to find the perfect recipe for hot cross buns and after looking at several, I decided on the one over at Simply Recipes. I can pretty much always count on that website to find exactly what I'm looking for. And after trying this recipe for hot cross buns, I can definitely recommend it. They really aren't hard at all to make. Very similar to a cinnamon roll dough (video). I used a pumpkin spice mix from Trader Joe's in place of the recommended spices, since I like their spice mix (it includes my favorite spice, cardamom). I also made it slightly different than what the recipe instructed. I scalded the milk and added the cold butter, which melted in the hot milk and then mixed in the sugar. Doing this brought down the temperature of the milk so there was no risk of killing the yeast. I then added the yeast and eggs and mixed it around a bit before pouring the liquid into the dry ingredients and continuing with the recipe. I really think the orange zest adds so much flavor to these buns.

Let me know if you make these hot cross buns and what you think of them. I am looking forward to having one for breakfast. Bon appétit!