Happy Easter everyone! I hope you have a wonderful day wherever you are, whatever you are doing.
I was really looking forward to making hot cross buns this Easter. For anyone who has never eaten one, they are a sweet, spiced bun decorated with a cross on the top and traditionally eaten on Good Friday, although they are widely available in supermarkets and bakeries here throughout Spring. They can be eaten at any time of day but, like muffins, are especially good at breakfast time or with a cup of tea in the afternoon. But, sadly, this particular baking experience did not meet my expectations. This never happens!
I don't know why, but I just didn't get on very well with this recipe, which was from my new and otherwise excellent Peyton and Byrne baking book. I was not in the baking zone when I made them. I was grumpy and tired and distracted but I wanted to make them over the Easter weekend, because, well that's sort of the point of them, isn't it. The stop start nature of the recipe was annoying, rather than relaxing. Make dough, leave for one hour. Roll out dough, add butter, fold, roll, repeat, leave for another hour. Roll and fold again, leave for thirty minutes. Divide the dough into twelve and leave for another thirty minutes, egg wash, pipe cross, bake, coat with sugar wash.
All of this was not helped by the fact that the recipe is split between two parts of the book, with the dough recipe in one section and the hot cross bun bit in another. All the flipping between pages, losing my page, losing my place in the recipe and covering the book in flour and butter just added to my general irritation.
Luckily, LUCKILY, they taste heavenly. They have so much butter in them I wasn't sure if they needed any more on eating, but I put a bit on anyway. They have a chewier crust than the shop bought ones, and a fluffier inside. The flavour of the spices came through really well. They have a certain rustic "charm" and don't look as uniform as the ones I buy, but who cares, they taste good.
They look really yummy -I have never made them myself but my Mum made some in her bread machine the other day and they were delicious. Hope that you have a very Happy Easter weekend:0)x
ReplyDeleteI think a bread machine is key to happy hot cross bun baking!
DeleteI guess it turned out to be more of a lunch time experience with all the waiting. But they look very yummy; wish I could taste them!! Happy Easter Gillian!! x
ReplyDeleteI think it was tea time by the time they were ready! But still tasty. Happy Easter to you too. xx
DeleteThey look delicious - you couldn't tell from looking at them that you were grumpy in their making x
ReplyDeleteThat made me chuckle...I stopped being grumpy when I ate one. x
DeleteThey do look so tasty but I can see why you got fed up making them. What a lot of waiting around. I always remember visiting a friend at her uni over Easter and her mum sent homemade hot cross buns in the post which arrived while I was staying there. At the time I'd never considered that anyone would make these at home but they were divine and such a lovely thing to arrive in the post. I'm hoping to give these a go myself soon.
ReplyDeleteHot cross buns in the post, wow, what a lovely idea!
DeleteI am so hungry now...they look delicious! Happy Easter!
ReplyDeleteWe've still got some left - but i think they may be a bit stale now. I will toast one tomorrow and eat it with butter and apricot jam. This Easter business is fattening!
DeleteWell, they look delicious - I would never be brave enough to attempt these as my baking skills are basic to say the least. If you have any leftover (not likely in our home), they're nice made into a bread and butter type pudding.:)
ReplyDeleteBread and butter pudding...that is an excellent idea! Thank you, I will try that! x
DeleteYUMMMMM Gillian! These look AMAZING!!! Put the jug on, i'm coming round!
ReplyDeletebeautiful photo's too
xo em
Thanks :-) If a jug is a kettle, considered it put on! I will make a brew, as we call it in these parts! xx
Deletethey look delicious! i love something like this with a cup of tea in the afternoon. i also really love your kitchen scale. and is your butter dish nigella's? lovely.
ReplyDeleteThanks - they scales look good but are actually a pain as you have to crouch down to be on eye level with the numbers to accurately see what you are doing! Not great for small amounts. I think i really need some digital scales.
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