• 9/11 Hot Cross Bun Day

    From Dave Drum@1:3634/12 to All on Thu Sep 9 17:48:00 2021
    Despite all my digginf I could not come up with five distinctly different recipes for hot cross buns - so, here is a representative of what I did
    find - others vary only in minor details. It's the lore and mystique of
    hot cross buns that varies .... go figure:

    MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06

    Title: Hot Cross Buns
    Categories: Breads, Fruits
    Yield: 12 servings

    1/2 c Water
    1/2 c Whole milk
    1/2 c Sugar
    4 1/2 ts Active dry yeast
    1/3 c Unsalted butter; melted,
    - more as needed
    1 lg Egg yolk
    1 1/2 ts Pure vanilla extract
    3 c A-P flour (13 oz)
    3/4 ts Fine salt
    1/2 ts Grated nutmeg
    1/2 ts Ground cinnamon
    1/4 ts Ground ginger
    1/2 c Currants; plumped in the
    - microwave; cooled
    1 lg Egg beaten; for brushing

    MMMMM------------------------ICING/GLAZE-----------------------------
    2 c Confectioners' sugar;
    - sifted
    2 tb Milk
    1/4 ts Fine gated lemon zest
    1 ts Pure vanilla extract

    Recipe courtesy of Food Network Kitchen

    Combine the water and milk in a medium saucepan and warm
    over low heat until about 100ºF/38ºC (but no more than
    110ºF/43ºC). Remove from heat and sprinkle the yeast and
    a pinch of sugar and flour over the surface of the
    liquid. Set aside without stirring, until foamy and
    rising up the sides of the pan, about 30 minutes.

    Whisk the butter, egg yolk and vanilla into the yeast
    mixture.

    Whisk the flour, the remaining sugar, salt, nutmeg,
    cinnamon and ginger in a large bowl. Make a well in the
    center of the flour and stir in the yeast mixture with a
    wooden spoon to make a thick, shaggy, and slightly
    sticky dough. Stir in currants. Turn the dough onto a
    lightly floured work surface and knead until soft and
    elastic, about 8 minutes. Shape into a ball.

    Brush the inside of a large bowl with butter. Put dough
    in bowl, turning to coat lightly with butter. Cover with
    plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature until doubled
    in size, about 1 hour 30 minutes. (If you have a marker,
    trace a circle the size of the dough on the plastic, and
    note the time to help you keep track.)

    TO FORM THE ROLLS: Butter a 9" X 14" baking pan. Turn
    the dough out of the bowl and pat into a rectangle about
    16 by 8 inches. Divide the dough into 12 equal portions,
    about 2 ounces each, with a pizza wheel or bench
    scraper. (If you don't have a scale, divide the dough in
    half lengthwise, then in half crosswise. Cut each of
    those four sections into 3 equal-sized rolls.)

    Tuck the edges of the dough under to make round rolls
    and place them seam-side down in the prepared pan,
    leaving a little space in between each roll. Cover the
    pan with buttered plastic wrap and set aside in a warm
    place until the rolls rise almost to the rim of the pan
    and have more than doubled in size, about 45 minutes.

    Meanwhile, position a rack in the center of the oven and
    set @ 375ºF/190ºC.

    Remove the plastic wrap and brush the tops of the buns
    with beaten egg. Bake rolls until golden brown and
    puffy, about 25 minutes.

    FOR THE GLAZE: Stir together confectioners' sugar, milk,
    lemon zest and vanilla until smooth. Transfer icing to a
    zip bag or pastry bag, and make a small cut in the
    corner of the bag. Ice buns in a thick cross shape over
    the top of the warm buns.

    Yield: A dozen buns

    RECIPE FROM: https://www.foodnetwork.com

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