Hot Cross Buns Recipe

The below recipe incorporates the symbol of the cross and makes a great traditional Easter side dish.

Ingredients:

3-4 cups flour
2 pkg. active dry yeast (1 1/2 T.)
1 t. ground cinnamon
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup cooking oil
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 t. salt
3 eggs
2/3 cup dried currants (optional)
1 egg white

Frosting Ingredients:

1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 t. vanilla
1 T. milk

Directions for Buns:

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups of the flour, the yeast and the cinnamon.

2. In a saucepan, heat the milk, oil, sugar and salt until warm (about 115 degrees), stirring constantly.

3. Pour warm milk mixture over flour mixture, add eggs, and beat at low speed with an electric mixture for about a minute (scraping sides).

4. Beat for an additional 3 minutes at high speed.

5. Knead in currants and as much of the flour as needed to make a smooth and elastic dough (knead for about 3 -5 minutes).

6. Shape into a ball and place in a greased bowl. Gently spin the dough around to grease all of the surface.

7. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double the size (1-2 hours).

8. Punch dough down and shape into balls. Place 2″ apart on a greased cooking sheet.

9. Using a sharp knife, cut a cross on top of each bun. Cover and let rise until doubled again (about 30 minutes).

10. Brush egg white over buns. Bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until golden. Allow to cool slightly before adding icing.

Directions for Icing:

Mix together icing ingredients. Spoon into a small ziploc bag. Snip a corner of the ziploc bag and use to pipe the icing into cross shapes on the buns.

Makes 12-18.

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