Ingredients
- For glaze:
- 3/4 cup warm milk
- 1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon granulated white sugar
- 11/4-ounce package active dry yeast (about 21/2 teaspoons)
- 31/4 to 31/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 4 tablespoons butter, softened
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 3/4 cup currants or raisins
- 2 teaspoons grated orange zest
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon milk
- For frosting:
- 1 teaspoon milk
- 3 to 4 tablespoons powdered sugar
Preparation
Step 1
In a bowl, stir together 1/4 cup of the warmed milk and one teaspoon of sugar. Sprinkle the yeast over the milk mixture and let sit 5-10 minutes, until foamy. In a large bowl or the mixing bowl of an electric mixer, vigorously whisk together 3 cups of the flour, salt, spices and 1/4 cup of sugar.
Create a well in the flour and add the foamy yeast, softened butter, eggs and remaining milk. Using a wooden spoon or the paddle attachment of your mixer, mix the ingredients until well incorporated. The mixture should be shaggy and quite sticky. Add in the currants or raisins, and orange zest.
For stand-up mixers, switch to the dough hook attachment and start to knead on low speed. If not using a mixer, use your hands to knead. Slowly sprinkle in additional flour, a tablespoon at a time, kneading to incorporate after each addition, until the dough is still slightly tacky, but is no longer completely sticking to your fingers when you work with it. Form a ball of dough in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let sit, covered, at room temperature for 2 hours, until the dough has doubled in size.
Press down on the dough to gently compress, then roll the ball of dough into a log shape and cut it into two halves. Place one half back in the bowl. Cut the other half into 8 equal pieces. Form each piece into a mound and place 11/2 inches apart from each other on a baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap. Work the remaining dough into 8 equal pieces and place in mounds on a baking sheet, then cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough mounds sit at room temperature to rise again, until the mounds have doubled in volume, about 30-40 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare egg wash by whisking together one egg and a tablespoon of milk. Deeply score the top of the buns with a knife in a cross pattern. Use a pasty brush to brush the egg wash on the dough mounds. Place in the middle rack of the oven and cook for 10-12 minutes, until the buns are lightly browned. Remove from oven and let cool on the pan for a few minutes, then transfer the buns to a wire rack to cool.
For frosting, whisk together the milk and the powdered sugar. Keep adding powdered sugar until the frosting has a thick consistency. Place in a plastic sandwich bag. Snip off a small piece from the corner of the bag and use the bag to pipe two lines of frosting across each bun to make a cross.
Makes 16 buns.