Hot Cross Buns

By CheeseDiva

Ingredients

• 1 lemon
• 1 navel orange
• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup currants
• 1/8 tsp. allspice
• 1/8 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast
• 1 cup milk, warmed to 115° F
• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 2 cups bread flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tsp. kosher salt
• 6 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened, plus more for greasing
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup orange marmalade
• 1/4 cup confectioners sugar

Details

Servings 10
Adapted from saveur.com

Preparation

Step 1

MAKES 10 BUNS

2 eggs, lightly beaten

Remove sections of the lemon peel in 1-inch strips and, using a paring knife, trim off any of the white pith. Julienne the strips and repeat the process with the orange. Combine sugar and 1 cup of water in a 1-qt. saucepan over high heat; bring to a boil and cook until sugar has dissolved, 1-2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and add lemon and orange pieces; simmer for 8 minutes. Remove from heat and cool. Drain and combine with currants and spices; set aside.

In the bowl of an stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine yeast and milk; let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes. Add the butter, half the eggs, and the dry ingredients; mix on low speed for 8-10 minutes, until a smooth dough forms. Remove from bowl and place on a lightly floured surface; fold in the fruit mixture, working until just evenly distributed. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with a kitchen towel, and let rise until doubled in size, about 60–80 minutes.

Divide dough into 10 equal sized pieces; working with one piece at a time, roll into balls. Place balls onto a sheet tray lined with parchment paper; cover with a kitchen towel and let rise again until doubled in size, about 45 min.- 1 hour.

Heat oven to 325° F. Combine remaining egg with 1 tbsp. water; lightly brush each roll with egg wash. Bake for 20 minutes, rotating halfway. Remove from oven and cool for 15 minutes.

In a 1-qt. saucepan over low heat, combine orange marmalade and 1 tbsp. water; stir until marmalade loosens. Brush each roll with the marmalade glaze and let stand an additional 10 minutes until glaze sets.

Combine the confectioners’ sugar with 2 tsp. water. Pour into a piping bag and pipe crosses on rolls. Serve warm.

Creamy Milkshakes

These are pretty sad looking hot cross buns to be showing off in a magazine like Saveur. The buns look under-proofed, the glaze looks more like shellac, and the crossing isn't straight or clean looking, nor is bun icing the traditional crossing paste. Hot Cross Buns aren't that difficult to make so hopefully with a little research and practice, next Easter you'll have a better example to show your readers.

CrustyGuy & BakersSecret, you must always want the standard boring hot cross buns. I for one like the idea of something different and I find the presentation here to be nicely artistic. A little less perfection means that when someone makes them they won't be disappointed because their result is not as perfect as the picture. Just my $0.02...