Hot Cross Buns

Happy Easter to you 

This recipe comes from Donna Hay, I found it on facebook and decided to give it ago like all Donna's recipes it is easy to follow and not complicated, the only two things I would do differently is say don't start the milk, yeast & sugar section until your ready to add it o all the other ingredients,  and next time I make these, which will probably be tomorrow I will be adding another 2 teaspoons cinnamon, just to get rid of the "Yeasty taste. 

•  2 tablespoons dried yeast*
•  ¼ cup (55g) caster (superfine) sugar
•  1½ cups (375ml) warm milk
•  4¼ cups (635g) plain (all-purpose) flour
•  2 teaspoons mixed spice
•  2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
•  50g butter, melted
•  1 egg
•  ¼ cup (55g) caster (superfine) sugar, extra
•  1½ cups (240g) sultanas
•  ⅓ cup (55g) candied mixed peel, optional

crosses

•  ½ cup (75g) plain (all-purpose) flour
•  ⅓ cup (80ml) water

glaze

•  2 teaspoons sugar
•  1 teaspoon powdered gelatine
•  ¼ cup (60ml) water

Combine the yeast, sugar and milk in a bowl. Set aside for 5-10 minutes or until bubbles form on the surface.
Combine the flour, mixed spice, cinnamon, butter, egg, extra sugar, sultanas, mixed peel and yeast mixture in a large bowl. Mix with a butter knife until a sticky dough forms. Knead on a lightly floured surface for 5–10 minutes or until it feels smooth and elastic when pressed. Place in an oiled bowl, cover with a tea towel and stand in a warm place for 30–40 minutes or until doubled in size.

  Lightly knead the dough again, divide into 12 pieces and roll into balls. Place in a 23cm-square cake tin lined with non-stick baking paper. Cover with a clean tea towel and set aside in a warm place for 25–30 minutes or until doubled in size.

  Preheat oven to 200ºC (390ºF). To make the crosses, combine the flour and water to make a smooth paste. Place in a piping bag** and pipe crosses onto the buns. Bake for 30–35 minutes or until well browned and springy to touch.

  To make the glaze, combine the sugar, gelatine and water in a saucepan over medium heat and stir for 2 minutes or until dissolved. Brush warm buns with the glaze and serve with butter. Makes 12.

 

* You will need this amount of yeast because of the amount of sugar in the recipe.

  ** To make a piping bag, fill a ziplock bag with the cross mixture and snip off one corner.

Apple or Pear Crumble

This is a big favorite in my house, a easy recipe that can be made in many different combination's, the main one being Apple because they are easy to come by here. 

Some of the combination's I have made include

Apple and Blackberry,

Apple and Rhubarb, 

Pear and Peaches,

Today I just made Pear crumble from some beautiful just ripe pears we brought while out going for a drive on the weekend. 

First you need to stew the fruit, just enough to make it soft but not soggy , old recipes say to add sugar to the fruit but for me there is enough natural sugar in the fruit so I just add water and gently bring them to the boil. drain and let cool.

Apples

6 to 8 Apples or Pears lightly cooked,

(I sometimes use 1 large tin pie apples)

Topping

2 Tb butter 

¾ c S.R. flour

½ c Brown sugar

Mix together with a fork or fingers to for a nice crumble mix, then sprinkle over Fruit in a pie dish or single ramekins,

cook on medium heat til golden brown, eat hot or cold yum. 

I like mine with a scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream ;)  

Wishing you a Merry Christmas

Yes it is Christmas eve in my house, very quiet and relaxed just my partner, myself and our cats, I am working at the hospital tomorrow morning then will go see my mum and son then bring him home to have Christmas tea with us, a quiet affair of Ham and Chicken with Salad followed by homemade Christmas Pudding that is sitting on the bench cooling now.

I haven't made this Pudding in over 18 years it was my partners mums recipe she got from her mum and handed down to us after she has passed away,

Mind you I had to decipher it from a scrap of paper stuck in a book that had faded over the years, this pudding only has 1 1/2 cups of fruit in it so we only make it a couple of days before eating and is a family favorite for the skin it sets when cooled and eaten the next day.

So while you sit down to your meal tomorrow I hope you also can follow in a good cooking family tradition. Merry Christmas to you all.