Hot Cross Buns

Baking bread is something that has been on my mind for a long long time. I would see the awesome bread posts posted on facebook and would wish to be able to bake like them. However my whole life I have been staying in small cities with names you have not heard of. Opportunities were less even though the desire was there. Then finally we got to live in a sprawling metropolis, the business centre of our country. And this was a moment I seized with both my hands. Even before settling in I was googling for baking classes.
The four day bread workshop I attended was an eye opener. Both theory and practical was taught extensively. We were made to practice at least four kinds of breads everyday. Buoyed by the experience I decided to start baking on a regular interval.
The first bread I wanted to bake was Hot Cross Buns. I had heard this nursery rhyme so many times and I always wondered what is so special about this bun that you have a nursery rhyme dedicated to it. I started looking at different recipes and found myself getting more and more confused which one to follow. Met with a few disasters.
I have basically flowed the recipe by Joe Pastry. I have halved the recipe because I didn’t  need 18 buns. Also, thankfully, I didn’t add all the liquid at once because I was left over with almost ¾ cup of milk and yet the dough was quite sticky. It depends a lot on the quality of ingredients you use. What kind of flour you use determines how much liquid you need. So main point to keep in mind is not to use all the wet ingredient at once to make the dough. After the bread workshop I had an idea how sticky a dough should be and I used that much milk accordingly.
And while baking bread remember not to give up. The sticky dough will get together. Just keep kneading. If things seem hopeless dust your hands with a little flour, oil the working surface a bit. But keep at it!!


Ingredients 

Makes about 10 buns
2 ½ cups flour
½ tbsp instant yeast
¼ tsp nutmeg powder
¼ tsp cinnamon powder
½ tsp salt
1 cup milk, lukewarm
2 tbsp honey
1 egg(optional)
2 tbsp soft butter
½ cup raisins

For making the crosses
2 tbsp flour
1 tbsp granulated sugar
Water to make a thick paste

Pour enough water on raisins to cover them and boil for 10 minutes. Keep aside.
Sift together flour, cinnamon powder, nutmeg powder and salt. Mix the yeast with a spoon.  Whisk the egg and honey together. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients.

Add the whisked milk and honey and mix with a spoon. Slowly add the milk and keep mixing with the spoon.

 Stop adding milk as soon as you get a sticky dough.

Turn out the dough on a lightly floured surface and start kneading. It is going to be really sticky and will stick to your palms and the working surface. Keep at it for 5 minutes. Scrape your hands if you need. Now add the softened butter and raisins.

Start kneading again. The butter and sticky dough will make a real mess.

Do not panic. This is where you need your best friend, the scraper. Use it to scrape the dough off and keep kneading. After a long time that will seem like a life time the dough will come together. It will still be a sticky dough.

 Put it in an oiled bowl. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth. Do not let the cloth touch the dough or it will stick to it. Keep aside for 2 hours or until it has doubled in size.

 Lightly punch the dough to knock out the air.

 Divide the dough into 10.

Now comes the rolling part. Do not roll between your palms. Remember the dough has air which shouldn’t be squeezed out. Put the ball on the working surface, place your palm over it like a cage with the dough lightly touching your skin. And start a rolling movement with the only pressure being between the base of your thumb (the fleshy mound) and the working surface. As you roll the dough keep lightly pushing with the base of your thumb.

Do these with all the balls.

Place a parchment paper on the baking tray and put the balls on them keeping some space between the balls. Cover and keep for about an hour till it grows in size.
 Now make the crosses. Once the balls have doubled up in size, mark an X with a kitchen knife. Now make a thick paste with the sugar, flour and water. The paste should fall slowly when you pick it up with a finger. Using your finger slowly trail some paste on the X you have marked on the buns. If you are an egg eater then do an egg wash.

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Bake the buns for 18-20 minutes.
After 10 minutes your house will be filled with an amazing aroma. Trust me !!