Hot Cross Buns

My first buns’ recipe I made on Easter morning and they quickly disappeared! I found the recipe on the site thepioneerwoman.com, you can find step by step photos.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil or olive oil
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 package (2¼ Teaspoons) Active Dry Yeast
• 4 cups unbleached flour
• 1/2 cup unbleached flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1  teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice (ginger, nutmeg, allspice)
• 1/2 cup raisins, dried cranberries, candied orange peel to taste
• 1 egg
• A few drops of milk

Frosting

• 3-4  tablespoons of icing sugar
• 1  teaspoon of  milk

Directions:

1. Combine 2 cups milk, oil, and 1/2 cup sugar in a saucepan. Stir and heat until very warm but not boiling. Turn off the heat and allow to cool until mixture is still warm, but not hot, for about 30 minutes.
2. Sprinkle yeast over mixture. Add 4 cups of flour and stir to combine. Cover with a towel and set aside for 1 hour.
3. Add 1/2 cup flour with baking powder, baking soda and salt, mix well. Now you can refrigerate the dough in an airtight container if you want to finish the buns later.
4. In a small bowl, mix 1/4 cup sugar and spices.
5. On a lightly floured clean surface, press to slightly flatten dough. Sprinkle a couple tablespoons of the sugar/cinnamon mixture. Sprinkle on about a third of the raisins. Then fold the dough over on itself and flatten again so the dough is “plain” again. Repeat the sugar/raisin process, then fold the dough again. Repeat a third time until all the raisins are used. (You won’t use all the sugar/cinnamon mixture.)
6. Rub your hands with flour and remove pieces of dough the size of a golf ball and form a small bun, flattening the top slightly.
7. Place the buns on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover with plastic wrap or a towel and let rise for about 1 hour, ideally under a heat source (light).
8. In a small bowl, separate the egg to keep the white, add a few drops of milk and mix.
9. With a pastry brush, brush onto each buns.
10. Bake in the center of a preheated oven at 400 F for about 20-25 minutes, or until the top is golden. Cool on a wire rack.
11. In a small bowl, mix the icing sugar with milk, maybe 1 drop of vanilla to taste and form cross on the cooled buns. You can use a plastic bag with the cut corner or just with a butter knife as I did.