Risen

It struck me today, on this Saturday before Easter Sunday, that I have not had a hot cross bun in years and years and years.

As a kid growing up in Canada, we always had them on Easter Sunday morning, and frequently for Christmas as well.

Other than my kiddish perception of them being sort of "adult-like," i.e. they were not necessarily sweet and sticky like a good old fashioned cinnamon roll or something, and I wasn't too enamored with them when they had bits of candied citron in them, but I did like that mystical flavor of the mix of cloves and cinnamon.

So I dug out my mother's old "Purity Cook Book," (first copyright in 1932, revised in 1942) and found a recipe for Hot Cross Buns.

But before the culinary part, Wikipedia tells all about hot cross buns . . . to include some interesting folklore.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_cross_buns

I like this especially! " Sharing a hot cross bun with another is supposed to ensure friendship throughout the coming year, particularly if "Half for you and half for me, Between us two shall goodwill be" is said at the time. Because of the cross on the buns, some say they should be kissed before being eaten."

What is unclear is just what or who is to be kissed! The bun? The friend? The bun's friend? The friend's buns!! LOL

And I have a wonderful baroquish rendition of that children's nursery rhyme about the how the baker's hawk their hot cross buns . . . if there are no daughters, give them to your sons. And if no sons or daughters, then eat them all yourselves.

And so I have started a batch of hot cross buns. The "overnight method." (see below).

Hot Cross Buns
(Quick Method)
1 cake compressed yeast (didn't have dried yeast in Canada in 1942, but one envelop of active yeast is equivalent)
1/4 cups lukewarm water
1 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar
About 3 1/2 cups sifted "Purity Flour" (all-purpose flour)
1/4 cup butter
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup currants
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1 egg white
sugar/water
Plain, uncooked white icing.

Soften yeast in lukewarm water. Scald milk, add 1 tablespoon of sugar and cool to lukewarm. Add yeast and half of the flour. Beat until very smooth, cover and leave in a warm place (80 - 90 deg F) to rise until very light (about 1 1/4 hours). Cream butter, add remainder of the sugar and add to sponge. Add well beaten egg, salt, currants, spices and sufficient flour to make a soft dough. Mix thoroughly, turn out on to a lightly floured board and knead until smooth and elastic. Place dough in greased bowl, cover and leave in a warm place until double in bulk (about 1 hour). Divide and shape into round buns and arrange on a greased baking sheet 2 inches apart. Cover lightly and leave to rise until double in bulk. Glaze with a mixture of egg white and water. Press a cross on each bun. Bake in hot oven (425 deg F) for 15 - 20 minutes. just before removing from oven, brush the buns with sugar moistened with water. While hot fill each cross with plain, uncooked white icing.

Overnight Method.
To make Hot Cross Buns by the overnight method, follow above procedure but use 1/2 a dry yeast cake instead of compressed yeast and ferment sponge overnight at 75 - 80 deg F. Make up the dough, etc, as in the "Quick Method."


And on this Saturday night, the night before Easter morning, I have this bowl of sponge. It would appear to be quite dormant. Inert. Resting. Dead. Certainly to the casual observer.

My faith is such that by morning, when I peer into this bowl, it will be risen.

The Refectory Manager