Hot Cross Buns

Soft, pillowy yeasted buns studded with raisins and candied peel, perfumed with cinnamon, nutmeg and mixed spice, marked with a white flour cross and glazed sticky with apricot jam. Hot cross buns are eaten on Good Friday across the English-speaking world: once sold on the streets of London at dawn, cried by street sellers, one of the great sensory memories of English spring.

Origin: England

From the journey of Wheat.

The tradition of marking bread with a cross predates Christianity in Britain; the symbol was used by Saxons to honour Eostre, the spring goddess, and was adopted into Christian practice as a symbol of the Crucifixion. Early Tudor records mention spiced buns sold at Easter. By the 18th century, London street sellers were famous for crying "Hot Cross Buns! Hot Cross Buns! One a penny, two a penny, Hot Cross Buns!" at dawn on Good Friday. The buns were believed to have protective and healing properties: hung in the kitchen, they were said to never go mouldy and to protect the house from fire.

Ingredients

  • 500 g strong white bread flour
  • 7 g instant yeast
  • 70 g sugar
  • 2 tsp mixed spice
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 300 ml warm whole milk
  • 50 g butter, melted
  • 1 Egg
  • 200 g raisins or currants
  • 60 g candied mixed peel
  • 80 g plain flour (for cross paste)
  • 80 ml water (for cross paste)
  • 3 tbsp apricot jam, warmed

Method

  1. Combine flour, yeast, sugar, spices and salt. Mix in warm milk, melted butter and egg until a dough forms. Knead 8 minutes until smooth.
  2. Knead in the raisins and peel. Cover and prove 1.5 hours until doubled.
  3. Divide into 12 equal pieces. Roll each into a smooth ball. Place in a lined 30×20cm tin, just touching. Prove 1 hour until puffy.
  4. Mix the cross paste flour and water into a smooth paste. Pipe a cross over each bun using a piping bag or zip-lock bag with a corner snipped.
  5. Bake at 200°C/400°F for 18–20 minutes until deep golden. Remove, brush immediately with warmed apricot jam.
  6. Eat warm with cold salted butter.
The Gastrographer

The Gastrographer

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route
Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control
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