A hot cross bun is a spiced sweet bun made with currants or raisins, marked with a cross on the top, and traditionally eaten on Good Friday in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and some parts of the Americas. The bun marks the end of Lent and different parts of the hot cross bun have a certain meaning, including the cross representing the crucifixion of Jesus, and the spices inside signifying the spices used to embalm him at his burial.They are now available all year round in some places. Hot cross buns may go on sale in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand as early as New Year's Day or after Christmas.
n many historically Christian countries, plain buns made without dairy products (forbidden in Lent until Palm Sunday) are traditionally eaten hot or toasted during Lent, beginning with the evening of Shrove Tuesday (the evening before Ash Wednesday) to midday Good Friday.
The ancient Greeks may have marked cakes with a cross.
One theory is that the Hot Cross Bun originates from St Albans, where Brother Thomas Rodcliffe, a 14th Century monk at St Albans Abbey, developed a similar recipe called an 'Alban Bun' and distributed the bun to the local poor on Good Friday, starting in 1361.
In the time of Elizabeth I of England (1592), the London Clerk of Markets issued a decree forbidding the sale of hot cross buns and other spiced breads, except at burials, on Good Friday, or at Christmas. The punishment for transgressing the decree was forfeiture of all the forbidden product to the poor. As a result of this decree, hot cross buns at the time were primarily made in home kitchens. Further attempts to suppress the sale of these items took place during the reign of James I of England/James VI of Scotland (1603–1625).The first definite record of hot cross buns comes from a London street cry: "Good Friday comes this month, the old woman runs. With one or two a penny hot cross buns", which appeared in Poor Robin's Almanac for 1733.Food historian Ivan Day states, "The buns were made in London during the 18th century. But when you start looking for records or recipes earlier than that, you hit nothing."
The traditional method for making the cross on top of the bun is to use shortcrust pastry; however, more recently recipes have recommended a paste consisting of flour and water. In the United States, the cross is often made with white sugar icing. Lets Check its recipie:-
Ingredients:-
Warm water -3/4th cup
Butter - 3tbsp
Instant powdered milk-1tbsp
White sugar - 1/4th cup
Salt - 3/8th tsp
Egg-1
Egg white-1
Egg yolk-1
All-purpose flour - 3 cups
Active dry yeast - 1tbsp
Dried currants - 3/4th cup
Ground cinnamon - 1tsp
Water - 2tbsp
Confectioners' sugar - 1/2cup
Vanilla extract - 1/2tsp
Milk - 2tsp
Procedure:-
Put warm water, butter, skim milk powder, 1/4 cup sugar, salt, egg, egg white, flour, and yeast in a bowl and make a dough using a bread maker or a hand mixer for 10 minutes.
Its important to use a hand mixer because we will need a smooth and pliable dough.
When 5 minutes of kneading are left, add currants and cinnamon.
Wrap the kneaded dough in a big bowl untill it doubles in size.
Punch down on floured surface, cover, and let rest 10 minutes.
Shape into 12 balls and place in a greased 9 x 12 inch pan. Cover and let rise in a warm place till double, about 35-40 minutes.
Mix egg yolk and 2 tablespoons water. Brush on balls.
Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 20 minutes. Remove from pan immediately and cool on wire rack.
To make crosses: mix together confectioners' sugar, vanilla, and milk. Place glaze in a piping bag or a sandwich bag with the corner snipped off; pipe a cross onto each roll.
Serve Hot.
Stay Fit!!
Stay Blessed!!
Stay Happy!!
- .
Comments
Post a Comment