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hot cross buns
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Hot Cross Buns
Author: Adapted from King Arthur Flour
Ingredients
  • BUNS
  • 1/4 cup rum or apple juice
  • 1/2 cup mixed dried fruit
  • 1/2 cup raisins
  • 1 1/4 cups milk (room temperature
  • 3 large eggs 1 separated
  • 6 tablespoons butter room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons instant yeast
  • 1/4 cu ligh brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves or allspice
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 3/4 teaspoons salt
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • TOPPING
  • 1 large egg white reserved from above
  • 1 tablespoon milk
  • ICING
  • 1 cup + 2 tablespoons confectioner's sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • pinch of salt
  • 4 teaspoons milk or enough to make thick, pipeable icing
Instructions
  1. Lightly grease a 10" square pan or 9" X 13" pan.
  2. Mix the rum or apple juice with the dried fruit and raisins, cover with plastic wrap and microwave briefly until the fruit and liquid are war.
  3. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
  4. When the fruit is cool, mix together all the dough ingredients except the fruit and knead, using an electric mixer or bread machine until the dough is soft and elastic.
  5. Mix in the fruit and any liquid not absorbed.
  6. Let the dough rise for 1 hour, covered. It will be puffy but may not necessarily double in bulk.
  7. Divide the dough into billiard, ball-sized pieces. Use your greased hands to round the dough into balls and arrange them in the prepared, greased pan.
  8. Cover the pan and let ht buns rise for 1 hour or until they've puffed up and are touching one another.
  9. While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 375 (F) degrees.
  10. Whisk together the reserved egg white and milk and brush it over the buns.
  11. Bake the buns for 20 minutes until they are golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a baking rack.
  12. Mix together the icing ingredients and when bus are cool, pipe the icing in a cross shape atop each bun.