Two Dolla, Oops I Mean Penny, Make You Holla...

So it may not be the old adage you may have heard before; Hot Cross Buns! Hot Cross Buns! One-a-penny, two-a-penny Hot Cross Buns (you can google the rest of the song). But, what exactly is a Hot Cross Bun, and for that matter is it more than just a made up song?

I remember vividly being in Mrs. Mueller's 5th grade English class at Seven Holy Founders and being handed this cinnamon raisin heavenly treat.  Keep in mind that back then anything at that point was a 'treat' thanks to my mother's daily quote of "If you want something sweet, then eat a piece of fruit." Our pantry looked like you just walked into an East Berlin German's home during the cold war. I've digressed, so back to the subject at hand.

Just the other day, I asked my ex-significant other whom happens to be Presbyterian if he knew what a Hot Cross Bun was. His reply, "As in the song, one a penny...." I then began to wonder if the Hot Cross Bun was synonomous to Catholicism as Hamantaschen is to Judaism. I then went on a quest to ask several others. I even asked a nice Catholic girl named Lisa, from Wichita, and she too only knew of the song. 

So let me enrich everyone to the world of buns: There’s so much legend and lore behind Hot Cross Buns, which are believed to pre-date Christianity.

English folklore said that Hot Cross Buns baked on Good Friday would never spoil throughout the following year. Some bakers believed that holding on to one Hot Cross Bun and hanging it in the kitchen meant that all yeast products in the coming year would rise successfully. Some sailors took Hot Cross Buns on their voyages to ensure they wouldn't have a shipwreck (too bad the sailors didn't put this much effort into their vitamin C consumption–then maybe they wouldn't all be complaining about the bad case of scurvy they caught on their voyages, just saying).

Friends who gift one another with Hot Cross Buns every year are said to remain friends for life (what if you don't really like the person you're giving your buns to?) At one point Elizabeth the First found the bakery treat to be a Catholic threat to her Protestant empire and only allowed bakeries to produce buns on Easter and Christmas. Either way, I decided to go on a quest to find the best buns in town.

Aside from my own recipe passed down from a few generations,  I found that in Brentwood had the best. What I liked most was that there were also bits of candied fruit as opposed to the traditional raisins and/or currants. The only thing they're lacking, which I add to my recipe, is cardamom.  

Aimee's Hot Cross Bun Recipe:

Combine 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 package active dry yeast, and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon cardamom. Heat and stir 3/4 cup milk, 1/2 cup cooking oil, 1/2 cup sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt till warm (120-130 degrees).

Add flour mixture along with 3 eggs. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 20 seconds, scraping bowl. Beat on high speed for another 3 minutes. Using a spoon, stir in 1 cup raisins or currants and as much of the 2 to  2 3/4 cups all purpose flour as you can.

Turn out onto a floured surface. Knead in enough remaining flour to make a moderately soft dough (3 to 5 minutes total).

Shape into a ball in a greased bowl, turn once. Cover; let rise until double–about 1 1/2 hour. Punch down. Turn out onto a floured surface. Cover; let rest 10 minutes. Divide into 20 portions; shape into smooth balls. Place 1 1/2 inches apart on a greased baking sheet. Cover; let rise till nearly double (30 to 45 minutes). Make a cris cross slash across each. Brush with 1 slightly beaten egg white. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool. Top with almond frosting cris crosses.

Aimee's Almond Frosting

1 package room tempurature cream cheese (I typically have to warm anything that needs to be room tempurature). Also, make sure it is Neufchatel cheese. Regular cream cheese just isn't the same. 1 stick of butter. Not margarine or any other weird processed butter like item, but real true butter. Salted, of course. 1 cup shortening, like Crisco style. 2 lb. bag of powdered sugar. 1 T. vanilla extract. 2 T. almond extract.

Combine ingredients and whip with a hand held mixer until smooth and creamy.

Or, if it's too much work for you, you can find my home made version of these on Good Friday at 's Famous . Until next time...