Food For Thought

Since I love to cook (and to eat) I thought I would start a new weekly tradition of sorts here on my blog: Thursday's Food For Thought. Every Thursday I will feature a recipe, be it a family favorite, something I've experimented with or a great recipe from one of my favorite chefs. What better way to bring friends and family together than a good meal? Bon Appetite!

First up, the lovely Nigella Lawson. In honor of the coming Easter holiday, let's make Hot Crossed Buns.

HOT CROSS BUNS
(Makes 16)

For the Dough:
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1/2 stick butter
• zest of 1 orange
• 1 clove
• 2 cardamom pods
• 3 cups bread flour
• 1 package active dry yeast (1/4 oz)
• 3/4 cup mixed dried fruit
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 egg

For the Egg Wash:
• 1 egg, beaten with a little milk

For the Crosses on the Buns:
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tablespoon superfine sugar
• 2 tablespoons water

For the Sugar Glaze:
• 1 tablespoon superfine sugar
• 1 tablespoon boiling water

Heat the milk, butter, orange zest, clove and cardamom pods in a saucepan until the butter melts, then leave to infuse. I have gone rather cardamom-mad recently, but this short, aromatic infusion gives a heavenly scent to the little fruited buns later.

Measure the flour, yeast and dried fruit into a bowl and add the spices. When the infused milk has reached blood temperature take out the clove and cardamom pods, and beat in the egg. Pour this liquid into the bowl of dry ingredients.

Knead the dough either by hand or with a machine with a dough hook; if it is too dry add a little more warm milk or water. Keep kneading until you have silky elastic dough, but bear in mind that the dried fruit will stop this from being exactly satin-smooth. Form into a ball and place in a buttered bowl covered with plastic wrap, and leave to rise overnight in the fridge.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Take the dough out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature.

Punch the dough down, and knead it again until it is smooth elastic. Divide into 16 balls and shape into smooth round buns. I wouldn’t start worrying unduly about their size: just halve the dough, and keep halving until it’s in eight pieces, and use that piece of dough to make two buns. Or just keep the dough as it is, and pinch off pieces slightly larger than a ping-pong ball and hope you end up with 16 or thereabouts. Not that it matters.

Sit the buns on a parchment paper of Silpat-lined baking sheet. Make sure they are quite snug together but not touching. Using the back of an ordinary eating knife, score the tops of the buns with the imprint of a cross. Cover with a kitchen towel, and leave to prove again for about 45 minutes – they should have risen and almost joined up.

Brush the buns with the egg wash, and then mix the flour, sugar and water into a smooth, thick, paste. Using a teaspoon, dribble two lines over the bins in the indent of the cross, and then bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes.
When the hot cross buns come out of the oven, mix the sugar and boiling water together for the glaze, and brush each hot bun to make them sweet and shiny.

Author's Note
You could ignore my instructions to leave the dough in the fridge to rise slowly overnight and instead leave the dough to rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours in a warmish place in the kitchen, but I always find it easier to go the overnight route, plus I think it gives a better taste and texture.


**Photos courtesy of Basil and Ginger