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Hot Cross Buns with Dried Sour Cherries and Pistachios
Prep: 3 hours Cook: 35 min Servings: 16by Evelyn Scott106 recipes>Hot cross buns were traditionally prepared by English housewives on Good Friday. To ward off evil spirits, the buns were marked with a cross made from dough before baking or with icing after baking. Here the recipe is updated with dried sour cherries and pistachios. Ingredients
- For Buns:
- 6 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 cup milk
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- Grated zest of one lemon
- 1/4 cup warm water
- 2 packages active dry yeast
- 1 whole egg plus 2 egg yolks
- 3 1/3 cups all-purpose unbleached flour, plus more for kneading
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup dried sour cherries
- 1/2 cup chopped pistachios
- Melted unsalted butter for pan and brushing
- 1 egg yolk mixed with 1 tablespoon milk (glaze)
- For Icing:
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar
- 1 to 2 teaspoons milk, heated
Directions
- Combine 5 tablespoons of the sugar, the milk, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and lemon zest in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the milk is hot and the butter is melted. Remove from the heat and pour into a large bowl. Let cool to room temperature. Meanwhile, combine the warm water with the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar in a small bowl. Sprinkle the yeast over the water and let stand until frothy, about 10 minutes. Whisk the whole egg, the egg yolks, and the yeast into the cooled milk.
- In another bowl, stir together the 3 1/3 cups flour and the salt. Add the yeast mixture, stirring until a sticky dough forms.
- Stir in the sour cherries and pistachios.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board or countertop and knead until smooth and elastic, 10 to 15 minutes.
- If the dough is too sticky, sprinkle with a little more flour.
- Transfer to a lightly buttered bowl and brush the surface with a little melted butter.
- Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in bulk, about 2 hours.
- Punch down and knead briefly. Re-cover and let rise a second time, about 30 minutes.
- Punch the dough down again and knead briefly. Divide into quarters and divide each quarter into 4 equal pieces.
- Roll each piece of dough into a smooth ball and place in a lightly buttered 9-by-13-inch pan.
- Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise a final time until doubled, about 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Brush the buns with the egg glaze. Bake until golden brown and the buns sound hollow when rapped on the bottom, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
- TO PREPARE ICING: Combine the confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon warm milk in a bowl. Stir until smooth, adding another 1 teaspoon milk if needed to achieve a smooth consistency.
- Spoon into a lock-top sandwich bag, seal, and snip off the tip of one corner.
- Squeeze the icing from the bag, piping a cross over each cooled bun.
- Serve the buns at room temperature.
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