Hot cross buns

I’m not particularly a fan of hot cross buns, or fruity breads in general, but I am a fan of goodies that are traditionally baked on particular feast days. Hot cross buns are associated with the Christian Good Friday – the cross symbolising the machine of Christ’s torture and execution. Good old Wikipedia also adds some information about buns with a cross symbol also being eaten in pre-Christian times to honour to goddess Eostre, who may have given the name to Easter. Fascinating!

I made my a week before the traditional Good Friday. So sue me. The blasted supermarkets stock them for about two months before Easter.

These were based on another splendid recipe by Mr Dan Lepard. Here’s the recipe. It uses stout; I used Wychwood Brewery‘s Hobgoblin instead, as it’s a nice dark ale, and it’s what we had in the house. You mix it with the yeast, spices and some of the flour, and make a sponge, which you leave to ferment overnight. You also mix peel and raisins with black tea. Dark ale? Black tea? Spices? You can’t argue with that.

Now it’s time for a song:

“Hot cross buns!
Hot cross buns!
One ha’ penny, two ha’ penny,
Hot cross buns!
If you have no daughters,
Give them to your sons
One ha’ penny,
Two ha’ penny,
Hot Cross Buns!”