Hot Cross Buns, you don't need to wait till Easter or Christmas, no, you need to make them NOW and I have developed the perfect recipe. You're welcome, go make them now, go

I love hot cross buns.  I always have.  It sort of bugs me that I only seem to eat them at Easter.  I think I need to start a revolution and say it's OK to eat them anytime.  They are sweet and savory and spicy and not and soft and tender and absolutely delicious.

OK, I combined some old and some new recipes and this is what I came up with.  I've made it a couple of times and it keeps working and they are so wonderful. I think you need to make them now.  You don't need a kitchen aid to make it but it makes it easier.  If you don't have one, put it all in a bowl, mix till it's tiring then take the dough out and knead.  I've made them by machine knead and I've done them by hand.  They work either way.  I am doing this as a drive by because it's a dump and run, truly, only one rise, how easy is THAT?

I will devour this batch and make another with better play by play pics but for now, this is the drive by recipe, you can do it!

DRIVE BY RECIPE:  TRACY'S HOT CROSS BUNS

INGREDIENTS

Dry:  dump in the bowl of a Kitchen aid mixer

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
(you'll need extra for adding if needed and for the bench when you form the balls
1 Tb yeast (you can also skimp and use a packet which is 2 1/4 tsp which is close enough)
2 TB sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon sugar (or plain cinnamon if that's all you have)
2 tsp mixed spice (recipe below)
1/4 cup currants (these are small raisins, I don't like bit raisins but if you do, have at it :) add more or less depending on how much you love/hate dried fruit

Wet:  No need to mix these separately,

1 cup very warm tap water
1 TB butter
1 egg
splash vanilla (if you feel the need)

METHOD

Dump all the dry ingredients into the bowl of your Kitchen aid mixer or a large bowl.  Mix to combine, add the wet ingredients, no need to premix...

Use dough hook and let it mix on medium until it's a smooth lovely dough.  Add little bits of flour at a time, after 5 minutes if the dough needs it to clear the sides and become a smooth tender ball

Remove hook from dough in bowl, leave it there and cover with a plastic bag.  Let it rest about 10 minutes.

Divide the dough in 12 equal balls and place on a parchment lined sheet pan.  Spray the tops of the rolls, cover the whole thing with a gigantic plastic bag and leave to double.  It should be about 1-2 hours.

Spray with milk or brush with milk.  Add a cross if you want, I make a thin paste of water and flour and draw on with the side of a spoon.

Bake in a PREHEATED 375 oven for 20-30 minutes, spin half way through.

Remove to a rack immediately and leave to cool for as long as you can stand it.

ENJOY!

here's a few beauty shots.  These are before they went into the oven

 LOOK! at these beauties.  The crumb is amazing, tender and flavorful, yeah, I delight myself sometimes

   

So I broke in to one, butter and golden syrup.  Usually I toast them but that'll be later, I had to show you the crumb after a bite, it doesn't collapse into a goo, no, look at it! WOW!  so tasty, fabulous crumb, are you running to make them yet?

 

MY MIXED SPICE RECIPE

1 TB of each of the following: 

Nutmeg

Cinnamon

Allspice

1 tsp of each of the following: 

Cloves

Coriander

Ginger

2 tsp of 

Mace

Combine all the spices in  jar and mix, it lasts a really long time because you only need a little bit.  Be sure to go to the bulk area to get the spices, you'll save a FORTUNE doing it that way. 

Make these rolls, I'm dying to know what you think

/enjoy

tracy

•  

RECIPE SHARE, Telera or Bolillo rolls, shared from an online friend, I've tested and tested and they work every single time.

There are some recipes you come across that are easy.  Easy to read, easy to make, easy to decipher and duplicate.  I came across such a recipe for rolls from an Instagram friend "frenchiecooks" (https://www.instagram.com/frenchiecooks)
and he shared this with me and (I asked and he said OK) I'm going to share with you.

These are delicious, tender, rich, light, tasty with a slight chew to the crust and a light but substantial crumb to hold whatever deliciousness you can fill them with.  They crisp beautifully after the fact if you make early and reheat later.

Make these rolls, let me know how you like them...  I'm addicted to them now and fill them with everything from shredded Italian beef to Asian inspired omelettes with fried potatoes.  Anything goes in these...  go measure out some flour.

OH, right, this recipe is in metric weights.  You must weigh, I can't give you converted measurements, it won't be the same.  An electronic scale is a reasonably inexpensive investment and worth it worth it worth it, absolutely.  I use mine all the time and have never regretted the purchase, I think it was $15.00 at Sam's.

HERE is his recipe 

Telera Rolls (Bolillo rolls) 

ala Frenchiecooks https://www.instagram.com/frenchiecooks 

6 grams instant yeast

14 grams salt

30 grams honey

35 grams melted butter or lard

340 grams water

535 grams (bread) flour BUT I cheat and use all purpose

INSTRUCTIONS:

Mix the wet ingredients until dissolved.  

Add flour an mix for 5 minutes, let rest in bowl, covered, for 30 minutes. 

Mix again for 5 minutes, cover and leave to double in size, 30-45 mins?.

Knead briefly by hand, divide into 8 pieces and prepare for final rise on lightly greased pan.  

You can make the rolls round or slightly oblong, do what you like :)  

Preheat oven to 425.  

Cut or press tops for decoration.  mix egg yolk with water and brush tops liberally. 

Bake 22-25 minutes, or until golden brown. 

Remove to rack to cool completely. 

Fill with your choice of ingredients and eat with joy and abandon. :D 

Here are the play by play pics from the last two batches....  

Mixed for 5, left for 30, mixed for 5, rest for 30.

   

 Lovely dough onto a floured piece of linen, divide to 8, shape ad leave

   

Bake until beautiful.  I did 15 minutes then spun then did 6.

  

Today, worked just the same way
mix, mix for 5, rest for 30, mix for 5, rest for 30-45

   

 dive into 8, leave to rise,

   

 egg wash and slit, bake till gorgeous and sexy

   

Here's a video reveal of the innards, it's glorious this bread... 

I don't post other people's recipes often but when I do it's because I've tested them and love them and think you will too :) 

/enjoy and THANKS FRENCHIE!

tracy

LOBSTER ROLL (the roll not the lobster) also HOT DOG BUNS and just plain MILK BREAD as a loaf, so good, so easy

I make "milk bread" and have decided to use the recipe, with a small modification as the base recipe for my Lobster Rolls.  There's a long boring story about the rolls that involves a slightly famous cooker type but I was removed from their feed after my comments, not bitchy just observant, so I'm not playing there anymore.  I still, however, adore Lobster Rolls and even though I can't actually afford the lobster and caviar (!!!) to make the cookers version I'm still making them to hold my world famous, most delicious on earth egg salad.  I have chickens so I can egg salad my way from here to Christmas.  HAHA

Here is the low down and the zillion pics to help you make this dough.  It makes great bread, it makes great individual rolls and it make awesome lobster rolls.  I did, as you can see, invest in the specialty pan but you sure don't have to.  Just roll the dough into tubes and put them close in a pan that just fits them till they rise and you'll do just fine.

TRACY'S LOBSTER ROLL, HOT DOG,
JUST PLAIN DELICIOUS "MILK" BREAD RECIPE

The first thing you have to do, yes you do, is make the "yangzhong" or hot water roux for the dough.  Yes you have to, yes it works, yes it helps, just do it, it's easy :) It's an ancient Japanese technique or making bread, don't listen to the newbies tell you it's a new idea or recently discovered, geez people, it's been around for a hundred or more years and I, personally, have been using it for over 10.

HOT WATER ROUX or  "yangzhong"

In a 2 cup microwaveable measuring cup, put 1 cup of water and 1/3 cup flour, microwave for 1-2 minutes, just till it boils.  Whip with a fork, cover and leave on the counter till cooled then store in the fridge.  You can make 2 batches of this dough with it, no, you can't only make half :D

   


THE DOUGH

In the bowl of your kitchen aid (or by hand, don't get in a snit) combine the following:

3 cups a/p flour
2 1/4 tsp yeast (one packet)
1/4 cup sugar (scant)
1 tsp salt
1 large or xl egg
1/2 cup milk
3 Tbsp room temp butter
1/2 cup of the hot water roux, cooled

Add the dough hook and let it go until it's all combined.  It will look gnarly and not cohesive.

    

Then, slowly and just a little at a time, seriously, go slow here, add


1-5 Tbsp Warm tap water

to make a cohesive, slightly sticky dough.

Turn the mixer to 4-5 and let it knead for you about 5 minutes.  OR just get in there with your hands and start kneading...and kneading...and kneading.  By machine, it will clear the sides of the bowl and be slightly stuck at the base.  When it's done, the dough will be smooth and clear and no longer stuck to the bottom.

   
Give it a quick knead by hand, to feel involved in the process.  Pop the dough into a lightly sprayed tub, I use a grout mixer bowl from Home Depot with a lid, I'm so cheffy.  Anyway, pop the lid on and leave it on the counter until it at least doubles. Remember my house is full of yeast because of the volume of bread I cook so it will take longer at your house.

     

Put it in a lightly oiled bucket and leave it about an hour till it doubles.  Spray your lobster roll pan or whatever vessel you're going to bake them in.

   

This dough is happy and relaxed and easy to just press out to the size of the lobster roll pan.  IF you're doing a 9x13, divide the dough into 10/12 and roll to the width of your pan and lay them in.  For the lobster roll people, just gentle press the dough to approximately the size of the pan then lift it in and gentle ease it into the corners.  Cover, or in my case, put the pan in those oversized veggie bags you get at HEB, yes, I always use the extra large bags so I can use them for bread.  Leave till it rises to almost the top.

   

PREHEAT oven to 375 while it rises.  

This dough doesn't double this time, it just poooooofs to about 1/4 ? inch from the top of the pan

    

This is where it gets weird.  Grease the bottom of a sheetpan and put it on top of the rolls when it goes in the oven, it makes the rolls a bit denser and fills the pan, forcing the dough down and into the corners.  

Bake with a sheet pan on it about 15 minutes. I bake on the top third of the oven so the bottom/top doesn't get too brown.  Remove the top pan and cook another 15 or so till it's done. 

Remove to a rack, inverting immediately.  I brush with a little butter and there, leave it to cool a bit then we'll doctor it up and fill it and eat it!!  

   

Now, we wait (ooooh, it's been worth it) 

Slice at the grooves, cut down the middle most of the way but leave it attached at the bottom.  Butter on both sides, yes do it...toast in a dry pan till a little crispy.  

   

Then pull gently apart and FILL IT and EAT IT!

These are just gratuitous beauty shots

   

I hope you make these, I hope you enjoy them and make them often.  Fill them with anything, cold salad, hot dogs and if you happy to be famous or inherit some dollars or simply hit a windfall that supplies you with big bucks then by all means, fill 'em with lobster salad and caviar.

/enjoy