According to Wikipedia.org, “Hot Cross Buns” is an English language nursery rhyme, Easter song and street cry referring to the spiced English bun associated with Good Friday known as a Hot Cross Bun. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 13029.
Lyrics:
The most common modern version is:
Hot cross buns!
Hot cross buns!
one a penny, two a penny,
Hot cross buns!
If you have no daughters,
give them to your sons.
One a penny two a penny,
Hot cross buns!
Origins
The earliest record of the rhyme is in Christmas Box, published in London in 1798. However, there are earlier references to the rhyme as a street cry in London, for example in Poor Robin’s Almanack for 1733, which noted:
Good Friday comes this month, the old woman runs
With one or two a penny hot cross buns
Below is a recipe from Pioneer Woman by Ree
Ingredients:
Photo by Pioneer Woman
BUNS:
- 2 cups Whole Milk
- 1/2 cup Canola Oil
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 1 package (2 1/4 Teaspoons) Active Dry Yeast
- 4 cups All-purpose Flour
- 1/2 cup (additional) Flour
- 1/2 teaspoon (heaping) Baking Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon (scant) Baking Soda
- 2 teaspoons Salt
- 1/4 cup Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- Spices: Cardamom, Nutmeg, Allspice (optional)
- 1/2 cup Raisins
GLAZE:
- 1 whole Egg White
- Splash Of Milk
ICING:
- 1 whole Egg White
- Powdered Sugar
- Splash Of Milk
Directions:
BUNS:
- Combine 2 cups milk, canola oil, and 1/2 cup sugar in a saucepan. Stir and heat until very warm but not boiling. Turn off the heat and allow to cool until mixture is still warm, but not hot–about 30 minutes.
- Sprinkle yeast over mixture. Add 4 cups of flour and stir to combine. Mixture will be very sticky. Cover with a towel and set aside for 1 hour.
- Add 1/2 cup flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir till combined.
- Combine 1/4 cup sugar with cinnamon and whatever other spices you want to use.
- Lightly flour surface. Press to slightly flatten dough. Sprinkle a couple tablespoons of the sugar/cinnamon mixture. Sprinkle on about a third of the raisins. Then fold the dough over on itself and flatten again so the dough is “plain” again. Repeat the sugar/raisin process, then fold the dough again. Repeat a third time until all the raisins are used. (You won’t use all the sugar/cinnamon mixture.)
- Pinch off ping pong or golf ball-size bunches of dough. With floured hands, quickly roll it into a ball, then turn the edges under themselves slightly. Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Cover and allow to rise in a warm place for at least 30 minutes…an hour-plus is better.
- PREHEAT OVEN TO 400 degrees
GLAZE
- Mix 1 egg white with a splash of milk. Brush onto each roll.
- Bake for 20 minutes, give or take, or until tops of buns have turned nice and golden brown.
- Remove from pan and allow to cool on a cooling rack.
ICING
- Mix 1 egg white with enough powdered sugar for icing to be very thick. Splash in milk as needed for consistency.
- Add icing to a small Ziploc bag and snip the corner. Make icing crosses on each roll, making sure they’re completely cooled first.
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