It's Lent! Hooray! What have you given up this year? I never manage to last out until Easter without chocolate/alcohol/coffee, so this year I have accepted my lack of willpower and have given up nothing at all. I did observe this time of year, however, by making one of those incredibly Easter-y foods: the hot cross bun.
I love a good hot cross bun. Don't you think it embodies the perfect combination of carbs and sweetness - that delicious bread-like dough perked up with spice and currants? It makes them ideal for any time of day, plus they're so quick to prepare - slice in half, two minutes in the toaster, a good slathering of butter and presto! The perfect Lent breakfast.
You can buy lovely hot cross buns in the supermarket, so there's no real point in making them from scratch unless: -
1.) You have time on your hands;
2.) You have in your cupboard all manner of dried fruits and spices, which, frankly, you've no idea why you bought in the first place, you aren't sure how old they are, and really they could do with being used up.
Both the above points happen to be true for me, so I gave it a go.
You can buy lovely hot cross buns in the supermarket, so there's no real point in making them from scratch unless: -
1.) You have time on your hands;
2.) You have in your cupboard all manner of dried fruits and spices, which, frankly, you've no idea why you bought in the first place, you aren't sure how old they are, and really they could do with being used up.
Both the above points happen to be true for me, so I gave it a go.
It turns out that you make hot cross buns pretty much the same way as you'd make bread. We followed the Nigella recipe, and substituted water for milk and added an egg before beating the dough. There's no sugar involved, so we upped the amount of spice and added some crystallised ginger to make sure they didn't taste bland.
You should let the dough prove overnight, so this isn't a quick recipe. It does mean, however, that you could make them one evening, leave them to rise, then convince your husband to get up early and bake them the next day so that you can enjoy them fresh and piping-hot for breakfast. Just a suggestion.
They smell delicious - all cinnamon-y and currant-y, like a lighter version of Christmas cake. And they go beautifully with inordinate amounts of butter. Happy Lent!
PS - putting crosses on them seemed like too much effort. So, really these are just hot buns. Hee hee.
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