Easter Cross Buns

Cross buns are the most popular Easter cake in many English speaking countries. Traditionally they begin to bake in the Great friday and sometimes much earlier as they are amazing tasty and fragrant. Buns are baked in small balls of yeast dough, which is sure to add raisins and a set spices, including nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves and ginger. On the surface of the buns, a pattern is placed in the glaze or slot the form of a cross. Both patterns will look very impressive. Before bake cuts on the buns crosswise, and then when they are baked, fill in the formed hollows with a simple icing from milk and powdered sugar.

Recipe author – Levain Bakery – American Bakery in New York, Manhattan

Time: 2 час. 50 minutes Difficulty: medium Quantity: one 2 rolls Recipes used volumetric containers: 1 cup (tbsp.) – 240 ml. 3/4 cup (st.) – 180 ml. 1/2 cup (tbsp.) – 120 ml. 1/3 cup (st.) – 80 ml. 1/4 cup (st.) – 60 ml. 1 tablespoon (tbsp.) – 15 ml. 1teaspoon (tsp) – 5 ml.

Ingredients for the recipe:

Buns

• 60 gr fresh yeast
• 2 tbsp. a little warm milk
• 1/4 Art. honey
• 4 tbsp. l (60 gr.) Diced butter
• 3 eggs
• 4.5 tbsp. high gluten flour
• Spice mix, see recipe below
• 1 tsp coarse salt
• 0.5 tbsp. dark raisins
• 0.5 tbsp. light raisins
• Glaze recipe see below

Spice mix

• 1.5 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1.5 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground cloves
• 3/4 tsp ground ginger

Glaze

• 2 tbsp. powdered sugar
• 1/4 Art. milk + optionally as needed

Recipes with similar ingredients: milk, honey, butter, eggs, premium flour, raisins, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, ground ginger, icing sugar

Recipe preparation:

1. Crush the yeast into a large bowl and add 1 tbsp. warm milk (milk should be warm to the touch, but not hot). Mix gently with the nozzle of the dough hook.
2. Add honey, butter, 2 eggs, flour, spice mix, salt and raisins. Turn on the mixer and gradually pour in the remaining 1 tbsp. milk. After a few minutes of mixing, the dough should gather in soft ball. If it is too sticky, add some more flour; if a it’s too strong, add a few drops of cold milk.
3. Put the soft dough directly on a baking sheet and cover plastic wrap. Leave the dough to rise twice.
4. Preheat the oven to 175 ° C.
5. When the dough rises, lay it on the flour sprinkled surface. Cut in half and each half again in half and so on, until you get 12 pieces. Shape from these pieces balls. Spread them evenly apart on a baking sheet, covered with parchment paper and sprinkled with flour. Cover plastic wrap and leave to rise again until the buns do not double in volume. (If you lightly tap the bun with your finger, it should be elastic, but on the test it will remain small imprint.)
6. Beat the remaining egg with a fork in a small bowl. Highly gently grease each bun with the egg mixture. Sharp knife cut a cross on top of each bun. It will not only decorate baking, but also allow it to rise well when baking.
7. Bake for 15 minutes or until the buns are browned. Cool.
8. When the buns have cooled, apply on top of each with icing cross, pouring it with a pastry shovel directly into the slot.
   

   Spice Blend:

   Mix all the ingredients.

   Glaze:

   Pour powdered sugar into a large bowl of milk. Shuffle everything to a homogeneous consistency, adding 1 tsp. milk at a time do not get a very smooth thick glaze.