Ah, that strange dinner roll/fruitcake combo that pops up in bakeries in the Spring. Week 16: Hot Cross Buns

Maybe it’s nostalgia, but I love hot cross buns. Not the ones with the fancy icing, but the ones with the neon lemon gel. It looks radioactive, what’s not to love?

They always have these little chunks of candied fruit in them, so my version included candied cherries and pineapple as well as chopped raisins. It’s better than it sounds, trust me.

I baked in my mom’s kitchen this weekend (look at all the lovely counter space!) Normally, trying to bake in someone else’s kitchen is a nightmare, but my mom’s kitchen is magical. Someday I might have double sets of paddles and bowls for my stand mixer too!

Finally getting to make a dent in my bread flour. I knead to find more bread recipes. Hehe.

Happy, bubbly yeast! It lives on sugar, just like me.

Whipping up some dough before the paddle get swapped out for a dough hook. First time using a dough hook! What a fun contraption to watch. I normally like kneading dough by hand, but now I’m seeing the benefits of dough hooks. They also come in handy as last minute halloween costumes.

Pre-napping.

After it’s beauty rest.

On to the fruitcake part. The fruit is essential, otherwise these are just spiced dinner rolls with a cross on top. Don’t cause an identity crisis for your pastries.

Each batch makes 18 buns, and let me tell ya, math at 10 PM is not easy. I had to re-portion out the dough twice.

Back to sleep again so they can double in size. Bread takes so much patience. Good thing they’re worth it!

They are supposed to rise in a warm, draft-free area. What better place than the oven? I preheated it to 200 F and then turned it off before popping these in with the door open.

Look how cute it is!!

This is the beginning of the piping gel, pre-color. Just a mixture of cornstarch, sugar, lemon juice and water that thickens into a gel!

A naked cross bun, eek!

Have no fear, the gel is here.

They go nicely with tea, juice, or anything you want! I got this recipe from my lovely neighbor, but there are tons of recipes to pick from. Happy munching!