Name: Hot Cross Buns
Yield: Makes 1 dozen
Cuisine: Irish
Ingredients: 1 cup whole milk; ½ cup(1 stick) butter; 1 tablespoon butter, melted; 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar; ¼ cup water; ½ cup all-purpose flour; 1 tablespoon water; 1 egg; ¼ cup candied peel, chopped; 1 cup fresh, soft raisins (if yours are old and dry, buy a new box); ¼ teaspoon salt; 4 cups all-purpose flour; 2 eggs; 1 package active dry yeast (2 teaspoons); 2 teaspoons Mixed Spice; ½ cup sugar

Preparation info

Makes
1 dozen

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

Real Irish Food

By David Bowers

Published 2014

About

Easter is a big deal in Ireland and I like the way the holiday is used to mark time. “Please God, you’ll be back with us at Easter,” a parent might say to a visiting adult child at Christmas. By Easter, it is deep into spring and the country is in full bloom. Lambs are bouncing about the countryside, tulips are bursting forth, and cherry trees are in blossom. No wonder we take our hot cross buns so seriously and eat them throughout the season! They are part of the package that says life has