April 13 2014 ~ Hot Cross Buns

This recipe is from SparksPeople.com~ I'm trying this in my bread machine, hoping the egg and buttermilk make it through the warming part.  I will post when we have tried these. 

Also these are the fruit I  added 1/3 cup of raisins, 1/3 cup dried cherries and 1/3 cup fruit cake mix 
Bread machine order I used as well: Water, buttermilk, sugar, 1 egg (egg substitute 1/4 cup), flour, brown sugar then spices (didn't add nutmeg, added a bit of cloves instead), and yeast.  Will wait and add the fruit when the beeper going off to add in the bread machine.  Hope this turns out....stay tuned.

Hot Cross Buns

Submitted by: JO_JO_BA

Introduction

Every Easter these spicy, fruit-studded rolls crop up in various incarnations. Some say they actually have pagan roots in Spring Equinox rituals, and that the monks simply added the cross to convert people to Christians!

Minutes to Prepare: 185

Minutes to Cook: 30

Number of Servings: 12

Ingredients

2 1/4 tsp dry yeast
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 cup lukewarm water
2/3 cup warm buttermilk
3 cups flour
1 cup spelt flour
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup butter, melted
6 tbsp brown sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup raisins
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup candied orange peel

---Paste for crosses---
3 Tbsp. flour
2 Tbsp. water

Tips

This is my version, a fluffy and not-too sweet type with a flour-paste cross.

Directions

Place the yeast, sugar and water in a bowl.
Let it sit 5 minutes, until foamy.
Stir in buttermilk.
In another bowl, whisk together flours with the spices and salt.
Add 2/3 of the flour mixture to the yeast, stirring well.
Mix in the butter, brown sugar, egg and dried fruit and peel.
Add remaining dry mixture and mix until you have a sticky (but workable) dough.
Knead for about 5 minutes on a floured surface, until smooth and elastic.
Place in an oiled bowl, cover and let rise for 1-1 1/2 hours, until doubled.
Punch down and divide into 12 balls, placing them in a 9x13 baking dish, spacing close together.
Cover and let rise a further hour.
Preheat the oven to 350F.
Mix the flour and water for the crosses, put the mixture in a zip-lock bag and snip a tiny piece off the corner.
Pipe a cross onto the top of each bun.
Bake 25-30 minutes, until golden.