Hot Cross Buns
Betty Crocker, 1969 Loose-leaf binder edition.
From an earlier Betty Crocker edition: From old English Spring Festival to the goddesses. Later Christian influence added the cross. Mine from 1969 simply puts them under "Holiday and Foreign Favorites". For those of you who actually own the 1969 edition it is page 79.
2 packages active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water (105-115 °)
1/2 cup lukewarm milk, scalded then cooled
3/4 cup unseasoned lukewarm mashed potatoes
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter or margarine softened
2 eggs
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup raisins (or currents--PVA)
1/2 cup citron (or dried/candied fruit of your choice, or orange peel-PVA)
4 1/2 cups Gold Medal Flour (If using self rising flour, omit salt)
Egg yolk Glaze (Below)
quick White Icing (Below)
Dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir in milk, potatoes, sugar, salt, butter, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, raisins, citron and 2 1/2 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Mix in remaining flour to form soft dough.
Turn dough onto lightly floured board, knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.
Place in greased bowl; turn greased side up. Cover; let rise in warm place until double, about 1 1/2 hours.
Punch down dough; divide in half. Cut each half into 16 pieces. Shape into a smooth balls and place about 2 inches apart on greased baking sheet. With scissors, snip a cross on top of each bun. Cover; let rise until double, about 40 minutes.
Balls
Rise and snip
Heat over to 375°. Brush tops of buns white Egg Yolk Glaze. Bake about 20 minutes or until golden brown. When cool, frost crossed on tops of buns with Quick White Icing.
32 buns
Note: Rolls can be baked in 2 greased ground layer pans. 9 x 1 1/2 inches, 16 buns in each pan.
Quick White Icing
Mix 1 cup confectionser's sugar, 1 tablespoon water or milk and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla until smooth and of spreading consitency.
Egg Yolk Glaze
Mix one egg yolk and 2 tablespoons of cold water.
For Coloring Fun:
