[/caption]No, not negative in a bad way. Rather, it's like a photographic negative in that the icing on top of the buns is carved away to reveal the cross on top, rather than the cross piped on top of the plain bun. In our house, we are unrelenting sweet-tooths (sweet-teeth?). The amount of icing on a hot-cross bun has always been a bit disappointing. I came up with a way to up the frosting ante, if you will. After all, Lent is over in the morning. S0 I frosted the bun, then carefully scraped away a little frosting to make the shape of a cross. Religious homage, lots of icing--everybody's happy!
I read that hot-cross buns were originally served on Good Friday to pilgrims who had to travel a long distance to get to their Easter place of worship. They were a little snack to tide the pilgrims over until the next meal on their trek, and the little cross on top (which I would guess was carved into the bread before baking, rather than made of sugar and vanilla) added to the importance of the day.
The following recipe started in the new New York Times Cookbook, but I changed it quite a bit--I didn't need 24 buns, I didn't have currants, nor did I have a lot of time, but I did have a bread machine and some sultanas I could soak in brandy, so here's what I came up with. (And by the way, if you haven't made the buns yet and breakfast is already over, I certainly see no reason why you shouldn't have them for dessert after lunch. )
[caption id="attachment_232" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Ready to rise"]
[/caption]Hot Cross Buns
[caption id="attachment_233" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Nude buns fresh out of the oven"]
[/caption]makes 8
1/4 cup sultanas (golden raisins)
2 Tbl. brandy
1/2 cup whole milk
1 1/2 tsp. butter, softened
1 1/2 Tbl. water
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 egg, beaten
1 3/4 cups flour
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. yeast
Place the sultanas in a small bowl with the brandy. Let sit for 30 minutes then drain. In a small saucepan, scald the milk. Add the butter, water, sugar, and salt. Let cool to lukewarm. (My bread machine has me add the liquid ingredients first, then the dry, with the yeast last--you do it how yours tells you to. Also, my bread machine pulverizes the raisins into tiny bits, which works for us because there is an anti-raisin group in my home. But if you want whole raisins, knead them in after the dough comes out of the machine.) Pour milk mixture into the bread machine pan. Add the beaten egg. Add the flour, sultanas, cinnamon, nutmeg, and yeast. Switch machine to "dough" setting. When complete, remove dough (it will be wet) to floured board and knead a few times until smooth, adding a little flour if needed to make a workable dough. Divide dough into eight pieces, forming each piece into a tight, round ball. Place on a lightly greased (or use a Silpat) baking sheet and let rise about 30 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
While buns bake, mix 3/4 cup powdered sugar, a dash of vanilla, and enough half-and-half or milk to make a smooth icing. Ice the cooled buns as desired (regular or negative).
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