[Easter 2007]

I am not a christian nor am I a catholic but comes Easter, you'll be sure to find me making and baking hot cross buns in the kitchen. It's a tradition that I "created" a few years ago while living in New Zealand. I guess it's just so I've another reason to do more baking in the kitchen. =))

Instead of using just sultanas or raisins, I used dried cranberries + raisins this year. My preference is to have them roughly chopped and soaked in fruit juice (preferably orange juice, cranberry juice or apple juice) when working on the dough. This way they'll be puff and juicy when the dough is ready for them. Another reason that I chopped and soaked them is so they're not as hard and chewey after all the baking in the oven. I love using dried fruits in my baking but I really really really (yep, I'm emphasizing it) hate having to fish them out when they're stuck on or between my teeth while I'm eating them. Don't you?

Oooh, I must also mention that this dough is by far the best dough I've ever used for breads, buns or rolls, specially hot cross buns, of course. I left them uncovered in the oven overnight and suprise suprise they were still soft and moist and ready to be eaten ^,^ in the morning. The previous recipes that I've used, the buns had always became a little hard and dried the day after. Even if I covered or stored them in a bread container.

Ahhh, another Easter tradition of mine is to eat lotz and lotz and lotz... of chocolates! Not that I haven't eaten enough of it in the rest of the 360-something-days!! T.T

HOT cross buns - fresh from the oven

A smiley & shiney hot cross bun

The recipe for the featured hot cross buns was adapted from William Sonoma Baking with a few modifications of my own.