Hot Cross Buns

RECIPE # 51

Hot Cross Buns

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup scalded milk

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 cake compressed yeast

1 egg, well beaten

About 4 cups sifted flour

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup currants

1 egg

1 tablespoon waterIcing

DIRECTIONS:

Pour the scalded milk over the butter, sugar and salt; cool to lukewarm. Add the crumbled yeast and let rest for 5 minutes. Add the egg, flour and cinnamon to make a soft dough. Fold in the currants. Let rise in a warm place (80 to 85F.) until double in bulk − about 2 hours. Shape into large buns and place and inch apart on a buttered baking sheet. Let rise in a warmplace until double in bulk − about 1 hour. Brush tops of buns with 1 egg slightly beaten with 1 tablespoon of water. Bake in a preheated oven for 20 minutes at 400F. When cool decorate top of each bun with a cross, using the following icing:

Place 1/2 egg white in a small mixing bowl. Using a wooden spoon, beat in as much powdered sugar as the egg white will absorb and add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice gradually as the mixture thickens. Spread at once as mixture hardens quickly. Makes 24 buns.

Hot Cross Buns