Hot Cross Buns

For the last couple of years hot cross buns have become part of our Easter morning tradition. Our church has one combined outdoor service for Easter and everyone is encouraged to bring food to share with others before and after the service. Hot cross buns are a simple spiced bread with currants that make a tasty breakfast that’s easy to share.

Hot cross buns are traditionally eaten on Good Friday in England, but because of my schedule, and usually what I have given up for lent, I have been waiting to make them for Easter Sunday. I read a superstition somewhere that if you make the buns on Good Friday they will not go bad all year! I don’t know if I could not eat them long enough to find out…

This recipe is from Martha Stewart

Ingredients

12 tablespoons of butter melted and cooled
1 cup milk
2 packages (14 grams) active dry yeast
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
4 eggs lightly beaten
5 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups currants or raisins
1 egg white
2 cups powdered sugar
juice of 1 lemon (optional)

Directions

• Grease a large bowl and set aside.
• In a sauce pan or microwave warm the milk until just warm, about 110 degrees.
• Put the dough hook on your electric mixer. In your electric mixer’s bowl pour the milk, butter, sugar and yeast. Stir a few times and then let sit for 2-3 minutes until the mixture starts to look bubbly on the surface.
• While waiting for the bubbles to form, in a separate bowl measure out your flour and whisk your salt into it.
• Going back to the liquid ingredients, turn your mixer on low and add in the 4 eggs, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Mix until just incorporated.
• One cup at a time add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, making sure the flour has mixed in before adding more. When all of the flour has been added let the mixer kneed the dough for about 4 more minutes. You will have to watch the mixer to scrape down the dough every once and a while. It likes to work it’s self up the hook.
• Add the currants or raisins and mix for about 30 more seconds then take the dough out of the bowl onto a well floured counter and kneed a bit more until the currants are even throughout the dough.
• Shape the dough into a ball and place in your greased bowl. Put a little bit of melted butter or oil on top of the dough, cover loosely with plastic wrap, cover with a kitchen towel and place in a warm spot to rise for about one and a half to two hours. The dough should double in size.
• When the dough is ready, line a 11 x 17 baking sheet with parchment paper and pre heat your oven to 375 degrees.
• Take the dough out of the bowl and kneed a few times. Divide your dough in half, then each peace in half again, then thirds. This should give you 24 (about 2oz) pieces. Roll each one into a little ball by folding into onto it’s self at on point on the bottom. Cover the backing sheet loosely with a towel again and let sit for about thirty more minutes.
• Take a knife or scissors and cut a cross on the top of each roll and brush with the egg white that’s been mixed with a little bit of water.
• Bake for 20 minutes, until the tops are nice and golden. Let cool.
• Mix together the powdered sugar, a table spoon of milk or water and lemon if you wish. Fill a plastic zip top bag with the glaze and then cut a slit in the bottom corner and pipe a cross onto each bun.

Sharing a Hot Cross Bun with someone this Easter is a beautiful and delicious reminder of His love for us.

Cinnamon Banana Bread (with Streusel Topping)

This is one of my first go-to recipes when I started really wanting to cook from scratch in college. I actually usually make these as muffins, but for some reason I felt like a thick slice of banana bread the day I baked these. This recipe is great to make with kids and I have fond memories of smashing up bananas with one of my friends daughters when I would make these in college.

The streusel topping is not a necessity for this bread, but it’s a fun addition if you’re in the mood to make it.

Cinnamon Banana Bread

Makes 1 nine inch loaf pan, or about 18 muffins

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup softened butter
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 3)
6 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

• Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees and grease your loaf pan, or line your muffin tins.
• In a medium bowl whisk together your flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
• In a separate bowl cream your butter and sugar together with a hand mixer.
• Mix your eggs one at a time to your creamed butter and sugar until well incorporated, then mix in the vanilla and milk.
• With a spoon or spatula stir in your bananas, leaving a few small chunks of banana. It doesn’t need to be smooth.
• Now fold in the dry ingredients in just until everything looks incorporated. You don’t want to over mix.
• Pour your batter into your pan or tins and add the streusel topping now if you wish.
• For the loaf bake 35 minutes, the muffins only about 25 minutes. For best results rotate your pan halfway through baking.
• Let cool and enjoy!

Streusel Topping

With a two knifes, or a pastry cutter, cut 1 stick of butter, 1/2 cup flour, 1/4 cup brown sugar, and a 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon together in a bowl until your have pea-sized pieces of butter. If your butter is soft enough I have also been know to just use a fork, whatever is easier for you. Sprinkle this mixture over each muffin, or over the entire loaf. The extra cinnamon crumble on top is delicious!

Chai Spiced Pumpkin Bread

I am a big fan of Chai tea lattes and a slice of pumpkin bread on a cool fall day. So, I thought why not put the two flavors together? This pumpkin bread has a subtle chia spice in it along with being super moist and not overly sweet. I know it looks like it has a lot of ingredients in it, but I promise it was super fast to put together. You could make some tonight in a snap and have a great breakfast ready for Thanksgiving morning!

Makes two 8.5in loaves

Ingredients

2 bags of Chai Tea
2/3 cup boiling water
1 can (15oz) Pumpkin Puree
4 eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon clove
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Directions

• Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees and greasing two 8.5 in loaf pans.
• Steep two chai tea bags in 2/3 cup hot water for about 5 minutes.
• In a large bowl mix together pumpkin, eggs, oil, sugar, vanilla and chai tea until fully incorporated.
• In another bowl whisk the flour with the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices.
• Slowly mix the flour mixture into the wet ingredients, about a cup at a time, until they are just mixed together.
• Seperate the batter in to the two pans and bake for 55 minutes.

Enjoy!