A History of the Hot Cross Bun

What is it?

The Hot Cross Bun is a sweet bun often containing spices, and candied peel, and is topped with its distinguishing characteristic, a cross.

History of the Dish

Tradition, faith, and superstition have each played major roles in the shaping of the history of the hot cross bun. Dating back to the 12th century in Great Britain, the origin of this traditional British dish has deep ties to Christianity and began when an English monk adorned his buns with a cross on Good Friday as a symbol of faith in Christ. This practice soon became a tradition and baking these “cross buns” on Good Friday gained popularity around Great Britain and became a widespread symbol for Easter. Among home bakers, suspicions arose that adding a cross to their loaves of bread, would ward away evil spirits and result in a successful bake. While this belief of evil spirits inhibiting the ability of bread to cook successfully eventually lost popularity, a new tradition surrounding hot cross buns arose. In numerous Great British households, hot cross buns were hung from the ceiling as a way to protect from illness and to ward against evil. The common belief behind this tradition was that the hot cross buns would never mold and in case of an illness, the bun would be crushed into a powder that would be mixed with water and consumed for medicinal purposes. Further superstitions arose that the hot cross buns offered protection to sailors at sea and would protect against fire. Towards the end of the 16th century, these buns had gained such religious significance that Queen Elizabeth passed a London law that put a ban on the sale of these buns in 1592, with the exception of Good Friday, Easter, or burials. If one was caught baking or consuming hot cross buns outside of the designated periods, they would be forced to give all of the buns to the poor. While this law is long gone, the religious importance of these hot cross buns is still very much in continuation today and the hot cross bun has remained a seasonal British delicacy.

Recipe for Hot Cross Buns

https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/mary_berrys_hot_cross_65003

Ingredients:

• 500g/1lb 2oz strong white flour, plus extra for dusting

• 75g/2¾oz caster sugar

• 2 tsp mixed spice powder

• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

• 1 lemon, finely grated zest only

• 10g/¼oz salt

• 10g/¼oz fast-action dried yeast

• 40g/1½oz butter

• 300ml/10fl oz milk

• 1 free-range egg, beaten

• 200g/7oz sultanas

• 50g/1¾oz finely chopped mixed candied peel

• oil, for greasing

For the topping

• 75g/2¾oz plain flour

• 2 tbsp golden syrup, for glazing

Directions:

1. Gather the ingredients

2. Put the flour, sugar, spices and lemon zest into a large bowl and mix together. Then add the salt and yeast, placing them on opposite sides of the bowl.

3. Melt the butter in a pan and warm the milk in a separate pan. Add the butter and half the tepid milk to the dry ingredients. Add the egg and use your hands to bring the mixture together, incorporating the flour from the edges of the bowl as you go. Gradually add the remaining milk, to form a soft pliable dough (you may not need all of the milk).

4. Tip the dough out on to a lightly floured work surface. Knead by hand incorporating the sultanas and mixed peel into the dough. Lightly knead for 10 minutes until silky and elastic and forming a smooth ball. (The kneading can also be done in a food mixer with a dough hook.) Oil a bowl and place the dough in a bowl, cover with cling film and leave to rest in a warm place for about 1½ hours or until doubled in size.

5. Turn the risen dough out on to a lightly floured surface. Knock back and knead for a further 5 minutes. Return to the bowl, cover with cling film and leave in a warm place to rise for a further hour, or until doubled in size.

6. Turn the dough out again on to a floured surface and divide into 12 equal pieces, shaping each of these into a ball. Line 1-2 baking trays with paper and place the balls on the tray, placing them fairly close together and flattening them slightly.

7. Slip each baking tray into a large clean polythene bag, making sure the bag doesn’t touch the buns. Leave for 40-60 minutes until the buns have doubled in size.

8. Preheat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7.

9. For the topping, add the flour to a bowl with 100ml/3½fl oz water. Mix together to make a paste and spoon into the icing bag.

10. When the buns have risen remove the polythene bags and pipe a cross on each bun. Bake for 15-20 minutes until pale golden-brown, turning the baking trays round halfway through if necessary.

11. Melt the golden syrup in a pan and while the buns are still warm, brush the buns with a little syrup to give a nice shine, before setting aside to cool on a wire rack.