Hot Cross Buns

My strongest memory of hot cross buns takes me back to my childhood in an itchy Easter dress at my grandparents' house in Watford City, ND, back when it was a sleepy little town that smelled of dust and motor oil and sweet prairie grass.

After the early morning Easter egg and basket hunt with my brothers, a few handfuls of chocolate and jelly beans would be consumed for breakfast. Reluctantly changing from pajamas to church clothes, we'd attend service and afterwards, in the big white room that served as a cafeteria of sorts, coffee would be served in Styrofoam cups along with hot cross buns. As a kid, I always skipped the coffee, but I never skipped the bun.

Today, as I mix the hot cross bun batter, I think of my grandparents and Easters past. As the dough rises, I think of the future, carrying the hot cross bun tradition forward with my little one, hoping he carries a memory of the special bread as a sign of spring and renewal and grace. As I finish the last icing cross and share them with my family, I think of the present, how the sunrise is perfect today, how thankful we are for our daily bread, how blessed we are in this little life.

Happy Easter.

Hot Cross Buns
Adapted from The Pioneer Woman. If I would've had cream cheese on hand, I would've softened a couple ounces and mixed it into the icing to give it more flavor and thickness. Noted for next Easter!

Buns
2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup grapeseed or canola oil
1/2 cup sugar
1 package (2 1/4 tsps) active dry yeast
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon (heaping) baking powder
1/2 teaspoon (scant) baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 cup raisins

Glaze
1 egg white
Splash of milk

Icing
1 whole egg white
Powdered sugar
Splash of milk

Combine 2 cups milk, oil, and 1/2 cup sugar in a saucepan. Stir and heat until very warm but not boiling. Turn off the heat and allow to cool until mixture is still warm, but not hot--about 30 minutes. Sprinkle yeast over mixture. Add 4 cups of flour and stir to combine. Mixture will be very sticky. Cover with a towel and set aside for 1 hour.

Add 1/2 cup flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir till combined.

Combine 1/4 cup sugar with cinnamon, set aside. Lightly flour counter surface. Press to slightly flatten dough. Sprinkle a couple tablespoons of the sugar/cinnamon mixture. Sprinkle on about a third of the raisins. Then fold the dough over on itself and flatten again so the dough is "plain" again. Repeat the sugar/raisin process, then fold the dough again. Repeat a third time until all the raisins are used. (You won't use all the sugar/cinnamon mixture.)

Pinch off ping pong or golf ball-size bunches of dough. With floured hands, quickly roll it into a ball, then turn the edges under themselves slightly. Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Cover and allow to rise in a warm place for at least 30 minutes...an hour-plus is better.

Meanwhile, prepare glaze by mixing egg white with splash of milk. Brush onto each roll. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and bake for 20 minutes or until tops of buns have turned nice and golden brown. Remove from pan and allow to cool on a cooling rack.

To prepare icing, mix 1 egg white with enough powdered sugar for icing to be very thick. Splash in milk as needed for consistency. Add icing to a small Ziploc bag and snip the corner. When rolls are completely cool, make icing crosses on each roll.