Hot X Buns
In my family you only ever ate Hot Cross Buns on Good Friday and maybe eat the left overs on Easter Sunday.
However, in these modern times they are literally on the shelves at all supermarkets just after Christmas – oh my Presbyterian grandmother would be mortified!
The history of this lightly spiced fruit bun is a fabulous read – there are some conflicting stories out there – some from ancient Greece and from the Saxons who also ate buns marked with a cross in honour of the goddess of light – Eostre. Christians however, believe the cross placed on the top of the buns signifies Christ’s crucifixion.
Which ever the case they are truly part of most Easter gatherings and can be enjoyed for breakfast, morning tea, after lunch and supper – seems the more the better!
Now the best buns ever in my opinion are from a sensational baker in St. Kilda – Daniel Chirico –wow can he make a fabulous bun. Now as many of you know I am gluten intolerant and if anything makes me ‘break’ my gluten free eating it is a bite of one of his buns (and yes, I will suffer the consequences)!
Gluten free buns are available from health food shops and I have a tried quiet a few– but really, they miss the mark for me…. I have also tried to mark great gluten free versions too, but so far they are ordinary. Sadly I have not yet mastered the art of a good gluten free bun, so more testing is required and this recipe sits on my to do list. Thankfully plenty of good chocolate is easily found and this happily keeps me more than satisfied over Easter.
For the wheat loving and eating ones here is my twist on home made buns… made super easily with my KitchenAid stand mixer – in a method as easy as 1, 2 3 eat! I have added a touch of cocoa which you can simply leave out. If this twist doesn’t suit you. The cross is made from marzipan (a favourite of mine) and available in all supermarkets in a ready to go block. Rolled out with the KitchenAid pasta roller it makes a delicious sweet ‘cross’. If you don’t have a roller attachment, you can simply roll out the marzipan by hand.
Happy eating and happy Easter everyone, we will all be back to eating moderation next week!
