Hot Cross Buns for Easter Treats

Hot cross buns!

Hot cross buns!
One ha' penny, two ha' penny,
Hot cross buns!
If you have no daughters,
Give them to your sons
One ha' penny,
Two ha' penny,
Hot Cross Buns!

This is most popular rhyme we grew up with, but never really made or ate as kids. The only buns we ever got were the cream buns slathered with cream & jam. These buns, once only eaten over the Easter weekend, are now-a-days crammed in every supermarket shelf all year round. I wanted to give it a try and couldn’t believe how easy & how much better the home-made ones are.

Hot Cross Buns are generally sold at Easter to celebrate the religious significance of the resurrection of Christ following his death on the cross in the Easter Christian festival.

I have used very simple challah dough to make the rolls and have added a bit of orange zest along with candied rum soaked raisins & peels. I glazed them with egg wash before baking and have glazed them again after baking with a mix of syrup & agar agar(gelatine).

For the buns

1 sachet of instant yeast

1/2 cup of vanilla or caster sugar

1-11/4 cup warm milk

2 eggs+1 more for glazing

4-41/4 cups bread flour

2tsp cinnamon

2tsp mixed spice

1 orange zest

1 cup candied peel+raisins

40g butter melted or 3-4tbsp olive oil

For the Cross

Mix 1/2 cup flour with 1/4 cup water to make a thick paste.

For the glaze

Make a simple syrup & add gelatin or agar agar as per instructions. I added about 1 heaped tsp worth to 1/2 a cup syrup.

Method:

Add all the ingredients into a bowl of kitchen aid fitted with dough hook and knead until it forms a stick dough. Transfer to a floured kitchen top and knead by hand for 8-10min or till it feels elastic. Place in a greased bowl for 1-1/2 hours or until doubled in size, in a warm place. Divide the dough  and roll into balls. Place them in a greased and lined tin next to each other and cover with a towel & let them rise for 30-45min. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200c. Glaze the buns with egg wash & make the cross using the flour paste in a piping bag. Bake the buns for 25-30 min or till done. Glaze the buns with the sugar syrup while still warm.

PS: I have used olive oil and yolk for glazing which gives this dark brown color for the buns.

The Daring Bakers: Dutch Crunch Bread & A Sandwich

 Sara and Erica of Baking JDs were our March 2012 Daring Baker hostesses! Sara & Erica challenged us to make Dutch Crunch bread, a delicious sandwich bread with a unique, crunchy topping. Sara and Erica also challenged us to create a one of a kind sandwich with our bread! Learn more about the history of Dutch Crunch bread, particularly in the Bay Area, here, here, and here.

 The recipe for the Dutch Crunch topping came from Rose Levy Beranbaum’s The Bread Bible. The recipes for the breads we’ve  suggested came from The Bread Bible and an adaptation of a recipe found on bakingbites.com (http://bakingbites.com/2006/09/cooking-school-dutch-crunch-bread/). 
Technically, Dutch Crunch doesn’t refer to the type of bread, but rather the topping that is spread over the bread before baking. In Dutch it’s called Tijgerbrood or “tiger bread” after the tiger-like shell on the bread when it comes out of the oven. The final product has a delightful sweet crunch to it that makes it perfect for a sandwich roll. 
The second part of the challenge was to use it in a sandwich and I made a simple but very English, Cucumber Cream Cheese Sandwich. This is usually at  Technically, Dutch Crunch doesn’t refer to the type of bread, but rather the topping that is spread over the bread before baking. In Dutch it’s called Tijgerbrood or “tiger bread” after the tiger-like shell on the bread when it comes out of the oven. The final product has a delightful sweet crunch to it that makes it perfect for a sandwich roll.  The second part of the challenge was to use it in a sandwich and I made a simple but very English, Cucumber Cream Cheese Sandwich. This is usually at afternoon tea and are also popular during cricket matches and weekend picnics. My mum used to make these with green coriander-mint chutney and sometimes with potato bhaji.
Thank you Sara and Erica of Baking JDs for a beautiful bread making challenge. Thank you Sara and Erica of Baking JDs for a beautiful bread making challenge. 

For the Dutch Crunch Topping
Ingredients

1tbsp instant yeast

240 ml warm water (105-115º F) (41-46°C)
2 tablespoons  sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
½ teaspoon  salt
1½ cups rice flour (white or brown; NOT sweet or glutinous rice flour) (increase by 1 cup or more for home-made rice flour).

Method: Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and beat with a whisk; beat hard to combine. The consistency should be like stiff royal icing – spreadable, but not too runny. If you pull some up with your whisk, as shown below, it should drip off slowly. Add more water or rice flour as necessary. Let stand 15 minutes. Coat the top of each loaf or roll with a thick layer of topping using your hands or a brush. Let stand, uncovered, for any additional time your recipe recommends. With the Soft White Roll, you can place the rolls directly into the oven after applying the topping. With the Brown Rice Bread, the loaves should stand for 20 minutes with the topping before baking.When baking, place pans on a rack in the center of the oven and bake your bread as you ordinarily would. The Dutch Cruch topping should crack and turn a nice golden-brown color.
For The White Bread 
Ingredients 
500g strong bread flour
1 (7g)sachet of instant yeast
1 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp honey
20g butter or 20ml olive oil
150ml buttermilk/milk
150ml warm water
Method:  
I followed my bread maker instructions for making the dough. After the initial rise I coated the dough with the topping and baked in a pre-heated oven at 200C for 25-35 min or until the bread sounds hollow when tapped. Cool completely on a wire rack.

For the Cucumber Cream Cheese Sandwich

Ingredients 
freshly sliced cucumber
4tbsp cream cheese
toasted & buttered bread slices
1 spring onion sliced
salt & pepper as per taste
Method: 
Spread the seasoned cream cheese onto the toasted bread and serve with spring onions & cucumber slices. 

Carrot Cake

I am not a big fan of carrot cake but there are worshipers here who absolutely love carrot cake. One of them happens to be S, who loves only this cake in the whole world. Even the sexiest of chocolate cake doesn't make him go week-on-the-knees. I make the carrot cake every year for his birthday with little variations, but since the past few years, I've been making it with whole-meal flour. I make them with fresh pineapple & frost it with toasted coconut cream cheese icing or a simple carrot cake with hazelnuts/walnuts/pecans (like here) & lemon cream cheese icing. This year I adapted Donna Hays recipe and the cake was fabulously moist and perfectly balanced. This one is for keepers!!

Carrot Cake
 Ingredients
220g brown sugar
185ml vegetable oil 
3 eggs 
225g whole-meal or AP flour 
1½ teaspoons baking powder 
1 teaspoon baking soda 
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
½ teaspoon mixed spice 
½ teaspoon ground ginger 
About 5-6 med sized carrots grated 
60g chopped pecan /hazelnut or walnut 
60g sultanas 
Cream Cheese Icing 
250g cream cheese/mascarpone, softened 
3-4 tbsp icing sugar, sifted 
zest & Juice of ½ a lemon or 1-2tbsp lemon curd 
Method: 

Preheat oven to 180°C . Place the sugar and oil in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat for 2–3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time and beat well after each addition. Sift the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon, mixed spice and ginger over the sugar mixture. Add the carrot, nuts and sultanas and mix until just combined. Pour into 2 greased 8 inch-round cake tin lined with non-stick baking paper and bake for 35-40 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer. Cool in tin. 
 For the cream cheese icing: Beat the cream cheese in a food processor until smooth. Add the icing sugar and lemon juice/lemon curd and process until smooth. Spread frosting on the cooled cake as desired. I simply used it to sandwich the layer and just on top.

The Chablis Challenge Menu

I was recently sent 2 bottles of chabilis and the challenge was to pair it with the kind of food I would serve typically with the wine. I am not a big wine-cheese-food pair-er but do generally serve light creamy food with whites and tomato based food like pasta with reds. 

A little about the wine:
Product details: Domaine Bois d’Yer Chabilis 2007
Style: Dry
Grape variety: Chardonnay
Country of origin: France
The wines from this region of France, are a touch more austere mainly as the soils here are composed of light, sandy topsoil with the Kimmeridgian (limestone-rich) subsoil. The cool climate produces wines with more acidity with a beautiful fresh minerality which makes them the best wine with seafood. The wine has a pale yellow-green tinge, plenty of lovely green apple fruit on the palate, with notes of smokiness & zesty lime but still crisp. 
Product Details: Chabilis J. Moreau & Fils 2009
Style: Dry 
Grape variety: Chardonnay 
 Country of origin: France
 These grapes grow on Portlandien limestone plateaus which is essentially a cool, cloudy climate. Hence the wine is golden in color, tangy with flavors of green apple and honeydew. Very fresh, lite bodied and round mouth with a tangy and lightly spicy finish.
 I paired the Chabilis J. Moreau & Fils 2009 with cheese & the Domaine Bois d’Yer Chabilis 2007 with risotto.
 Cheese Platter with Cheese Ball, Grapes and Wine (Chabilis J. Moreau & Fils 2009)
 The cheese ball forms a perfect hors d'oeuvre along with crunchy vegetables,bread & cheese crackers. It is packed with flavors from mustard & herbs and has the crunch from chopped nuts.

 
For the Cheese Ball

Ingredients  1 tub of cream cheese/drained greek yoghurt
 mix of cheese or a sharp vintage cheddar
 (I have used a mix of Goats cheese, Pié d’Angloys, Camembert)
 50-80g butter
 1tsp of dijon mustard or horesradish
 touch of honey if using horseradish or any spicy mustard
 a little grating of garlic
 chopped fresh herbs like basil or chives
 grated zest of 1/2 a lemon
 toasted walnuts
 Method:
 Bring all the ingredients to room temperature and whip together in a mixer until light & creamy. Wrap in a cling and place into a deep bowl and refrigerate for a couple of hours before un-moulding. Serve with sour dough/rye bread along with cheese crackers and some fresh grapes or figs.

Chabilis-Butternut Squash Risotto
 Yes, I used chabilis instead of the usual wine and absolutely loved the result. The general rule is to use the wine that you'd drink  to cook . Instead of standing & stirring the risotto, I baked it (tip from Donna Hay) as I enjoyed my wine with the cheese board.
 For the Risotto
 Ingredients
 1tbsp butter
 300g carnaroli or arborio (i used carnaroli)
 1 onion and a clove of garlic, chopped
 500g chopped butternut squash
 one glass of chabilis or any white wine
 700ml of stock
 couple of sage leaves
 zafferano a pinch
 freshly grated parmesan
 20g butter
 touch of cream
 salt & pepper to taste
 Method:
 Preheat the oven to 200C. Heat a heavy bottomed pan saute the onions & garlic in the butter. Add the rice, zafferano & sage leaves and coat well till transparent. Now add the wine and stir till it has evaporated. Now transfer the contents to a oven safe pot and pour the hot stock. Season well, give it a stir and bake for about 30min. At this point the risotto will look watery but put it back on heat and add the butter, parmesan & the cream and simmer for 5 minutes. It should be ready tender & creamy but the grains still firm in the center. Serve with more grated parmesan, fried sage leaves & wine.

We finished the meal with a very light but very decadent Deconstructed Eton Mess with berries. Meringue topped with dollops of thick and light cream and fresh berries.
 For the Deconstructed Eton Mess
Ingredients
 2-4 meringue
 handful of fresh berries
 creme fraiche/sour cream/cream/greek yoghurt
 vanilla extract
 honey
 some chopped pistachios or grated chocolate
 Method:
 Whip the creme fraiche/sour cream/cream/greek yoghurt lightly, with vanilla. I used a mix of creme fraiche and diary free cream. Place the meringue onto a plate, spoon the cream mixture and serve with fresh berries, nuts/grated chocolate and a drizzle of honey, just enough to sweeten the palate. 

Disclosure: I am not a wine expert or sommelier and all my views  on the wine-food pairing, are my idea of how it works best for me. I was sent 2 bottles of the wine mentioned here as a part of the challenge. Many thanks for sending the wine.

Daring Bakers: Quick Breads - Herbed Soda Bread

The Daring Bakers’ February 2012 host was – Lis! Lis stepped in last minute and challenged us to create a quick bread we could call our own. She supplied us with a base recipe and shared some recipes she loves from various websites and encouraged us to build upon them and create new flavor profiles.She gave us with a base recipe and shared some recipes she loves from various websites and encouraged us to build upon them and create new flavor profiles.

I chose to make a Herbed Irish Soda bread. Whipping up this baby in my kitchen aid (one of the best purchases I've ever made) was a breeze. 

Herbed Soda Bread (adapted from Rachel Allen)

 Ingredients

500-550g wholemeal bread flour

50g mixed seeds like sunflower, linseed, sesame, pumpkin

1tsp salt

1tsp baking soda

1tbsp mixed herbs like rosemary,oregano, thyme

25g butter

275-300ml buttermilk

1 egg

Method:

I used the dough hook attachment of my kitchen-aid. Rub the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles bread crumbs. Slowly pour the buttermilk and the egg, until it all comes together. The dough should be soft but not very sticky. Dust the kitchen top with flour and scrape the dough onto it. Form into a round about 4-5cm and slit a deep cross. Bake in an preheated oven 200C for 30-45 minutes or until it sounds hollow. Cool on a wire rack.