Aussie Potato Hot Cross Buns Food

HOT CROSS BUNS

Steps:

• Combine yeast, water, and milk; stir well.
• Mix with, potatoes, sugar, salt, butter, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and raisins.
• Beat in flour by cups.
• Knead 5 minutes.
• Let rise 1 1/2 hours.
• Punch down and divide in half 5 times, for 32 pieces of dough.
• Fold the corners in to make balls.
• Snip a cross onto the top of each ball.
• Let rise for 40 minutes.
• Brush with egg yolk and water.
• Bake 20 minutes at 375.
• While the buns are baking, combine milk, sugar, and vanilla to make icing.
• When buns are cool, drizzle icing over cross.

HOT CROSS BUNS

Steps:

• Mix together the yeast, water and sugar and set aside for a few minutes until the yeast starts to foam.
• Mix together the flour, spices and salt.
• With a mixer or by hand, mix the flour, eggs and butter into the yeast-water mixture.
• Now add the raisins.
• The dough will be somewhat sticky, but should pull away from the sides of the bowl and form a ball.
• If not, add a little more flour.
• Cover with a towel and let it rest in a warm place until it doubles in bulk.
• Be sure it's in a large enough bowl to accommodate the new size.
• Punch dough down and cut into small 2 1/2-ounce pieces(just eyeball it).
• Roll into a ball and place on a baking sheet several inches apart.
• When all are lined up, cover again with a towel and put in a warm place away from drafts. Allow to rise for 15-20 minutes.
• You'll need more than one baking sheet.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• While waiting, make the 'crosses' by mixing together the flour, water and salt so it's thick enough to pipe through a pastry bag fitted with a small round tip, about an inch in diameter.
• Pipe a cross on each risen bun.
• Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden.
• While the buns are baking, make the glaze. Boil together the sugar, water and corn syrup over moderate heat until the sugar is completely dissolved.
• When it looks clear, brush down the sides with a pastry brush dipped in cold water.
• Allow to cool.
• It'll be sticky, but still brushable.
• When the buns are removed from the oven, cool on a wire rack and brush with glaze.
• (Please note that the yield is an estimate because it depends on what size you prefer to make your buns.).

HOT CROSS BUNS

Steps:

• Combine rolls and press or roll to flatten.
• Combine sugar and spices in a bowl.
• Sprinkle flattened dough with 1/3 of the sugar mixture and 1/3 of the cranberries or raisins.
• Fold dough over on itself and flatten again.
• Repeat the sugar and cranberries process and fold over again.
• Repeat one more time.
• Knead the dough as necessary to completely incorporate the added ingredients.
• If dough becomes too sticky, sprinkle lightly with flour.
• Shape into a log and cut into 12 equal pieces.
• Shape each piece into a ball and place on a sprayed baking sheet.
• Cover with sprayed plastic wrap and let rise until almost double in size.
• Remove wrap and bake at 350°F 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
• Let cool.
• Mix ingredients for frosting and frost rolls.

AUSSIE EASTERN-STYLED POTATOES

Steps:

• In a non-stick skillet over medium heat, add oil and potatoes. Cook until the pototoes are almost done - not quite fork tender. Actual cooking time will depend on the size of your cubes.
• Add the onions, garlic and cumin and continue cooking until potatoes are fully cooked and the onions are soft with a bit of color.
• Add olives and continue cooking until they are warm. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• You can serve this as a side dish or as a vegetarian/vegan entree.

HOT CROSS BUNS

Steps:

• Measure the flour, yeast, sugar, salt, and lemon zest into a large mixing bowl or into the work bowl of a food processor.
• Heat milk to boiling in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.
• Remove from heat and add the butter.
• Stir until the butter is melted.
• Stir in the eggs.
• Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients, and process or mix with an electric mixer until the dough is smooth but soft, about 2 minutes.
• Mix in the raisins, almonds, and candied fruits.
• Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 1 hour.
• Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Turn the dough out onto an oiled surface.
• Dust the dough with flour and knead to express air bubbles.
• Divide the dough into 16 equal parts.
• Shape each into a round ball.
• Place the balls of dough, smooth side up, about 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.
• Let rise in a warm place, lightly covered, until almost doubled, for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 400 F.
• Brush the tops of the buns with the egg glaze.
• Slash a cross in the center of each bun with a sharp knife.
• Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until golden.
• While the buns bake, mix the icing ingredients in a small bowl.
• Place the icing into a pastry bag with a small tip.
• Slide the parchment onto the counter top to cool or transfer the rolls onto a wire rack to cool.
• Pipe the icing into the shape of a cross on top of each bun.
• Serve warm.
• Makes 16 buns.
• Beatrice Ojakangas.
• The Great Holiday Baking Book.

HOT CROSS BUNS - UPDATED VERSION

Steps:

• Combine one package of yeast, water, and milk; stir well.
• Mix with potatoes, sugar, and 1 cup of the flour. Whisk until combined and refrigerate for 8-12 hours.
• Remove the sponge from the refrigerator, and add remaining yeast, salt, butter, eggs, spices and orange peel. Beat in flour by cups until combined.
• Knead by hand or with a dough hook for 5-10 minutes, until elastic. Add the dried chopped fruit and knead until just combined.
• Place in a warm, humid area and allow to rise 1-2 hours until doubled in volume. (If the kitchen is cold, put the dough in the oven (NOT heated), with a pan of water just off the boil on the rack beneath. The steam will prevent a skin from forming, and the hot water will give enough heat to let the dough rise without cooking it (and killing the yeast).
• Fold out gently and separate into 32 pieces of dough. A bench scraper works very well here - cut the main ball in half, then quarter each half, then quarter each quarter. This means you halve the dough 5 times in total, but it's easier for me to track as above.
• Fold the corners in to make balls. Pull the dough tight at the bottom to smooth the balls out. 2 halfsheets will hold the entire batch with room to rise.
• Bench proof for 40 minutes.
• Cut a cross onto the top of each ball (a slicing knife or razor blade works best to make the cross without pulling the dough together as with a scissors). Brush with egg yolk and water.
• Bake 20 minutes at 375, or until an instant read thermometer reads 205-210.
• Allow the buns to rest for at least 30 minutes.
• While the buns are resting, combine milk, sugar, and vanilla to make icing.
• When cool, drizzle icing on each bun, allowing it to collect in the cross.