Mina's Tea Buns

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar or baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed

1 cup sultana raisins (optional)

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk or (1/4 cup Carnation Milk plus 1/4 cup water)

splash of vanilla

Preparation

Soak raisins in enough hot tap water to cover and set aside.

In large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, cream of tarter and salt. With pastry blender, 2 knives or fingertips, cut in butter until in coarse crumbs with a few larger pieces. Drain and mix in raisins.

In glass measure, beat egg with fork; add milk, stirring to blend. Remove 2 tablespoons and set aside.

Pour remaining mixture, all at once, into centre of flour mixture. Stir with fork just until dough comes together to form wet dough. Using hands, shape into ball. Transfer to lightly floured surface; pat out into scant 3/4-inch (2 cm) thickness.

Using floured 2-inch round cutter, cut out buns. Repeat with scraps once. Place on parchment paper–lined baking sheet. Brush with reserved milk mixture. Bake in 375°F oven until risen, golden and firm to the touch, about 18 to 20 minutes. 

Special Instructions:

Hot Cross Buns for Good Friday

Last week at the Grace in the Kitchen we had a visit from a 95 year old lady from Great Britain. She tried one of my hot cross buns and remarked to my co-worker Christine that they were good, but could use a touch more spice. I had used a recipe from our baking lab files from when I attended the Baking and Pastry Arts Program at Algonquin College. I went out to talk to her to see what she thought was missing. She offered to bring in her recipe which was also her mothers and I gladly accepted. True to her word her daughter showed up at the store the next day with the recipe. The recipe from school had only called for cinnamon!

Hot Cross Buns

Ingredients

1 pound flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
a pinch of cloves
3 oz. butter
3 oz. sugar
4 oz. currents and peel
1 oz. yeast
1/2 pint milk

Directions

Sift together flour, salt, spices and all the sugar but 1 tsp.

Rub butter into flour, add fruit.

Cream yeast with 1 tsp. sugar and add warmed milk.

Place bowl in warm place until yeast becomes spongy-about 15 minutes.

Make a well in the flour mixture, pour in the yeast, mix well into a light dough.

Beat until dough is spongy.

Leave in warm place to rise-about 1 1/2 hours-until doubled in size (bulk).

Turn onto a floured board, kneed lightly and cut into 12 oven even-sized pieces. Shape into buns.

Place 3 inches apart on a warmed greased cookie sheet and leave to proof another 20 minutes in a warm place.

Using the back of a knife mark each bun with a cross.

Melt sugar, 1 tablespoon, in 1 tablespoon warm water and brush buns with it.

Bake in a fairly hot oven: 400 degrees F. (gas #6) for 20 minutes.

Let cool to room temperature.