"Hot cross buns, hot cross buns!
One a penny, two a penny,
Hot cross buns!
If you haven't any daughters,
Give them to your sons!"
They're supposedly for Good Friday, but it makes no sense to me to bake them on a fast day. Because you have to taste them. And lick the frosting bowl. And eat a couple, just for good measure. So I made them yesterday.
Here is a bit of history:
"There are many theories on the origin of the bun. One theory dates back to the 14th century when an Anglican monk baked the buns at St Albans Abbey and called them the ‘Alban Bun’. He then distributed them to the poor on Good Friday. They soon gained popularity around England and became a symbol of the Easter weekend. In 1582, the London clerk of markets issued a ban on the sale of the buns by bakers. This was because of superstitions that the buns carried medicinal or magical properties. Elizabeth I of England passed a law permitting them only to be sold at Easter and Christmas. The English got around this law by baking the buns at home and eventually the law was rescinded due to the popularity of the treat. The first recorded reference to hot cross buns was in ‘Poor Robin Almanac‘ in the 1700s."
Interesting! Never have had them. I made scones today from scraps of ingredients I had in hand. No flour, yeast, or scratch cooking stuff to be had here.
ReplyDeleteI used the recipe on the King Arthur flour site. Finally got a chance to use up those currants which had been drying up in the cupboard.
ReplyDeleteLove King Arthur flour. Plus 100 percent employee owned. They have a nice little online store, but we are trying to consolidate all shopping to local store and pharmacy to reduce the number of workers who have to cater to our whims.
ReplyDeleteOmigosh, what is it with King Arthur? There are two guys in my men's group who, if you say "king" or "Arthur," much less both together, go off on recipes I've made, recipes I want to make, recipes that would be interesting, recipes I have modified, etc., etc., etc. Is it a cult?
DeleteKing Arthur is all over Facebook. Their recipes are really good, and they work. I would buy their flour if I saw it, but I don't think the stores here carry it. It may be more of an eastern thing. We still have flour, HyVee store brand at least. We ought to, we grow a lot of wheat, especially in the western end of the state. There are also getting to be a few little craft millers around.
DeleteJean, at least with online sales they don't have to be in direct contact with customers. I shop mostly local, too, where possible. But especially with a small company like that the online sales may help keep people employed.
DeleteTom, King Arthur flour fans are no weirder than Cubs fans, who, when the Cubs are mentioned go into a trance-like state and start talking about various players, games the team almost won, arcane info about Wrigley field, and like that.
DeleteKing Arthur flour is a good product, and they have a nice recipe section, and a help line for bread bakers. The preferred brand of Bess Truman.
Now hush up and have a hot cross bun.
I have never had them either. Him, the bakery opens early tomorrow...
ReplyDeleteBtw the grocery store has been out of flour 3 weeks running. Last week I stopped at a different store and all they had left were a few bags of Cerasota brand which costs double the mainstream brands - not sure why.
There is flour available on Amazon. Mostly large quantities (50 lb) but also gold medal flour in normal size. Delivery in a week or so.
ReplyDeleteI haven't had, or seen, a hot cross bun in 30 years, and now you've made me want one.
ReplyDeleteI think there are a lot of people doing stress baking and cooking. That wasn't the case with me, I just thought it would be good, and I had the ingredients. But some of my relatives ought to start a YouTube food channel.
ReplyDeleteThere is a young couple who had bought an old style flour mill in one of the small towns prior to the pandemic. I heard they're doing a brisk business in online sales. So this might be a moment of opportunity for some niche small businesses which sell a product that's in short supply.
Over in Holland Michigan, they actually grind flour at the windmill brought over from real Holland. It is very good. Something about the taste of stone ground flour that's fresh and hasn't been sitting around for years that really grabs you.
DeleteJust completed a Dollar General run for some toiletries wearing a mask. The anonymity is really weird. Our town has around 22,000 people. But I rarely go anyplace without running into someone I know. And I'm not even a social butterfly. But we are all ships passing in the night now. I don't go out looking like a slob. But didn't even put on any lipstick, it'd just get smeared on the mask.
ReplyDelete