Easter Buns

Well, Easter is a couple of days away. I know, it will be a different one this year. If you have your adult kids still living at home with you – that’s a good thing (did I really say that?!). They will be able to join in the celebration. I’ve heard some are going to teleconference in the family which – in our case, has time zone challenges so lunch or dinner may be difficult but definitely with cocktails, it’s always 5:00 o’clock somewhere.

This is an Easter Bun recipe. Not hot cross bun recipe as there are just so many out there and if you are a foodie following any site, you are being bombarded with recipes. The base of this bun recipe is from one of my favorite Chefs – Jamie Oliver, but I have made some changes after following the recipe the first time – really just personal taste preferences. So here goes.

The base is the same – flour, eggs, milk, yeast etc. The changes I made were in the flavorings. Rather the add ins recommended in the recipe i.e. mixed peel – not a big fan of it, I used citrus peel (also not a big fan of it, but I had some in the pantry), candied ginger, dried blueberries, and currants – quantities are listed below. I also soaked mine in rum and simple syrup. I microwaved this for 30 seconds two times – you are heating alcohol in a contained space at high power. I let it sit and cool for about 1 hour, then strained it to dry the fruit. I saved the liquid for painting the tops of the buns – the original called for honey.

So share this recipe with each household and make these Easter morning and arrange for the call a few hours later. Celebrate the day with a nice red or white wine, craft brew, coffee or tea. Bring some butter and jam to the table and devour over the usual family bickering I mean delightful conversation and humor. Don’t forget you can also add savory items to the menu – prosciutto, hot salami etc. As always – enjoy! This recipe makes 12 buns.

200ml 2% milk
55g unsalted butter
¼ – ½ tsp nutmeg – if you like the taste of nutmeg, use ½, if not, use ¼
455g bread flour or all-purpose flour (it’s just a different chew, the buns will still be delicious)
1 ½ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
55g sugar
7g yeast
1 large egg
1 cup total of add ins – I used 1/3 cup currants, 1/3 cup dried blueberries, 1 tbsp. citrus peel, 2 tbsp. candied ginger
2 tbsp. rum
2 tbsp. simple syrup (must be enough to cover the cup of add ins)

Over low heat, in a small pot, combine the milk, butter and nutmeg – remove from the fire when the butter is melted – don’t let it boil, we will use this to activate the yeast/flour mixture
Combine the flour, cinnamon, salt, sugar and yeast – whisk to mix
Add the egg – whisk the egg with a fork
Pour in the warm butter mixture and form a dough in the bowl
Empty the contents onto a lightly floured surface and knead – about 5 minutes, it must be a smooth dough with no craggy pieces – strive for this, it’s how the professionals make their buns. If you don’t, you will still have tasty buns but maybe not as light or slightly more chewy – and really, aren’t tasty buns more important It’s food, don’t beat yourself up over it
When smooth, place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a towel and let proof for 1 hour – I put mine near a sunny window – see before/after pics below
While it is proofing, combine the cup of add ins – you can make substitutions with what you may have in your pantry – nuts, seeds, raisins etc. If using seeds, don’t add them until after you have microwaved the mixture in the simple syrup – just keep the quantity to 1 cup
After 1 hour, empty the dough which is now doubled in size, onto a lightly floured counter, press to flatten
Add the drained and dry add in mixture of nuts, dried fruit etc.
Fold over and knead to spread evenly throughout the dough
If your add ins are damp, you will need to add additional flour – 1 tbsp. scattered onto the board and dough at a time
Roll into a log and portion into 12 equal pieces – I used a scale with each ball weighing about 75g
Roll the pieces into a smooth ball and place on a baking tray – they will spread a little but you want them to touch when they spread – cover and proof for 30 minutes
Heat the oven to 380f and bake for 20 – 25 minutes – as always, check at 20 – an instant read thermometer should register 195f for it to be done
Remove from the oven and paint with the rum/simple syrup mixture
Enjoy as mentioned above! Happy Easter! Happy Hanukkah!