Ingredients
1 package (2 tsp or 10 mL) active dry yeast
1/3 cup (85 mL) sugar
1 1/2 cups (375 mL) lukewarm water, milk or a combination of both
4- 4 1/2 cups (1 L) all-purpose flour
2 tsp (10 mL) ground cinnamon
1 tsp (5 mL) ground ginger
pinch allspice
1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
1/4 cup (half stick or 60 mL) butter or non-hydrogenated margarine, melted
1 large egg
1 cup (250 mL) golden raisins, currants or a combination
1/3 cup (85 mL) mixed peel (extremely optional)
Paste for crosses
3 tbsp (45 mL) flour
2 tbsp (10 mL) water
Glaze
2 tbsp (10 mL) sugar
1 tbsp (15 mL) water
Directions
Place the yeast, a bit of the sugar and the milk in a bowl and let it sit for 5 minutes to make sure the yeast is active. Sift the flour with the spices and salt, and add almost all of it to the yeast mixture along with the butter, remaining sugar, egg and dried fruit. Mix until dough is sticky.Take the dough out and place it on a floured surface. Knead for about 5 minutes, adding more flour as you need to if it gets sticky, until the dough is smooth and elastic. Knead for another minute for good measure and an upper-body workout.
Place back in the bowl, cover with a towel and let rise for an hour, or until it’s doubled in size. If you want to bake them fresh in the morning, put the bowl in the fridge overnight to slow the rising.
Divide the dough into 12 balls and place in a 9”x13” baking dish or on a cookie sheet – space them close together if you want them to rise and touch and be soft, pull-apart buns, or space them further away if you want them to have a baked crust all the way around. Cover with a towel or loosely with plastic wrap and put them in a warm place for another half hour to an hour. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Mix the flour and water for the crosses, put the mixture in a resealable bag and snip a tiny piece off the corner. Pipe a cross onto the top of each bun and bake them for 25-30 minutes, until golden and well risen. If you want to glaze them, combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan and heat until the sugar dissolves (alternatively you can do this in the microwave). Brush this hot syrup generously over the tops of the buns while they’re still warm.
Orange Chocolate Chunk Buns:
Ease up on the cinnamon a bit and omit the allspice; add the grated zest of an orange along with the melted butter and egg; add 1/2 cup (125 mL) chopped candied orange peel and 1 cup chocolate chips or chunks to the dough instead of the raisins and citron. Omit the paste for the crosses and instead bake them, cool them and cross them with chocolate – place a small handful of chopped chocolate or chocolate chips in a resealable baggie, seal and put in a bowl of warm water until it melts. Snip a small piece off the corner and squeeze the chocolate out onto the buns.
