Hot cross bun

“ The danger of a mob assembling outside a London bun-shop on Good Friday morning has passed away. Mr. Henry Attwell sadly observed, in Notes and Queries, April 28, 1900, that “the last Good Friday of the nineteenth century” found the hot-cross bun degenerated from a spiced bun (“the spice recalling to the few who cared about its religious suggestiveness the embalming of our Lord”) into a vulgarised currant bun marked with deep indentures for convenience of division, instead of the old slight cross in which there was a touch of mystery. ”

“ The bun-venders who eclipse the rest in voice and activity, are young women who drive fruit-barrows—barrows, by the bye, are no more, but of them by and bye. A couple of these ex-barrow-women trip along, carrying a wicker clothes-basket between them, in which the “hot-cross-buns” are covered, first by a clean flannel or green baize, and outwardly by a clean white cloth, which coverings are slowly and partially removed, for fear of letting the buns cool, when a customer stops to buy, or calls them to the door. ”

“ There is a semi-sacred bread eaten by the English race, and by no one else—the hot-cross bun—millions of which are devoured in England on Good Friday. Its origin is obscure, as is also that of the word ‘bun.’ Most dictionaries derive it from the old French bigne, or bugne—a swelling; but it certainly occurs in an early Promptorium Parvulorum, as ‘bunne-brede.’ Anent ‘Eating Buns on Good Friday,’ a correspondent in the Athenæum of April 4, 1857, p. ”

“ It is of sovereign [pg 034] good in all manner of diseases that may afflict the family, or flocks and herds. I have seen a little of this cake grated into a warm mash for a sick cow." Hot cross buns were supposed to have great power in preserving friendship. If two friends broke a bun in half exactly at the cross, while standing within the church-doors on Good Friday morning before service, and saying the words—
"Half for you, and half for me,
Between us two good-will shall be. Amen,"
then, so long as they kept their halves, no quarrel would arise between them. ”

“ Hot Cross Buns.—Sift together 1 quart flour, 1⁄2 teaspoon salt, 1 cup sugar, 3 scant teaspoons Royal Baking Powder. Rub in 1⁄2 cup butter, then add 1⁄2 pound cleaned currants, 1⁄2 teaspoon nutmeg, 1⁄4 pound cut citron, 1⁄4 pound seeded raisins, 1⁄2 teaspoon allspice. Beat 2 eggs, add 1⁄2 cup milk, and stir into the dry mixture, adding enough more milk to mix to a firm dough. Mold into round buns, lay 2 inches apart on greased pans, brush with milk. Cut cross on each, sprinkle cut with granulated sugar, bake in hot oven. ”

“ Price's Baking Powder 1⁄4 teaspoon nutmeg 3⁄4 teaspoon cinnamon 2 tablespoons shortening 1⁄3 to 2⁄3 cup water 1 egg
Sift together flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, and spice; add melted shortening to beaten egg and water to make soft dough and mix well. Turn out on floured board; with floured hands shape into small rolls; place on greased shallow pan close together; allow to stand 10 to 15 minutes before baking; brush with milk and sprinkle with a little maple or brown sugar. Bake in moderate oven 20 to 30 minutes.
For hot cross buns, with sharp knife make deep cross cuts ”

“ They were also used as a panacea for the diseases of animals, as well as serviceable to frighten away evil spirits and goblins. These hot cross buns which figured in such a peculiar manner in South Pembrokeshire, nothing is known of them in the adjoining counties of Carmarthen and Cardigan, among the country people ”

“ Having, from the earliest period of memory, cherished a particular regard for hot-cross buns and149 all their pleasing associations, it was a source of gratifying reflection to see my old favourites thus brought into intimate association with the pious thoughts of the primitive Christians, and to know that at home we cherished an ancient usage on Good Friday which the more Catholic nations of Europe no longer observed. But, alas! there is always some drawback to our full satisfaction in this world, and knowledge is often a cruel dissipation of favourite convictions ”

“ Mix the whole together into a nice mellow dough. If the flour is not very good and strong, about 4-6 oz. more may be required to make the dough of the required consistence. Cover the pan; let remain in a warm place for about 1⁄2 hour, or until the dough has risen 4 in. Make into buns by moulding the dough up into small balls lightly under the hands, and place on warm tins, slightly rubbed over with butter, about 3-4 in. asunder. Half-prove, and cross; brush the tops over with milk, and finish proving; bake in a hot oven; when done, brush the tops over again with milk. ”

“ Work well to distribute the fruit and then form into a long roll three inches thick. Cut off pieces about one and one-half ounces and form into buns. Let rest for fifteen minutes and then roll into round buns and place in a well-greased baking pan [pg 22] and let rise for thirty minutes. Make a hole in the centre of each bun with a small wooden stick and wash the buns with egg and milk. Bake in a moderate oven for twenty minutes. Cool, and then fill the centre with jelly, and ice with water icing. ”

“ Then sprinkle in, by degrees, the extra quarter of a pound of sifted flour, and lastly add a wine-glass of strong rose-water. When all has been well stirred, butter (with fine fresh butter,) an oblong iron or block-tin pan, and carefully put the bun mixture into it. Cover it with a clean cloth, and set it near the fire to rise. It may require five hours; therefore buns wanted for tea should be made in the forenoon. When the batter has risen very high, and is covered with bubbles, put the pan immediately into a moderate but steady oven, and bake it. ”

“ Then with a little fresh flour sprinkled over the hands to prevent the dough sticking to them, he pats it and makes it into the shape of a large bun or several buns.
Then he puts it on a gridiron over hot ashes, or sweeps part of the fire to one side, and on the hot ground left there he puts his dough, and piles hot ashes round it and lets it bake itself. ”

“ When dough is light, stir with spoon, let rise again. Then shape into small balls about the size of a large walnut. Put into well greased baking pans, well spaced, about 15 in a 10×15 in. pan. Brush top with melted fat and let rise in warm place until light. Then in the center of each bun make a small indentation with your fingers and fill each with at least 1 tbsp. of prepared filling. Return to warm place to finish rising. Bake in a very hot oven until brown, 400 - 425 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes. ”

“ To the above mixture put one ounce and a half of ground allspice, cinnamon, and mace, mixed; and when half proved, press the form of a cross with a tin mould (made for the purpose) in the centre, and proceed as above.
Seed Buns.— (No. 79.)
Take two pounds of plain bun dough (No. 77) , and mix in one ounce of caraway seeds; butter the insides of small tart-pans; mould the dough into buns, and put one in each pan; set them to rise in a warm place; and when sufficiently proved, ice them with the white of an egg beat to a froth, and laid on with a paste-brush ”

“ Mix the flour, cornflour, and baking powder together, beat the butter and sugar to a cream, beat in the egg, flavouring, and milk, then the flour, &c., and continue to beat for five minutes. Butter some small bun tins, half fill them with the mixture, put into a moderate oven and bake for about twenty minutes; stand on a sieve till cold. ”

“ All that is needed is to weigh 8 lbs. of dough, place it in the pan, and at one stroke of a lever thirty buns or cakes are divided ready to mould.
21.—Chelsea Buns.
Take plain bun dough (or if for common buns, bread dough) , roll it out in a sheet, break some firm butter in small pieces and place over it, roll it out as you would paste; after you have given it two or three turns, moisten the surface of the dough, and strew over it some moist sugar; roll up the sheet into a roll, and cut it in slices; or cut the dough in strips of the required size and turn them round ”

“ When it is well risen and bubbles appear on the top, add a little salt, some pounded sugar, and as much flour as will form it into a light dough. Leave it to rise again, when it will probably be too little firm for moulding with the fingers, and must be beaten up with a strong wooden spoon and put into cups or tin pans slightly buttered, to be baked. The buns should be sent to a quick oven, and baked until the entire surface is well browned. ”

“ Brand quotes a writer in the Gentleman's Magazine who shows that they were "formerly, at least, unleavened," p. 156. They "are constantly marked with the form of the cross." "It is an old belief that the observance of the custom of eating buns on Good Friday protects the house from fire, and several other virtues are attributed to these buns," p. ”

“ As a general rule, not much consideration need be given to the utilising of left-over hot breads, for these are not often baked in large quantities and consequently are usually eaten at the meal for which they are intended. Still, if any should be left over, they should never be wasted, for there are various ways in which they may be used. The small varieties, such as muffins, biscuits, etc, may be freshened so that they will be almost as good as when first baked by putting them into a hot oven for a few minutes. ”

“ Skin and wash the rabbit, and cut it up in pieces; fry these brown with a bit of butter, season with chopped onions, parsley, and winter savory, pepper and salt, shake in a good spoonful of flour, moisten with a little ketchup and a gill of water; toss the saucepan about on the fire while the pieces of rabbit boil for about ten minutes, and then pour the whole into a proper sized basin lined with a suet or dripping crust; let the pudding be covered in with some of the [39] paste, put into a baking-dish half full of hot water, and placed in the oven, to bake for an hour and a-half. ”

“ The rabbit is prepared as described in No. 15, well larded, cut into pieces large enough for each person. The forelegs may be larded too. These pieces are fried in 1⁄4 lb. of butter until they are light brown. Now pour the drippings into a deep roasting pot, add the bacon slices and make a layer of hare meat, season with salt, pepper, cloves and put on 1 cup of rye bread crumbs. Over this pour the red wine. After making another layer of meat and bread crumbs, cover the pot well and stew slowly 2 to 21⁄2 hours. Serve the meat on a hot platter, strain the gravy, flavor and pour it over the meat. ”

“ Put into a stewpan 1⁄2 lb. butter, or 1⁄4 lb. butter and 1 gill cream, dredge in carefully a little flour and a little salt, throw in the onions, and shake them up gently till the mixture is smooth; keep stirring all the time.
Having the rabbits piping hot, smother them in the onion sauce, and garnish with lemon and sippets. An excellent sauce for boiled rabbit may also be made by boiling and pounding the liver. Add to this some good veal stock, or broth from the rabbit, season with mace and allspice, boil up and strain ”

“ A bath bun is much better. Beverage, gingerbeer or a little ginger wine.
Tournedos à la Busby.—It is a very astonishing thing that I never could persuade school-boys that this is a most succulent, scholastic supper-dish, exceptionally brisk and pungent in its flavour. Perhaps their aversion to it is based on the fact that the tournedos is usually served very hot indeed towards the conclusion of the repast by the Rev. Principal. It is accompanied by a brown sauce made of a bouquet de bouleau full of buds and marinaded in mild pickle.
Curried Rabbit.—Proceed to Ostend and procure a rabbit ”

“ Wipe dry and broil whole, with the exception of the head, when you have gashed across the back-bone in eight or ten places that the heat may penetrate this, the thickest part. Your fire should be hot and clear, the rabbit turned often. When browned and tender, lay upon a very hot dish, pepper and salt and butter profusely, turning the rabbit over and over to soak up the melted butter. Cover and set in the oven for five [159] minutes, and heat in a tin cup two tablespoonfuls of vinegar seasoned with one of made mustard. ”

“ Make them not quite half an inch thick, as they rise in baking. Do not let them touch each other in the pan, and let the oven be very hot. It is well not to have beaten biscuit and light bread baked at the same time, as they require different degrees of heat. When two kinds of bread are required, try to have two such as require the same amount of heat. Egg bread and corn muffins require the same degree of heat as beaten biscuit, while Sally-Lunn and muffins need the same as light bread. ”

“ Although the original bread for Rabbit toast was white, there is now no limit in choice among whole wheat, graham, rolls, muffins, buns, croutons and crackers, to infinity.
No. 2 (with milk)
For a rich milk Rabbit use 1⁄2 cup thin cream, evaporated milk,
whole milk or buttermilk, instead of beer as in No. 1. Then, to
keep everything bland, cut down the mustard by half or leave
it out, and use paprika in place of cayenne. As in No. 1, the
use of Worcestershire sauce is optional, although our feeling is
that any spirited Rabbit would resent its being left out. ”

“ Egg, breadcrumb, and quickly fry each piece brown, or roll each piece well in flour and fry. Put the pieces carefully into the gravy and onion, leave them 5 minutes [365] near the fire to imbibe the gravy and get thoroughly hot; toast some thin slices of bacon in a Dutch oven, put them round a hot dish, and place the rabbit in the centre. The stew must not simmer after the pieces of the rabbit are put in, else they will break from the bone. ”