Sunday, March 10, 2013

Some Hot Cross Buns!

 
Well it appears we went from the sweet candy of yesterday to these gems. Hot Cross Buns! To me, Hot Cross Buns are as synonymous with Good Friday as scrambling around town to buy Easter Egg dye and synthetic green grass for my cousins Easter baskets. There’s so much legend and lore behind Hot Cross Buns, which date back to the old country.  Are you familiar with these?



A Hot Cross Bun is a spiced sweet bun made with currants or raisins and marked with a cross on the top, traditionally eaten on Good Friday. But I enjoy them for breakfast till Easter. In many historically Christian countries, buns are traditionally eaten hot or toasted during Lent, beginning with the evening of Mardi Gras ,the evening before Ash Wednesday, through Good Friday, with the cross standing as a symbol of the Crucifixion. They are believed by some to pre-date Christianity, although the first recorded use of the term "hot cross bun" was not until 1733.
It is believed that buns marked with a cross were eaten by Saxons in honor of the goddess Eostre (the cross is thought to have symbolised the four quarters of the moon) "Eostre" is probably the origin of the name "Easter".



English folklore includes many superstitions surrounding hot cross buns. One of them says that buns baked and served on Good Friday will not spoil or mold during the subsequent year. Another encourages keeping such a bun for medicinal purposes. A piece of it given to someone who is ill is said to help them recover. Sharing a hot cross bun with another is supposed to ensure friendship throughout the coming year, particularly if "Half for you and half for me, Between us two shall goodwill be" is said at the time. Because there is a cross on the buns, some say they should be kissed before being eaten. If taken on a sea voyage, hot cross buns are said to protect against shipwreck. If hung in the kitchen, they are said to protect against fires and ensure that all breads turn out perfectly. The hanging bun is replaced each year. Well I don't think I'll be hanging one in the kitchen, but I do love them.  I’m not sure if that’s due to their inherent powers of the buns…or just all the delish carbohydrate goodness. The line is kind of blurry. Either way, Hot Cross Buns are a fun, meaningful Easter tradition, with my family as my grandmother used to make them, and now my aunt does. I have not mastered the rise  yet. I know your all shocked by that!!! I just order mine.



Here are the ones from the bakery I went to on Friday.........

 
huh, why yes...there does seem to be two missing already! why it must have been the houseboys. And if you do enjoy some Hot Cross Buns this season**  be sure to kiss them before eating. I always do. Tootles! 

32 comments:

  1. those buns look yummy

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  2. Kissing buns is a calling, really, and I'm ready to answer.


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    1. Our Mistress is always ready to answer too, every night before bed...she kisses the buns!

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  3. You know, I never knew this and I see them in the Reading Terminal all the time around Easter. And how many times did you use the word buns?

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  4. I have never had hot cross buns, but now I am dying to try them from seeing them on here. I didn’t even know they were an Easter thing!

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  5. Cool post. I have had a different type of hot cross bun before!

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    1. Nice new picture. Is it me, or are you happy to see me?

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  6. I have loved hot cross buns ever since I was a little girl! It's always a happy day for me when they start showing up in the stores right before Easter again . . . time to binge while they last!

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  7. Yum! Never made them, nor did I know much about their tradition til today!

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  8. I have long said the Mistress had the finest buns in the city!

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    1. They are quite aren't they?

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    2. but can you bounce a quater off it?

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    3. you can bounce a roll of quarters off them!!!

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  9. I haven’t made these in ages – thanks for reminding us about this good old fashioned tradition. I am such a dough gal too! These are dreamy...

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  10. My mom died one year ago tomorrow, and she loved hot cross buns. I may make some in her honor! Even though Im not a baker. Great post!

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    1. So sorry to hear that Josh, but glad your doing well.

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  11. Looks yummy, minus the raisins. Can you tell I’m a picky eater? I love and respect that you keep so my family traditions alive. So many young ones don't these days! Lovely post.

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  12. I haven't had these since I was young! My grandmother too made these. I am going grocery shopping today and making sure I buy some if I see them.

    Yumm….......

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  13. "taken on a sea voyage, hot cross buns are said to protect against shipwreck." This must be why I found them in your sundries case.

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  14. I will be making them, maybe for Holy Saturday instead of Good Friday. I’ve always wondered how the buns can be a Good Friday tradition when lots of people fast on that day? Oh well, either way, I’m psyched because this will be my first time making them!

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  15. By the post title I was expecting houseboy hot buns.
    I guess these'll do.

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  16. Anonymous3/10/2013

    I'm with Bob. I did not expect to see food in this post. *laughs*

    They look yummy!

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  17. You can only imagine what I thought this post was going to be about.

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  18. OK, here’s the perfect Easter-Passover recipe story. My family is Christian; I converted to Judiasm while I was in college. IF Easter and Passover didn’t collide (calendar conflicts), my mother would make hot cross buns, but would put a Star of David on mine. My brother, who was still small, would be angry because the buns with stars had more frosting than the buns with crosses.

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  19. WOW! Those are gorgeous buns! I feel very deprived – I never had hot cross buns when I was growing up. ~pout~ I may have to rectify that void in my life.

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  20. I was thinking we were going to be treated to pillow talk! They do look good though.

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  21. If I was doing Easter dinner, those would be on my table for sure.

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  22. Dreamt of my ex’s mother last night, whom i adored and shared many hours in the kitchen with. now i know why–Good Friday is upon us, and Hot Cross Bun time, and she is a big part of that tradition in my mind.

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Go ahead darling, tell me something fabulous!