Would you like to try this recipe? (Photo: SMOOR) Every year, the Friday preceding Easter Sunday is observed as Good Friday by the Christian community across the world. The day marks the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ at Calvary. Good Friday is also known as ‘Holy Friday’, ‘Great Friday’, ‘Great and Holy Friday’, and ‘Black Friday’.
On this day members of the Christian community attend church services and observe fasts. But did you know that hot cross buns are traditionally eaten on this day, especially in Australia, the United Kingdom, South Africa, and other parts of America?
According to goodfoodireland.com, “each bun is decorated with a cross made from flour paste, which represents the cross on which Christ died. The spices in hot cross buns are said to represent the spices which were used to embalm Christ after his death”.
It added: “One old belief says that if you bake your Hot Cross Buns on Good Friday, they won’t go mouldy during the following year. Another tradition states that a hot cross bun was always kept from the batch baked on Good Friday, in case anyone in the family became ill during the next year. A small piece of the bun would be broken off to feed to the patient.”
You can have them just like that or with a bit of butter-toasted on them as well. If you wish to prepare this traditional food today, take a look at this easy recipe by Chef Avijit Ghosh, corporate executive pastry chef at SMOOR.
You can also enjoy it with a slice of cheese too! (Photo: SMOOR)
Ingredients
- 200g – Raisins
- 900g – All-purpose flour
- 100g – Orange zest
- 15g – Spices
- 50g – Unsalted butter
- 50g – Sugar
- 250g – Milk
- 25g – Yeast
- 5g – Salt
Steps
*Begin by dissolving yeast in lukewarm milk. Once done, add 800 grams of flour by following the sifting process.
*Next, add sugar, spices, salt, and orange zest. Mix all the ingredients nicely for 5 minutes at a low-medium speed using a whisker.
*Add the raisins and unsalted melted butter and mix at high speed for 7-8 minutes to prepare a smooth dough.
*Measure a ball of dough for each bun. It should approximately weigh 40 grams each on a kitchen scale. Once you have separated the dough into little balls, set it aside for proofing.
*Then take the remaining 100 grams of flour with enough water to get a thick paste for piping consistency.
*Transfer this mix to a piping bag and make a cross on top of the bun,
*Bake it at 200-degree Celsius for 25-30 minutes.
For more lifestyle news, follow us: Twitter: lifestyle_ie | Facebook: IE Lifestyle | Instagram: ie_lifestyle
- The Indian Express website has been rated GREEN for its credibility and trustworthiness by Newsguard, a global service that rates news sources for their journalistic standards.
