Easter Rolls This recipe, more commonly known as Hot Cross buns, provides an excellent accompaniment for the holiday table. With these rolls so rich with butter, eggs, and a hint of orange, you wont have to worry about leftovers!
1 1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 cup butter, soften
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. salt
2 TBSP active dry yeast or 1 1/2 TBSP instant yeast
3 large eggs (room temp)
6 cups bread flour (approx)
1/2 to 1 cup currants
1 TBSP grated orange peel
1. Heat 3/4 cup of juice & pour over butter, sugar, cinnamon, & salt in mixing bowl, set aside until lukewarm.
2. Warm remaining 1/2 cup juice in separate bowl, cool to warm (105-110 F) and add yeast, mix well until dissolved and set aside 5-10 minutes to proof.
3. Add eggs to butter mixture and blend well, add 2 cups of flour 1 cup at a time and mix well, add yeast mixture when foamy and mix well.
4. Add currants and orange peel and continue to mix adding only enough of remaining flour 1 cup at a time until you have a smooth dough that begins to pull from sides of mixing bowl, approx mixing time should be 6-8 minutes by mixer or 10 minutes by hand.
5. Place dough in large greased bowl or bucket, cover and let rise in a warm draft free area until doubled in size, approximately 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
6. Gently punch down dough, shape into 2-3 oz rolls, place on baking sheet with parchment paper, cover with oiled plastic wrap and rise for 30-45 minutes until almost doubled.
7. Bake in preheated 375 F oven 15-20 minutes or until done, remove from sheet immediately and cool on rack.
For shiny golden crust mix 1 egg with 1 TBSP water and brush rolls just before baking.
For shiny clear crust mix 1 egg white with 1 TBSP water and brush rolls just before baking.
For soft crust, brush rolls gently with milk before baking or with butter right after they come out of oven.