This is my second batch of hot x buns in as many days. It pays to perfect a recipe and what works for one person may not work for another. I find it funny that a recipe, written in black and white, with the same method and ingredients can result in a different outcomes.
I decided to try a different recipe for hot x buns (mine were quite stodgy) and came across a recipe in my bread maker manual. This recipe required 1 tablespoon each of mixed spice and cinnamon. I love spicy hot cross buns! My bread maker kneaded the dough for an hour and a half which made for the fluffiest little morsels to have ever come out of the bread maker!
For a few years now I have wondered how I could volunteer at a local organisation but with two children I couldn't figure out how that would work. Some years ago, when B was small, we had a babysitter once a week so I could work for a local education centre that assisted marginalised and homeless men to get employment and re-educate. The work was somewhat satisfying but a few hours a week wasn't enough to get my teeth into it.
A month ago I was sitting at a bakery cafe when two women walked into the shop and came out with a garbage bag full of day-old bread. The women worked for a community centre that provides assistance to women escaping relationships of domestic violence (among other services). That started my brain ticking.
I love cooking. I love the idea of volunteering and I don't like seeing the fruits of my labour go to waste. Whipping up a cake once a week (if I have time) for the women's support group is a good way to bake for fun and volunteer without having to find care for the kids. It helps the community centre save their money for more important expenses.
Do you volunteer for an organisation? Have you ever wanted to but couldn't work out the logistics? Volunteering Australia has a stack of information for people considering volunteering their time or you could do what I did and find a local organisation that could utilise your skills. It could be once a year - serving hot meals on Christmas Day.
I made this batch of hot cross buns for the women today. I hope they enjoy them.
ingredients for Breville bread maker
I have included this especially for Mum and Grug!
290ml water
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tblspn butter
1 tspn salt
2 tblspn sugar
3 1/2 cups (525g) bread flour
3 tblspn milk powder
1 tspn bread improver
2 1/4 tspn yeast
1 tblspn ground cinnamon
1 tblspn mixed spice
* Use dough setting (8 on mine). At completion of cycle, knead in 1 cup (150g) sultanas and 1/4 cup (45g) mixed peel. My cycle took 1 hour and a half. The machine did all the kneading so I was pleased!
method
Divide dough into 18 pieces and shape into rounds. (I used a floured surface and a sharp knife). Place closely together in a lightly greased (I greased then floured) tin. Cover loosely with cling wrap and leave to stand in a warm area for 20 minutes or until doubeled in size. To make the paste for the cross, combine the self-raising flour and water and beat to a smooth paste. Put into a baking paper funnel or a small piping ban fitted with a plain nozzle.** Using a sharp knife, make a slight indentation int he shape of a cross on top of each bun just before baking and pipe the prepared paste into the cross.
Bake in a preheated oven 190ºc for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
Meanwhile, to make the glaze, sprinkle the gelatin over the water in a small saucepan. When softened, dissolve over a low heat. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Remove from heat. Remove buns from the oven and brush with the glaze while still hot. Stand the buns in a warm place, such as near the opened door of the turned off oven. This helps to set the glaze.
** I didn't have a piping bag so I filled a snap-lock sandwich bag with the paste and cut the corner of the bag to make an impromptu piping bag.
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