Easter for buttons - not chocolate ones !!

memorygirl

Hi Yall

Happy OS Easter - hope you had a fabulous one like we did.

Feeling very OS - decided to have an Easter Tea with DS, Grandad,Gran and Grans best friend, his wee pal, his Mum, His Gran - Whew!!!

Decided the flattened soggy Hot Cross Buns looked crap - even on BOGOF. So - gulp!! promised the kids to make our own. Had them mixed, proved and made into buns when they descended at 11am. Had a glorious half hour mixing up the stuff for the crosses and baking/glazing a dozen fabulous buns, before leaving them to cool. Had all the ingredients in my store cupboard so felt very virtuous :rotfl:

Boiled 6 eggs (6 for 50p from market) and the boys slathered on the paint (resorted to hairdrier to get them really dry though) before everyone walked up the hill for some serious rolling - of eggs and boys, what a hoot. They even ate the hard-boiled eggs (must taste different in the fresh air I suppose)

Everyone home and my two wee five year old helpers picked some daffs from the garden before laying out a great Easter Tea. Gingerbread, Malt Loaf and the by now "World Famous" Hot Cross Buns. Masses of tea and too many pieces of cake later we decided that we're never going to buy those flat, soggy, doughy buns from the supermarket again. The fresh, crispy, shiny homemade ones were just fabulous.

Even better dinner was Slow cooker Brisket - about a million yorkshire puddings and masses of roast veggies - with enough leftovers for soup and stovies for today :T Felt like the loaves n fishes story all over again.

Gave Grans pal a lift home - and she says that her Easter Sunday was the best she's had in years. Reminds her of being a kid - although apparently MY Yorkshires are even better than her Mum.

Got to go an lay down now - cos I think I've spent the weekend possessed by Saint Delia (and I've loved every minute). Feel like a "proper" Mum - and really spent buttons on a great weekend.

Roll on all the other holidays - decided I love to cook OS now. So much fun now, better than the freezer n micro stuff we used to have.

Sorry for the ramble

Have a great week guys

Memorygirl

Rachel021967

Good for you. Holidays are too commercialised these days. It's people that count not overpriced goods. By the way can I have your recipe for hot cross buns?
Rachel.

CAFCGirl

WOW!

That all sounds fantastic! I'd love to have a family event like that one year!

Looking forward to a really OS Christmas, I'm such a fiend at that time of year.Picking up ideas already!

memorygirl

Recipe as requested: For 12 yummy buns

15g fast action yeast in 150ml of warm water - leave for 10 mins until frothy

Sift following into bowl:
500g plain flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp mixed spice
2 tsp ground cinnamon

Rub in 50g of butter or margarine

Stir in 50g of soft brown sugar and 75g of sultanas

Warm 100ml of milk, then mix yeast liquid, milk and 1 beaten egg into dry ingredients.

Knead for 5 minutes until smooth and velvety. Cover with a tea towel & prove for a couple of hours until doubled in size.

Knead again for a couple of minutes before making into 12 buns on a baking tray. Cover with a tea towel and leave to prove for another 20 minutes.

NOW FOR THE CLEVER BIT - THE CROSSES

Mix 3 tbsp flour
2 tbsp milk
1 tsp olive oil in a bowl until smooth.

I spooned this into the corner of a freezer bag and rolled up the bag to make a little piping baggie. Snip off the very tip of the bag and you can easily pipe beautiful crosses over all of the buns (improvised cos I don't own a piping bag)

Bake at 200c for 2 minutes until dark golden. Paint the glaze over them as you take them out of the oven to let them cool

SHINY GLAZE - Soooo worth doing cos they look fabulous

Warm 2tbsp milk and 2 tbsp sugar together until sugar melts. Use to glaze the buns as soon as you take them out of the oven and they come out so very shiny and beautiful.

These buns are too good to make only at Easter - I vote we name them Martin buns instead and eat them every week :-)

Memorygril

nuttyrockeress

Clicked thanks memorygirl for the huge smile you bought to my face!

Sounds like you had a fab weekend!

memorygirl

Huge smile - but bigger tummies all round I think

Memorygril

Rachel021967

Thanks memorygirl. Me and the girls will give it ago.
Rachel/hot cross bun addict.