Please Explain: Bread
The Leonard Lopate Show | May 10, 2010
On this week's edition of Please Explain, baker Amy Scherber of Amy's Bread, and bread historian Steven Kaplan (a history professor at Cornell University whose most recent book is Cherchez le pain: The 100 Best Bakeries In Paris) rise to the occasion to answer your questions about bread. Call 212-433-9692.
Recipe: Hot Cross Buns
From Amy’s Bread
One of our traditions is to make at least one special bread to celebrate each holiday throughout the year. For Easter we always make hot cross buns. These little currant filled rolls are slightly sweet, mildly spicy, and richly tender with milk and eggs. In the pre-Christian era, these buns were served to honor the goddess of spring. Later, the cross was cut in the top to symbolize the Christian religion. Hot cross buns are traditionally sold in England on Good Friday. We sell them on Good Friday and the following Saturday too as a special treat for our customer’s Easter Sunday breakfasts. Don’t wait until Easter to try this recipe, however-once you’ve made them, you’ll want them all year round. Be careful not to over bake them, or their delicate flavor will be lost.
Makes 18 buns
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1 tablespoon plus ¾ teaspoon active dry yeast
½ cup (4 ounces) very warm water (105 to 115 F)
¼ cup (2 ounces) warm milk (90 F)
½ cup (3 ¾ ounces) canola oil
1/3 cup (2 ¼ ounces) granulated sugar
1 ½ teaspoons plus a pinch of kosher salt
3 ½ to 3 3/4 cups (16-17 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon grated nutmeg
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
⅔ cup (3 ounces) dried currants
1 large egg white
¾ cup (3 ounces) powdered sugar
¼ teaspoon of vanilla extract
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Equipment: Two 12 by 17-inch baking sheets, lined with parchment paper
1. Place the yeast and warm water in a large bowl and stir with a fork to dissolve the yeast. Allow to stand for about 3 minutes.
2. Add warm milk, canola oil, granulated sugar, and the 1 ½ teaspoons salt to the yeast mixture and stir with a whisk to combine.
3. Mix 1 cup (4 ½ ounces) unbleached flour, the cinnamon, and nutmeg and add to the liquids, stirring with a whisk until the ingredients are well combined. Add the eggs and whisk again. Gradually stir in 2 ½ to 2 3/4 cups (11 ½ to 13 ounces) unbleached flour, just enough to make a very soft, pliable dough.
4. Move the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 to 7 minutes. This is a wet dough and it will be sticky at first, but it becomes easier to work with as the gluten forms to make it springy and give it strength. Return the dough to the bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it rest for 20 minutes. (This rest period is the autolyse.)
5. Knead the dough on the lightly floured surface for about 1 to 2 minutes, or until it becomes smooth, supple, and elastic but not too firm. The texture of the dough will be soft and springy. Keeping the work surface and your hands lightly floured to prevent sticking, gently flatten the dough and spread it into a rectangle about an inch thick. If it resists, let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes, until you can stretch and spread it easily.
6. Spread the dried currants evenly over the rectangle. Fold the whole mass into an envelope (top down, bottom up, sides in) and knead it gently until the currants are well distributed, about 2 to 3 minutes. Some of the currants may pop out of the dough, but they can easily be incorporated again after the first rise, when the dough has softened.
7. Shape the dough into a loose ball and place it in a lightly oiled bowl, along with any loose currants. Turn to coat the top of the dough with oil and cover the bowl tightly with oiled plastic wrap. Let the dough rise at room temperature (75˚ to 77˚F), until doubled in volume, about 1 ½ to 2 hours. (You can also refrigerate the dough, without letting it rise, and let it double slowly overnight. Take it out first thing in the morning and continue with the next step.)
8. Line two 12 by 17-inch baking sheets with parchment paper. When the dough has doubled, gently pour it out of the bowl onto the floured work surface, pressing in any loose currants. Flour your hands lightly and divide the dough into 18 equal pieces (each weighing about 2 ounces). Shape them into rolls and place them on the prepared pans, leaving a 1-inch space around the edges and 2 inches between the rolls so they won’t grow together as they rise. Cover them loosely with oiled plastic wrap and let them rise at room temperature until almost doubled in volume, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. (If the dough has been refrigerated overnight, it will take about twice as long for the rolls to rise.)
9. While the bread is proofing, make an egg wash: In a small bowl, whisk the egg white with the pinch of salt. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside.
10. About 15 minutes before you’re ready to bake, place the oven rack in the top third of the oven and another in the bottom third, and preheat the oven to 400˚F.
11. When the buns have doubled, use a lame, a razor blade, or a small sharp knife to cut a shallow cross on the top of each one. Lightly brush the buns with the egg wash, being careful not to deflate them. (Reserve the remaining egg wash.) Place one pan on each oven rack. Using a plant sprayer, immediately mist the top and sides of the oven 6 to 8 times and quickly close the oven door. After 3 minutes, mist again.
12. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350˚F and bake for 5 to 10 minutes longer, or until the buns have turned a nice gold brown and the surface feels slightly firm but not hard when you press it lightly. These rolls should have a thin soft covering, not a hard crunchy crust. Transfer the rolls to a rack and let them cool for 5 minutes.
13. Meanwhile, make the frosting: In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar with the reserved egg wash and the vanilla and whisk to mix well.
14. While the rolls are still warm, use pastry bag fitted with a small plain tip, or a teaspoon, to make an X of frosting over the cross on each bun. The frosting will harden somewhat as the buns cool. These are best eaten the same day they are baked. If you have any leftovers, you can store them at room temperature in a plastic bag, but they will retain their flavor better if you freeze them, wrapped in aluminum foil and then a heavy-duty freezer bag. Thaw at room temperature before serving, and frost again if necessary.
Recipe: Hot Cross Buns
From Amy’s Bread
One of our traditions is to make at least one special bread to celebrate each holiday throughout the year. For Easter we always make hot cross buns. These little currant filled rolls are slightly sweet, mildly spicy, and richly tender with milk and eggs. In the pre-Christian era, these buns were served to honor the goddess of spring. Later, the cross was cut in the top to symbolize the Christian religion. Hot cross buns are traditionally sold in England on Good Friday. We sell them on Good Friday and the following Saturday too as a special treat for our customer’s Easter Sunday breakfasts. Don’t wait until Easter to try this recipe, however-once you’ve made them, you’ll want them all year round. Be careful not to over bake them, or their delicate flavor will be lost.
Makes 18 buns
************************************
1 tablespoon plus ¾ teaspoon active dry yeast
½ cup (4 ounces) very warm water (105 to 115 F)
¼ cup (2 ounces) warm milk (90 F)
½ cup (3 ¾ ounces) canola oil
1/3 cup (2 ¼ ounces) granulated sugar
1 ½ teaspoons plus a pinch of kosher salt
3 ½ to 3 3/4 cups (16-17 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon grated nutmeg
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
⅔ cup (3 ounces) dried currants
1 large egg white
¾ cup (3 ounces) powdered sugar
¼ teaspoon of vanilla extract
*****************************************
Equipment: Two 12 by 17-inch baking sheets, lined with parchment paper
1. Place the yeast and warm water in a large bowl and stir with a fork to dissolve the yeast. Allow to stand for about 3 minutes.
2. Add warm milk, canola oil, granulated sugar, and the 1 ½ teaspoons salt to the yeast mixture and stir with a whisk to combine.
3. Mix 1 cup (4 ½ ounces) unbleached flour, the cinnamon, and nutmeg and add to the liquids, stirring with a whisk until the ingredients are well combined. Add the eggs and whisk again. Gradually stir in 2 ½ to 2 3/4 cups (11 ½ to 13 ounces) unbleached flour, just enough to make a very soft, pliable dough.
4. Move the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 to 7 minutes. This is a wet dough and it will be sticky at first, but it becomes easier to work with as the gluten forms to make it springy and give it strength. Return the dough to the bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it rest for 20 minutes. (This rest period is the autolyse.)
5. Knead the dough on the lightly floured surface for about 1 to 2 minutes, or until it becomes smooth, supple, and elastic but not too firm. The texture of the dough will be soft and springy. Keeping the work surface and your hands lightly floured to prevent sticking, gently flatten the dough and spread it into a rectangle about an inch thick. If it resists, let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes, until you can stretch and spread it easily.
6. Spread the dried currants evenly over the rectangle. Fold the whole mass into an envelope (top down, bottom up, sides in) and knead it gently until the currants are well distributed, about 2 to 3 minutes. Some of the currants may pop out of the dough, but they can easily be incorporated again after the first rise, when the dough has softened.
7. Shape the dough into a loose ball and place it in a lightly oiled bowl, along with any loose currants. Turn to coat the top of the dough with oil and cover the bowl tightly with oiled plastic wrap. Let the dough rise at room temperature (75˚ to 77˚F), until doubled in volume, about 1 ½ to 2 hours. (You can also refrigerate the dough, without letting it rise, and let it double slowly overnight. Take it out first thing in the morning and continue with the next step.)
8. Line two 12 by 17-inch baking sheets with parchment paper. When the dough has doubled, gently pour it out of the bowl onto the floured work surface, pressing in any loose currants. Flour your hands lightly and divide the dough into 18 equal pieces (each weighing about 2 ounces). Shape them into rolls and place them on the prepared pans, leaving a 1-inch space around the edges and 2 inches between the rolls so they won’t grow together as they rise. Cover them loosely with oiled plastic wrap and let them rise at room temperature until almost doubled in volume, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. (If the dough has been refrigerated overnight, it will take about twice as long for the rolls to rise.)
9. While the bread is proofing, make an egg wash: In a small bowl, whisk the egg white with the pinch of salt. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside.
10. About 15 minutes before you’re ready to bake, place the oven rack in the top third of the oven and another in the bottom third, and preheat the oven to 400˚F.
11. When the buns have doubled, use a lame, a razor blade, or a small sharp knife to cut a shallow cross on the top of each one. Lightly brush the buns with the egg wash, being careful not to deflate them. (Reserve the remaining egg wash.) Place one pan on each oven rack. Using a plant sprayer, immediately mist the top and sides of the oven 6 to 8 times and quickly close the oven door. After 3 minutes, mist again.
12. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350˚F and bake for 5 to 10 minutes longer, or until the buns have turned a nice gold brown and the surface feels slightly firm but not hard when you press it lightly. These rolls should have a thin soft covering, not a hard crunchy crust. Transfer the rolls to a rack and let them cool for 5 minutes.
13. Meanwhile, make the frosting: In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar with the reserved egg wash and the vanilla and whisk to mix well.
14. While the rolls are still warm, use pastry bag fitted with a small plain tip, or a teaspoon, to make an X of frosting over the cross on each bun. The frosting will harden somewhat as the buns cool. These are best eaten the same day they are baked. If you have any leftovers, you can store them at room temperature in a plastic bag, but they will retain their flavor better if you freeze them, wrapped in aluminum foil and then a heavy-duty freezer bag. Thaw at room temperature before serving, and frost again if necessary.
