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Hot cross buns are a traditional Scottish bread. They contain spices and fruit and are glazed with a white pastry cross.

The ingredients »

• 1 cup of scalded milk
• 1 cup of butter
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 x cake compressed yeast
• 1 x egg, well beaten
• 4 cups of sifted flour
• 3 teaspoons of cinnamon
• 1 cup of currants
• 1 x egg
• 1 tablespoon of water
• 1 x sheet of icing

How to make »

1. Pour the scalded milk over the butter, sugar and salt; cool to lukewarm. Add the crumbled yeast and let rest for 5 minutes.
2. Add the egg, flour and cinnamon to make a soft dough and then fold in the currants. Let the mixture rise in a warm place (80 to 85F.) until double in bulk - about 2 hours.
3. Shape into large buns and place and inch apart on a buttered baking sheet. Let rise in a warm place until double in bulk - about 1 hour.
4. Brush tops of buns with 1 egg slightly beaten with 1 tablespoon of water.
5. Bake in a preheated oven for 20 minutes at 400F.
6. When cool decorate top of each bun with a cross, using the following icing: Place 1/2 egg white in a small mixing bowl.
7. Using a wooden spoon, beat in as much powdered sugar as the egg white will absorb and add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice gradually as the mixture thickens.
8. Spread at once as mixture hardens quickly.