Yummy!

I realize no themed week would be complete without a recipe so I found this one, Hot Cross Buns. Sr. Kitchen gave me the recipe with a story as well. Apparently the pope came to visit St. Clare and her sisters. After they had conversed together Clare ordered the table to be set and bread to be laid out for the Holy Father. This being done she asked him to bless it. Upon hearing her request the pope kindly declined and expressed his desire for her to bless the bread. Holy Mother St. Clare was greatly troubled and said it would be a disgrace indeed for her to bless the meal in the presence of the Vicar of Christ. Still his Holiness insisted and Clare out of obedience blessed the bread. After the blessing,on all the loaves appeared a small cross. The pope rejoiced that he had been privileged to witness such a miracle and brought some buns back to Rome with him in testimony of Clare's sanctity. To this day Franciscans all over the world bake Hot Cross Buns around Easter time in remembrance of Christ's passion and in honor of our Holy Mother.
(Thank you Sr. Kitchen for the modern translation of this recipe. The old one would be difficult for a modern reader to use.)

Hot Cross Buns

Ingredients: 1 cup of milk
2 tablespoons of yeast
1/2 cup of sugar
2 teaspoons of salt
1/3 cup of butter, melted and cooled
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
4 eggs
5 cups of flour
1 1/3 cup of raisins or currents
1 egg white
Glaze: 1 1/3 cup of confectioner's sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons of chopped lemon zest
1/2 teaspoons of lemon extract
1-2 tablespoons of milk

Heat milk to very warm but not hot in a small saucepan. Fit an electric mixer with a dough hook. Pour warm milk into mixing bowl and sprinkle yeast on top. Mix until dissolved and let sit for 5 min. With mixer running at low speed, add sugar, salt, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg and eggs. Gradually add flour. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit for 30-45 min. Afterward knead dough until smooth and elastic for about 3 min. Add currents or raisins; knead until well mixed. Dough should be fairly wet and sticky. Shape into a ball, place in a buttered dish, cover and let sit overnight in the refrigerator.
The next morning let it sit at room temp for a 1/2 an hour. Line baking pan(s) with parchment paper or lightly grease. Form dough into 24 equal sized balls. Place on baking sheets a 1/2 in apart. Cover and let rise in a warm place until they have doubled in size(about 1 1/2 hrs). Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. When buns have risen use a knife to slash a cross in each one. Brush them with egg white and place in oven. Bake for 10 min, then reduce heat to 350 degrees F and bake for about 15 min or until golden brown. Let cool on wire rack. Whisk together glaze ingredients and spoon over buns on cross pattern. Best if served warm.(I thought I would note that the glaze is optional but it adds a delicious lemon zing. Without it the bun can be ate more as a sweet breakfast(or even a dinner)roll.)