Today is Good Friday, a pinnacle point in the Easter season where we believe Jesus was crucified, and which marks the end of Lent. Culturally, Easter is a festive time for us in the Turks and Caicos where some become more spiritual, some rely on the Easter Bunny and others can’t wait to eat some good fish.
But the one thing we never forget on Good Friday, is to pair our fish with Hot Cross Buns.
Chef Jago Moore, founder of the TCI Culinary Collection and owner of Moore’s Fries concocted the perfect Hot Cross Buns recipe, we think you will love.
While you can pop over to the store to buy buns, or ask your aunty for a few, flex your industrious bone and make your own at home.
GOOD FRIDAY BUNS
INGREDIENTS
Slurry for dough
- ½ cup All-Purpose Flour
- ½ cup White Sugar
- 2 tbsp Dried Yeast
- ½ cup Warm Water
Dough
- 1 cup Raisins
- 1 cup Dark Rum
- 8 cups All Purpose Flour
- 1 cup Dark Brown Sugar
- ½ cup White Sugar
- 2 tbsp Cinnamon
- 1 tbsp Ground Nutmeg
- 1 tbsp Ground Ginger
- 1 ½ tsp Kosher Salt
- ½ cup Evaporated Milk
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 tsp Browning
- ½ cup Vegetable Oil
Glaze
- ½ cup of Light Brown Sugar
- ½ cup of Honey
- ½ cup of Maple Syrup
- ½ cup of Water
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 tsp Chinese Five Spice
DIRECTIONS:
- Soak raisins in dark rum (over-night in the refrigerator for best results).
- In a small bowl, combine yeast, warm water, ½ cup flour and sugar to make a slurry. Set aside while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
- In a large bowl, sift together all dry ingredients. Stir to combine.
- In a separate bowl combine vanilla extract, raisins and rum mixture, milk, browning and oil.
- Add the wet mixture and yeast slurry to the dry ingredients and mix until a firm dough is achieved.
- Place dough in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm area to rise until double in size. This will take about 30 to 45 minutes.
- After dough has doubled in size, turn out onto a floured surface and divide into buns (save a portion of said dough to make the crosses that go on the top of the buns).
- Place buns in a greased baking dish and top with the crosses.
- Cover buns with plastic wrap and place in a warm area to rise until doubled in size.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake buns until golden brown. This should take about 35 minutes.
- In a medium saucepan combine ½ cup light brown sugar, ½ honey, ½ maple syrup, ½ cup water, 1 tsp vanilla and 1 tsp Chinese five-spice. Bring to a boil then let simmer for 10 minutes until a syrup is formed.
- After buns are finished baking, remove them from the oven and glaze with the syrup.
- Set buns aside to cool and allow syrup to soak into the buns.
