I always look forward to the Lenten season, when Hot Cross Buns begin to appear in bakeries in preparation for Easter. My favorite has lots of icing on top. Here is a vegan version, which will be different from the standard, made with milk, butter, and eggs. The sweet potato adds a golden color and a moist texture to compensate for the lack of dairy and eggs. If you reduce the sugar and take out the orange peel, currants, and glaze, the dough makes delicious dinner rolls. Yields about 24 rolls.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups warm water
- 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 packet)
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup cooked peeled sweet potato, mashed until all lumps are gone
- 1/2 cup vegetable shortening, melted and cooled
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 cup dried currants
- 3 tablespoons chopped, candied orange peel
- Cooking spray
For the Glaze
- 1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon orange juice, plus more as needed
- 1 pinch salt
Directions
In the bowl of an electric mixer, stir together the water, yeast, sugar, sweet potato, and shortening until well combined. Beat in 1 cup of the flour until smooth. Add the salt, and then the rest of the flour. Mix until a soft dough is formed, which pulls away from the side of the bowl. If the dough seems very sticky, add more flour. Stir in the currants and the orange peel. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl. Spray the top of the dough and the sides of the bowl with the cooking spray. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise until doubled in size.
Line two baking pans with parchment paper and spray the paper with cooking spray. Press the dough down with your fist to reduce its size. Place it on a lightly floured surface and divide into 24 pieces (first into four, then each of those four into six). Shape each of the 24 pieces into a ball. Place the balls 1 inch apart on the two baking sheets, 12 on each. Cover with plastic wrap, and let rise again until doubled, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Once the buns have raised, remove the plastic wrap and spray the tops with cooking spray. Bake for 15-20 minutes, turning the pans around halfway through, until the tops are lightly browned and the buns sound hollow when you rap them with your knuckle. You can also check for doneness by inserting a wooden skewer and having it come out cleanly. Let buns cool for 1/2 hour. Mix together the ingredients for the glaze until it is thick, but pourable. Add more orange juice if needed. Pour the glaze over the tops of the buns in a cross pattern.
Emily Rishel
