Traditional Foods for Good Friday

Hi again, everyone! I hope you've all been having a good Triduum. Since today is Good Friday, I decided to make Hot Cross Buns. Hot Cross Buns are a traditional Lenten food whose origins go back to the time of ancient civilizations. Here's an interesting excerpt I found on the web:

"Hot cross bun, a round bun made from a rich yeast dough containing flour, milk, sugar, butter, eggs, currants, and spices, such as cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves. In England, hot cross buns are traditionally eaten on Good Friday; they are marked on top with a cross, wither cut in the dough or composed of strips of pastry. The mark is of ancient origin, connected with religious offerings of bread, which replaced earlier, less civilized offerings of blood. The Egyptians offered small round cakes, marked with a representation of the horns of an ox, to the goddess of the moon. The Greeks and Romans had similar practices and the Saxons ate buns marked with a cross in honor of the goddess of light, Eostre, whose name was transferred to Easter. According to superstition, hot cross buns and loaves baked on Good Friday never went mouldy, and were sometimes kept as charms from one year to the next. Like Chelsea buns, hot cross buns were sold in great quantities by the Chelsea Bun House; in the 18th century large numbers of people flocked to Chelsea during the Easter period expressly to visit this establishment."

-Oxford Companion to Food, Alan Davidson 

Hot Cross Buns are simple to make and delicious. The Kitchn food blog has a recipe here which I modified to make my own. Although I didn't make any today, I've included the recipe for another traditional Lenten food: Franciscan Penitential Biscuits. I invite you to give one of the recipes-or both- a try!

Hot Cross Buns

makes 12

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup lukewarm water
• 1 packet of dried yeast
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon mixed spices or to taste (I used 1 and 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon each of ginger, allspice, nutmeg, and cloves)
• 1/2 cup currants or raisins (optional- I didn't use any)

For the "cross" topping:

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup water
• milk, for glazing
• oil, for greasing
• syrup or honey, for glazing (optional)

Steps:

1. In a small bowl, stir together lukewarm water, yeast, sugar and 1/2 cup of the all-purpose flour. Set aside for 15 minutes.

2. Heat the butter and milk together in a small saucepan over a low heat until the butter has just melted; remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Whisk in the egg.

butter and milk

butter, milk, and egg

3. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the remaining flour, salt, mixed spice, and raisins/currents. Pour the yeast mixture and the milk mixture over top. Stir together until there are only a few floury patches remaining. Tip the contents of the dough out onto a work surface and knead until smooth, about 5-7 minutes.

4. Grease a large bowl with cooking spray or with some oil. Place the dough in the bowl, cover with oiled plastic wrap, and leave in a warm place to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

before rising

5. Divide the risen dough evenly into 12 pieces and roll them into balls. Place onto a parchment-lined baking tray spaced a few inches apart. To form balls, grab a piece of dough and smooth the top and sides and tuck pieces underneath (this is a bit hard to explain, so please refer to the pictures). Slash a cross into the top of each bun using a sharp knife or razor. Cover with oiled plastic wrap and leave to rise for 30 minutes until doubled in size.

after rising

piece of dough

smooth top

smooth sides and tuck underneath, forming a mushroom or little sachet shape

tuck nicely on the bottom- this side will go down on the pan

don't worry if you don't have a very sharp knife- just do the best you can

6. While the buns are rising, preheat the oven to 350°F.

7. Make the "cross" topping by stirring together the flour and enough water to make a loose paste. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a small, plain tip (or a sandwich bag with the tip of one of the corners cut off).

flour paste and milk for brushing

8. Brush the risen buns all over with a little milk then pipe the cross mixture into the cross-shaped cuts.

after rising

to get the paste into the bag it's helpful to flip out the top of the bag so that the top stays clean

after brushing with milk and applying the flour paste

9. Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown all over. While still warm, brush them with golden syrup. Cool completely then store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

freshly baked!

I brushed mine with agave- yum!

10. Enjoy!

The next recipe is a favorite among my friends. The recipe is from a member of the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist. Although they're called "penitential" biscuits, they really aren't penitential at all!

Traditional Franciscan Penitential Biscuits

a copy of the recipe handwritten by a friend

Ingredients:

• 1 cup bran
• 1 cup white flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/3 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 and 1/3 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 2/3 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup shortening
• 1/3 cup buttermilk
• 1 egg

Steps:

1. Mix ingredients in a large bowl.

2. Shape into balls with an ice cream scoop (a helpful tip I've learned is to spray the scoop with cooking spray first).

3. Place on a greased or parchment paper-lined cookie sheet.

4. Serve with butter or honey butter.

the penitential biscuits are on the top and bottom plates

5. Enjoy!