What are You Baking the Week of March 28, 2021?

[Mike Nolan]

I made some fan tan rolls today, the stacking process didn't go as well as I would have liked, I think my dough was too soft. As a result, some of the rolls didn't look much like fan tan rolls, though others did.

I made 7 with butter and 11 with sugar, cinnamon and maple syrup in between layers. The latter were even messier but were yummy! I also made and froze a dozen of the maple/sugar/cinnamon ones and will try making some of them in a few days.

Those wound up being supper tonight, not the most nutritious supper we've had lately.

[Mike Nolan]

The first batch of Hot Cross buns just came out of the oven, the second batch will be going in later this evening. That batch was made with 10% of the flour in a tangzhong roux.

[chocomouse]

Mike, I've also made those pull-apart rolls in small bread pans, I think they are 2.5 x 5" pans? and also in a 4" x 6" pan. Just cut the strips to fit the size of the pan. There's a lot of variety in the shape/size of the baked pieces, unless you fit each one in place perfectly -- but it looks more natural in a bread pan, not like oops! that section is so much bigger than the other two. It's still messy! And still delicious!

[BakerAunt]

We had light snow overnight, and some off and on snow throughout the day, but it has melted except for a little under bushes.

Thursday evening, I'm making my recipe for Hot Cross Buns, which began from a recipe in the Los Angeles Times food section years ago, but which I have transformed into a more than half whole grain version that also uses buttermilk and some honey. I plan to shape them tonight, then let them rise overnight in the refrigerator. I will bake them tomorrow morning, let them cool a bit, then glaze. I know that it should be crosses, but we like the glaze.

[Mike Nolan]

I've seen hot cross buns where the cross is from dough baked into the roll, but I'm not sure how they do that. A different dough, maybe?

[Mike Nolan]

Apparently one way is to pipe something like cookie dough on top.
hot cross buns with stripe in the dough

[BakerAunt]

Paul Hollywood did something a kind of dough cross on top of his rolls in one of the Master Class British Baking Show Easter specials.

[Mike Nolan]

Well, the tangzhong batch of hot cross buns didn't rise as much as the original recipe batch, either in bulk proof (even though I gave them additional time) or in final proof. The internal crumb is a bit finer, a lot of smaller holes rather than not quite as many holes but bigger. Hard to compare taste, the interiors are different, the exteriors are similar.

I'll see how they taste again tomorrow, but right at the moment I'm leaning towards the original version as better. I'll also be watching to see if they stay moist longer

[BakerAunt]

My Hot Cross Buns came out well. I had decided to go ahead and add the raisins at the end of the bread machine cycle (when it dings for additions), and that does not appear to have affected the rise. I will cut the amount of flax meal next time, as it caused the dough to be overly gummy. (I had to dampen my hand before shaping each roll.) The overnight rise in the refrigerator went well. I used my usual trick of setting the oven 25F higher, then turning it down once the rolls were in. We had four of the sixteen for breakfast

[Mike Nolan]

I know my Zo Classic had a bell to signal when to add things like raisins, but I seldom heard it, probably because I was in another room. It also wasn't all that loud.

[BakerAunt]

Our house is open concept by necessity (smaller lot, so narrow and long). Unless I'm in the first floor bedroom or bathroom, I hear what is happening in the kitchen if I'm also downstairs, and some noise will even travel up the stairs to the second floor.

I have started the dough for a sourdough pan pizza for this evening.

[skeptic7]

I experimented with pastry stripes on Hot Cross Buns one year. I found that flour/oil/water mixtures piped on just before baking worked fairly well. Just Flour/water turned out hard as a rock. This is only worth it when trying to make sugar free Hot Cross buns for some reason.

[rottiedogs]

I've got a batch of hot cross buns rising now. There will be a loaf of rye bread, Easter bread and Easter pizza done between today and tomorrow. Also a Kolacz, a Polish cheese bread. This recipe I will cut in half because otherwise it makes a huge round and it doesn't freeze. At least the rye and the Easter bread will freeze if it ends up being too much.

[skeptic7]

Rottiedogs;
You have an ambitious program for Easter. I hope to get some cookies and two batches of Hot Cross Buns before Sunday. What is your Easter Pizza like? I've looked at Italian Easter Cheese/ham pie recipes. Is it like that loaded with cheese and meats and all sorts of tasty things?

[Mike Nolan]

The link I gave earlier used flour, sugar, water and milk. I can see how a little made with some yeast or a fat (including egg) might be softer but still enough different in color to make the cross visible.

Or you could go the opposite way and make the cross darker, such as by adding cocoa.

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