Hot Cross Buns

Sorry, before I really got into this post, I had to include the pic of my little chef.  She loves to help me to cook and needs to be in the middle of everything these days.  Notice the boots - they must be a part of everything she does (we had a huge battle the other night because she wanted to wear them in the tub).

O.k., mommy boasting is done, now I can get started.  I thought I would share one of our Easter traditions.  Every year, for Good Friday, I make hot cross buns.  It would be much easier to get them at the grocery store but there is nothing like the smell of them cooking in the oven or the taste of one, still warm and fresh.  The recipe is use is http://www.canadianliving.com/food/hot_cross_buns.php.  I've included some pics of the steps in our baking.

This is after the 10 minutes of kneading to start the dough.  I love the feel of warm dough in my hands and kneading it is such a therapeutic activity.

This is the dough, punched down after its first rise (silly me, should have taken the photo BEFORE I punched it down).

Here they are, ready for their second rise.  They got left a bit long because we took the dogs for a run in the forest (it was a gorgeous day) so they took on a bit of a "blob-y" shape but they had risen beautifully.

This is my final result.  They turned out really well this year, if I do say so myself.  I am always amazed when anything that I make with yeast turns out - it's a bit like when I plant seeds and they actually grow - it feels like a little miracle.  This is an annual tradition that I love and I think that my parents who are up visiting love this, too!