Alyssa Cwanger, Post-Gazette/food styling by Marlene Parrish Hot Cross Buns can be made from scratch or made easier with frozen bread dough. Click photo for larger image.

Hot-cross buns! Hot-cross buns!
One a penny, two a penny,
Hot-cross buns!
If you have no daughters,
Give them to your sons,
One a penny, two a penny,
Hot-cross buns!

In the 19th century, it was a Good Friday tradition for street vendors in England to cry out for sales of "Hot cross buns!"

The sweet buns, decorated with a white cross across the top, have become an Easter tradition.

The big icing X on the nutmeg-flavored, currant-filled buns might be thought of as a simple reminder of Christ's resurrection in today's world, but its roots are pagan.

One version says that Anglo-Saxon pagans baked little breads as part of the joy of welcoming spring. Early Roman missionaries didn't want to be seen as the mean, bad guys, so they kept the ritual but compromised it with a win-win solution. In a clever public relations coup, they blessed the pagan buns with a Christian cross.

Other storytellers say that buns and breads were slashed with a cross to ward off evil spirits that might prevent their rising. Nice try, but bakers have always slashed breads to let them rise evenly.

Today, hot cross buns are a delicious addition to an Easter brunch. Traditionalists will want to get their hands in the dough and make the recipe from scratch. The busy cook or people with fear of yeast baking may want to try our quick shortcut forming the buns from dressed-up frozen sweet roll or bread dough.

HOT CROSS BUNS (THE EASY WAY)

• 1/4 cup currants
  
• 1 tablespoon brandy or rum, warmed
  
• 1 pound frozen sweet roll or bread dough, thawed
  
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  
• 1 large egg
  
• 1 tablespoon water
  
• 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar, about
  
• Few drops vanilla
  
• 1 tablespoon milk, about

In a small bowl, soak the currants in warm brandy for 30 minutes. Pat dry on paper towels. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. On a lightly floured work surface, flatten out the bread dough. Sprinkle with nutmeg. Work the currants and nutmeg into the dough until evenly distributed.

Form the dough into a long roll. Divide into 12 even pieces; shape into round balls.

Space evenly on a greased baking sheet or place in a 9-inch cake pan, with 3 balls in the center.

In a bowl, beat the egg with 1 tablespoon water with a fork and brush the buns with the egg mixture. Allow to rise until puffy but not doubled.

Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Transfer to a rack; let cool.

In a small bowl, mix the confectioners' sugar, vanilla and milk, adding the liquid very slowly until the icing is smooth and thick. Spoon icing into a plastic sandwich bag, cut a small hole in the corner and pipe crosses on buns. Makes 12.

Sunset magazine

HOT CROSS BUNS (THE CONVENTIONAL WAY)

The buns, with their combination of spicy, sweet and fruity flavors, have long been an Easter tradition.

• 3 to 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  
• 3 tablespoons sugar
  
• 1 envelope fast-rising yeast
  
• 1 teaspoon salt
  
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon peel
  
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  
• 1/2 cup milk
  
• 1/4 cup water
  
• 1/4 cup butter
  
• 2 large eggs, room tempera- ture
  
• 1/2 cup dried currants or rai- sins
  
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  
• 1 tablespoon water
  
• 3/4 cup sifted confectioners' sugar
  
• Few drops vanilla
  
• 2 to 3 teaspoons milk

To make dough: In large bowl, combine 1 cup flour, sugar, undissolved yeast, salt, lemon peel and nutmeg. Heat milk, water and butter until very warm (120 to 130 degrees); stir into flour mixture. Stir in 2 eggs, currants and enough remaining flour to make soft dough. Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 4 to 6 minutes. Cover; let rest 10 minutes.

Divide dough into 12 equal pieces; form each into a ball. Place 2 inches apart on greased large baking sheet. Cover; let rise in warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 30 to 45 minutes.

With sharp knife, cut shallow cross in top of each bun. Beat egg with water with a fork to blend. Brush egg mixture over tops. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 to 18 minutes or until golden. Remove from pan; cool on wire rack.

In a small bowl, mix the confectioners' sugar, vanilla and milk, adding liquid very slowly until the icing is smooth and thick. Spoon icing into a plastic sandwich bag, cut a small hole in the corner and pipe crosses on buns. Makes 12.

Fleishmann's Yeast