Directions
Initial Preparations
Put the lukewarm water in a warmed mixing bowl, and add the yeast and one teaspoonful of
sugar. Let the yeast prove.
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Put half of the flour in another mixing bowl, and combine it with the sugar, salt, and
spices.
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Break the egg into a small bowl, and beat it lightly with a fork.
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Cut the butter into tiny chunks.
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Making the Dough
Add the egg to the proved yeast. Then add the chunks of butter and the dry ingredients.
Mix well.
Cover the mixing bowl with a piece of waxed paper or plastic, and
tuck a dish towel over to keep it from shifting. Allow the dough to rise in a warm
place for a few hours until the dough is approximately double the bulk.
When the dough has risen, stir in the currants, using a spurtle or
wooden spoon. Then add the rest of the flour.
Mix well, kneading the last of the flour in. Form it into
a ball.
Place the dough on a clean flat surface (such as a kitchen counter)
that has been dusted with flour. Knead the dough well.
Shaping the Buns
Divide the dough into twelve pieces of equal size, gauging them by weight in the palm of your
hand rather than by size. Shape each piece roughly into a ball.
Cover a large baking sheet with aluminum foil, grease it, and
dust it with flour. Place each of the buns on it. Space them well apart to allow
for the increase in size when they rise.
Making the Pastry for the
Crosses
Place the flour and sugar in a mixing bowl, and rub in the butter. Add just sufficient
water to mix the ingredients together. The texture should resemble that of ordinary
pastry dough. Form into a ball.
Place the dough on a clean flat surface (such as a kitchen counter)
that has been dusted with flour. Roll the dough out with a rolling pin so that it is
about the thickness of ordinary pie pastry. Use a knife to cut it into strips no more
than ½ inch thick, similar to those that one would cut to lattice a pie.
Putting the Crosses on the
Buns
Brush the top of each bun with beaten egg. Then, across each bun, lay two pastry
strips at right angles to make a cross shape. Tuck the ends of the pastry strips
underneath the buns.
If you wish, you can brush the pastry strips also with egg;
but do it after they've been put on the buns.
Overnight
Cover the baking tin with a sheet of waxed paper, putting a dish towel on top so that it won't
shift. Leave the buns to rise overnight.
Baking
Bake at 375°F for twenty minutes, or until golden brown.
Glazing
While the buns are in the oven, mix a half a cup of hot water with two tablespoons of white
sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved.
As soon as the buns have been taken out of the oven, quickly
brush them over with the sweetened water, covering the tops and sides. The heat of the
buns will evaporate most of the water, leaving a sticky glaze.
Serve hot.
Makes one dozen buns.
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