Easter eats

Happy Good Friday everyone! It's that bittersweet time of the year again that coincides with mid-semester break parties, random downpours of heavy rain, quality family and friends gatherings and a heap of assignments.. or giving up and watching 'The Notebook' with hot chocolate and then re-runs of taped Premier League matches (also with hot chocolate). Oh Liverpool FC, you are doing so well! :D

For those of the faith, today is a bittersweet day as we reflect upon the biggest act of love in history, the pinnacle of the biblical salvation story and the darkest yet most victorious hour of Jesus's time on earth. For it is written "This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." - 1 John 4:10

In preparation for our evening church service's supper, Rachel and I went over to Susan's house to make onigiri and bake hot cross buns. The recipe for the latter is as follows:

Ingredients (serves 25 mini buns or 12 regular sized)

• 4 cups plain flour
• 14g dried yeast
• 1/4 cup caster sugar
• A pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 tsp all-spice
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 300mL milk
• 40g butter
• 1 1/2 cups sultanas

Flour paste:

• 1/2 cup plain flour
• 4 tbsp water

Glaze:

• 1/3 cup water
• 2 tbsp caster sugar

Method
1. Combine yeast, flour, sugar, salt, all-spice and sultanas in a large mixing bowl.

2. Melt butter over saucepan. Add milk and stir in for 1min.

3. Add the butter/milk mixture and eggs to the sultana batter.

4. Using a flat bladed spatula, mix until it comes together.

5. Knead with clean hands until soft dough forms.

6. Transfer dough to a flat, floured surface and knead for ten minutes.

7. Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cling wrap then leave in a warm, draught-free place for one and a half hours to rise. (MONITOR IT!! Preservatives from the sultanas might quite literally act on the yeast to "kill it before it breeds")

8. Line a tray with baking paper of the non-stick variety.
9. Punch dough down to original size
10. Knead until smooth.
11. Divide into 25 even portions and place onto tray 1cm apart.
12. Cover in cling wrap and set aside for thirty minutes.
13. Pre-heat oven to 190 degrees celsius, fan forced.

14. Make the flour paste by mixing the flour and water. Make sure it's not too thick. Add more water if required. Put into a zip-lock bag and cut a hole in the corner to pipe.
15. Pipe crosses onto the buns.
16. Bake for twenty to twenty-five minutes
17. (We didn't do this but it was suggested by several recipes). To make the glaze, boil the sugar and water for five minutes then brush the warm glaze over the buns.
18. Serve warm, bon appétit!

Susan adopted a playful house rabbit called Thumper. What a sweet little fella ey?