[celjaci]

OH always makes wonderful hot cross buns, spicy, moist, yeasty and full of fruit but always ends up hot, cross and bothered over the crosses!
I believe traditionally crosses are made with flour and water paste piped over the bun but how do you get them to stick?
We tried marzipan crosses one year, tasted wonderful but didn't stick any better
Any suggestions??

[Ropster]

when do you pipe the paste on, if you do it before the bun rises it should stick, perhaps a bit of water underneath would do the trick

[mumofstig]

You just pipe the cross on before you cook the bun...........never had any problems, and then the sugar glaze gets brushed over after cooking YUM

[Trillium]

I never bother with the crosses as I'm in too much of a hurry to eat them.

[Poolfield2]

I never bother with the crosses as I'm in too much of a hurry to eat them.

So that would be hot buns then

[Trillium]

Yes  I thought about that after I hit send and wasn't sure whether to go back in and qualify it.  As for the actual crosses.....YUUUKKKKK!

[celjaci]

Thanks for the suggestions - we did pipe on the flour and water paste before rising.
The crosses stuck well this time but didn't look distictive when cooked, crosses were the same colour as the rest of the buns. Any more suggestions?

[mumofstig]

Flour and water paste has to be quite thick so it goes on as a round tube rather than flattening out like a ribbon.  and i pipe then only just before going into the oven!
Also how long do you cook them for? i do them at gas 6 for 15mins and the buns are golden and the crosses still pale.
Can't think of anything else to help......sorry

[jaffa_cakes]

Try cutting a cross into each bun and putting the white paste into the cut.  Nice and thick as others have said.

I tried some gluten free buns this year, they tasted OK but didn't rise much.

[chrissie B]

i know some where there was a lovly hot cross bun recipie any onre know where it is .
chrissie b

[mumofstig]

is it my one
http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=33025.msg396609#msg396609