Doesn't it take you back?

Acrylic-bob · 25-03-2005, 09:20

It's Good Friday today. (There's not a lot that gets past me!)

I had my first Hot Cross Bun this morning. The gentle aroma it gave off as I toasted it brought back happy memories of my first real job. I worked for Walter Smith's Confectioners on Whalley Road and for the three weeks leading up to today the bakehouse was always filled with the heady scent of mixed spice. We made hundreds and hundreds of them every day all rolled, pricked and glazed by hand. Hard work and very hot, but oddly satisfying. There was a sense of achievement at the end of the day, one that was all the more poignant for me since I was still a practising catholic then.

mez · 25-03-2005, 09:32

ooo i love the smell of hot cross buns too , & as you say they do bring back past memories of GOOD FRIDAY , as we used to know it , boiled egg for breakfast, cheese sandwich for lunch & always salmon for tea, good catholics then.

garinda · 25-03-2005, 09:44

Being Master Bun the Baker's Son, l have vivid memories of being in the bakehouse as a child. Like A-b said it's the wafting smell of the spices that evoke such memories for me, totally different from the smells at Christmas.
The day before Good Friday is still one of the hardest of the year,. l used to love helping sweep up the fallen fruit when l was a child, but was determined l'd never work there when l grew up.
Off for mine now, as the grills on

WillowTheWhisp · 25-03-2005, 10:43

Can either of you two bakers, or anyone else in the know, please tell me how you get the pale cross on top of a hot cross bun.

garinda · 25-03-2005, 10:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by WillowTheWhisp

Can either of you two bakers, or anyone else in the know, please tell me how you get the pale cross on top of a hot cross bun.

Pretty sure it's made with a thin roll of marzipan before they're baked, but l was only allowed to sweep up the fruit and was never promoted to doing that.

Cafu01 · 25-03-2005, 13:07

I hate hot cross buns, just thought id tell you

WillowTheWhisp · 25-03-2005, 13:13

The ones I buy don't taste like they have marzipan on. There must be a technical secret to this somewhere.

Acrylic-bob · 25-03-2005, 13:30

In the stuff produced by big bakeries it is just ordinary white bread dough, though marzipan does sound nice and would probably taste even nicer toasted - mmmmmmm!

WillowTheWhisp · 25-03-2005, 13:36

So how come it stays white and doesn't brown like the rest of the top of the bun? Is it dampened or something?

Acrylic-bob · 25-03-2005, 13:42

Because ordinary white bread dough has no added sugar.

WillowTheWhisp · 25-03-2005, 13:45

But ordinary white loaves have brown crusts on top.

Acrylic-bob · 25-03-2005, 14:02

Ok, I can see I'm not going to get away with this so I will have to risk the wrath of the Guild of Master Bakers and give away a trade secret. The stuff is called crossing paste and it is made from a loose mixture of flour, oil and water and is piped onto the bun before it is proved. As the dough beneath it rises, it appears to sink into the bun. It does not go as brown during baking as the rest of the bun because of the higher percentage of water and oil.

I hope you realise that I will probably be struck off for this.