It's Food Friday!

Happy Earth Day!
Charles and Camilla are a little rushed these days and have a slew of parties they must attend this weekend (out of their deep sense of duty, and Camilla's love of excellent Champagne). So they will not be hanging by the pool they way they usually do on the weekends. Charles wanted me to share Nanny's recipe for her traditional Easter Hot Cross Buns. He hopes that you are recycling, mulching, conserving water and eating his organic Duchy shortbread, because as they say on the BBC, "It's really very good."

Hot Cross Buns

1 cup milk
2 tablespoon yeast
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup butter, melted and cooled
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoons nutmeg
4 eggs
5 cups flour
1 1/3 cup raisins
1 egg white

Glaze
1 1/3 cups confectioner's sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
1-2 tablespoons milk


In a small saucepan, heat milk to very warm, but not hot Pour warm milk in a bowl and sprinkle yeast over. Mix to dissolve and let sit for 5 minutes.
Stirring constantly, add sugar, salt, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg and eggs. Gradually mix in flour, dough will be wet and sticky. Continue kneading until smooth, about 5 minutes. Cover the bowl with Saran wrap and let the dough rest in a warm place for 30-45 minutes. Knead again until smooth and elastic, for about 3 more minutes. Add raisins and knead until well mixed. At this point, dough will still be fairly wet and sticky. Shape dough in a ball, place in a buttered dish, cover with Saran wrap and let rise overnight in the refrigerator. Excess moisture will be absorbed by the morning.
Let dough sit at room temperature for about a half-hour. Line a large baking pan with parchment paper. Divide dough into 24 equal pieces. Roll each portion into a ball and place on baking sheet, about half an inch apart. Cover with a clean Royal Wedding tea towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.
Pre-heat oven to 400°F.
When buns have risen, take a sharp or serrated knife and carefully slash buns with a cross. Brush them with egg white and place in oven. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 350° F, then bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes more. Cool on a wire rack. Whisk together glaze ingredients, and spoon over buns in a cross pattern. Serve warm.

"To each other, we were as normal and nice as the smell of bread. We were just a family. In a family even exaggerations make perfect sense."
–John Irving