Tradition

I often get distracted and am not good at committing to regular events (walking each day- or even a few times a week, writing in my journal, ahem, ahhh, blogging) but some things are annual and I can commit to them.

One thing I do each year is bake the neighbourhood Hot Cross Buns, regardless of neighbourhood. Last year we went camping with the extended family so they scored the buns. This year we are at home so we were a mini bakery today. I didn't count the final total but we made at least 94 hot cross buns plus another 29 (odd number, I know) gluten free ones.

 This year my children were very happy to help...stir, knead, grease trays, shape buns, egg wash, glaze...lick the bowl!

 I changed the way I do my cross mix this year, it's just flour and water but this year I added boiling water and made it quite 'pastey', I think it work better.

Although they don't look as flash, the gluten free ones turned out well.

And interesting this is when my young photographer  downed tools and I have no photos of the 'wheat' ones in their glazed splendour because... he called for a 'bun break'!

I have been doing it for about 10 years I think, maybe longer. I particularly remember baking for Basil. He was our neighbour in Violet Town, a deaf and slightly paranoid old fella who didn't talk to me all that much but loved my baking and called me 'the cook'. He would say to Mr. Apple 'How's the cook?".

Today after the big bake we went round to 5 different neighbours bearing gifts- two lots of buns were left on kitchen tables because their people were down the paddock or not home (it's the country!), we had shortish visits with another two families and then relaxed and had coffee at the last stop and didn't get home until about 7pm.  Phew, alot of baking and alot of visiting - I think I will sleep well tonight!

 Also, my hot cross buns have a special ingredient, and if you guess what it is I will send you a little surprise (if more than one person guesses correctly I will pull a rabbit name out of a hat. It's an ingredient that's not in just any old bun- and it's real, not like 'a sprinkle of love' (although that's in them too!).