Mennonite Easter Bread
The twisted roots of our family tree produced a marriage between traditional paska and hot cross buns. And we love them this way (the family and the bread).
Ingredients
Dough
- 3/4 cup milk
- 3 tsp. yeast
- 1 tsp. sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 5 tbsp. butter, soft
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg and allspice
- 3 1/2 cups flour
- 1 cup raisins
Orange Glaze
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 - 2 tsp. orange juice
Frosting for Crosses
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp. soft butter
- 1 - 2 tsp. milk
Instructions
Dough
- Warm milk to 110° and mix in the yeast and 1 tsp. sugar. Place in stand mixer with dough hook, cover and let sit for 5 minutes.
- Soak raisins in warm water for 10 minutes, drain.
- Add the brown sugar, butter, vanilla extract, eggs, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and 1 cup flour. Beat for 30 seconds, scraping sides to mix well.
- Add drained raisins and the rest of the flour. Beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes, until the dough separates easily from the bowl. Then knead another 2 minutes.
- Lightly grease a large dough bowl and turn the dough into the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 2 hours, or until double in size.
- Grease a baking pan. Punch down the dough and divide into 15 portions. Squeeze between your thumb and forefinger to smooth the tops of each piece and place in pan.
- Allow to rise till puffy, about an hour. Preheat oven to 350°.
- Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown.
Icing
- Mix the orange juice and powdered sugar till smooth and runny.
- Brush over warm rolls.
Frosting for Crosses
- Beat frosting ingredients together until smooth, and thick enough to hold its shape. Place into a frosting bag with a round tip, or in a plastic zip bag with a corner cut. Squeeze a cross onto each bun after they are completely cooled.
- Frosting option: Frost the whole top of the buns and add sprinkles, like the Mennonite Paska bread.