I like hot cross buns. But I admit, I like simple hot cross buns. Just raisins and currants. A little bit of a cinnamon glaze and the frosting. Warm them up with a cup of tea and they are just lovely. I like them for breakfast or an afternoon snack. But I like bread in those forms.
I was reading my twitter feed, which is an interesting combination of foodies, crafters, and authors, and saw a posting about a British tea cake. It intrigued me. Especially with white chocolate used instead of beef lard.
Small Mister calls them cookies. They look kind of like cookies because I do not make them very large. They are sweet because of the currants I used. No frosting but you could frost them. I have been eating them heated with butter. Yum! Small Mister eats them like cookies. He likes to help make them!
tea cakes
Note: Adapted form Dan Leopard. Still waiting on the cookbook from the library so I can read the original recipe.
sourdough starter
125 ml water
120 grams flour
480 grams flour
150 ml milk
50 grams sugar
50 grams melted white chocolate
300 grams currants
1 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
The night before, mix the sourdough, water, and 120 grams flour. Cover and let sit overnight in a warm place. When ready to use, take out a couple tablespoons of starter for next time.
Mix in the milk, eggs, and sugar. Mix in the salt. Mix in the melted white chocolate and currants. Mix in the flour. Turn out and knead on the counter. You may need a bit more flour or water on your hands. Keep the dough as soft as possible.
When smooth (or as smooth as it gets with the currants in the dough), cover and let rise. Punch down. I did two rises because life dictated that.
Cover a baking sheet with silpat or parchment paper. Shape the cakes in small balls. I like small but you may like bigger. Cover and let rise until puffy. They may not rise much due to the fruit but the dough will be softer and puffy.
Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until golden.
Cookies! As Small Mister says. Yummy with tea.