Happy Easter!

Our first easter living away from home was full of love :)
We welcomed easter morning with a bacon and egg breakfast at home in our pyjamas before heading out to visit our families. The day before I had had my first shot of making my own hot cross buns, they're a favourite of mine and turned out quite nice! We took them to share with our families and were greeted with way too much chocolate and plenty of other delicious treats.


Hot Cross Buns
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups (375ml) warm milk
2 tsp (7g/1 sachet) dried yeast
1/4 cup (55g) caster sugar
60g butter, melted
1 egg, lightly whisked
4 1/2 cups (675g) plain 00 flour
1 tsp salt
5 tsp mixed spice
1 cup (170g) sultanas
1/4 cup (45g) currants
1/4 cup (50g) mixed peel
1/3 cup (80ml) cold water
1/2 cup (170g) apricot jam
Note: I found a packet of mixed sultanas, currents and peel and substituted the fruit with approximately 2 cups of this.


Method
1. Combine milk, yeast and 1 tbs of sugar. Set aside in a warm, draught-free place for 10 minutes or until frothy.

1. 2. Combine the milk mixture, butter and egg and whisk to combine. Combine 4 cups (600g) of flour, salt, mixed spice and remaining sugar in a bowl. Add the sultanas, currants and mixed peel and stir to combine. Make a well in the centre. Pour in the milk mixture and use a wooden spoon to stir until just combined, then use your hands to bring the dough together.

3. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10-15 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a bowl and cover with a damp tea towel and place in a warm, draught-free place for 1 hour or until dough doubles in size.
4. Preheat oven to 200°C. Grease a 23cm square cake pan. Punch the dough down with your fist. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 2-3 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic. Divide dough into 16 even pieces and shape each portion into a ball. Arrange dough portions, side by side, in the prepared pan. Set aside in a warm, draught-free place for 30 minutes or until dough has risen 2cm.
5. Meanwhile, mix the remaining flour and water together in a small bowl until a smooth paste forms. Place in a small plastic bag and snip off the end. Pipe a continuous line down the centre of each row of buns, lengthways and widthways, to form crosses. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 180°C and bake for a further 20 minutes or until golden and cooked through (buns are ready when they sound hollow when tapped on the base).
6. Turn onto a wire rack. Place the jam in a small saucepan over high heat. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until jam melts. Strain through a fine sieve. Brush hot jam over the buns.


I let my 'warm' milk get too hot, killing the yeast when I added it. This meant the milk mix did not get very frothy, and the dough didn't rise. This turned out to be just fine - I made mini hot cross buns rather than the traditional large ones, and the poor yeast just meant I had very dense, super fruity little buns!

• Great served with a cup of tea and toasted warm with a spread of butter!

Playing House

I'm lucky enough to have the opportunity to house sit with my boyfriend this month. The second time we have, and I can't help but feel like I'm 'playing house'! Our little family consists of the two of us, Lola the cat and our chickens Claude and Cairo. It's comfortable, close to everything and very exciting playing real grown ups for a month :D
The best thing about our little adventure is the cooking! We've made roasts, pancake breakfasts, soups, the list goes on. I've even had the pleasure of Matt making me his signature pasta when I'm too tired to move after work! As our time comes to an end I'm thinking about those meals that stood out. 


I've got to tell you about this sticky date pudding. I love dates, but I've never found this popular dessert appealing and when I've tasted other peoples I've never been impressed. I went on a camp recently and was cooked sticky date pudding en masse for dessert. Catering for 50 people usually means giant tubs of ice-cream and dried out pudding, but boy was I in for a treat. 
This sticky date pudding is life changing. I have been totally, irreversibly converted. I went straight home from the camp and served it the next day for dessert at a dinner party we hosted. Here is the recipe, I guarantee you won't turn back.


Life Changing Sticky Date Pudding
from Stephanie Alexander, thanks to Rob!
Serves 6 generously
Ingredients
170g dates, pitted and chopped
1 tsp bicarb soda
300ml boiling water
60g butter
3/4c brown sugar
2 eggs
170g SR flour
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Sauce
200g brown sugar
1/2c thickened cream
125g butter
1 vanilla bean or substitute 1tsp vanilla extract


Method
Preheat oven to 180C and grease an 18cm square cake tin.
Mix dates, bicarb and boiling water and leave to stand.
Cream butter and sugar, add eggs one at a time and beat well.
Fold in flour then stir in date mixture and vanilla.
Pour into cake tin and bake for 30-40 minutes until inserted skewer comes out clean!
The top of the cake will have a thin crust, slightly darker than the inside. The centre should be soft, but not liquid.
To make the sauce mix all ingredients together in a saucepan and simmer for 5 minutes.
Pour a little sauce over warm pudding and return to oven for a few minutes.
Serve pudding in bowls drizzled with warm sauce.


The sauce is to die for, the recipe originally calls for double the ingredients but I had far too much. Any sauce left over can go into a jar and kept in the fridge - it's fantastic warmed up in the microwave and poured over icecream, on pancakes or anything else you can think of!