I'm going to make hot cross buns Thursday night for my colleagues at work Friday morning and was wondering whether a pre-ferment like a poolish or a biga would add anything to the flavor and keeping of the buns?

All the recipes I've seen have been straight doughs, but Panatone, I know, often uses a biga or a sourdough starter, even though it's a sweet bread.

Thanks!

Hot cross Buns

A new batch of stoneground organic unbleache flour arrived today and so a batch of my favourite easter bread - hot cross buns.

As usual this flour is easy to work and only 6 minutes kneading gives me a smooth, shiny ball of dough. Rising, shaping and baking all go well and the finished result is yummy!

I love the smell of home baking!

Steamed buns/ bao with sweet black sesame fillings

I baked gingerbread for the first time last night. Yum.

I was amazed at how good the house smelled when I came home from work today. It really smells festive, like the holidays are here, even 24 hours after baking it.

I looked at a few different recipes before settling on something closest to the recipe from the Joy of Cooking.

I saw this recipe for a cranberry coffee cake in The Bread Feed and had to try it.

It is very good, more like a light pound cake than a traditional coffee cake. We all enjoyed it very greatly.

I'm going to keep a summary of the recipe here so that I have it in case the original source move or go away, but I definitely want to give credit: I found this recipe via Slashfood, which linked to it on Epicurious, which appears to have gotten it from Gourmet (magazine?). Follow those links for more in depth info on this recipe.

This stollen recipe is excellent. Wonderful. I baked it three times last Christmas season and have already baked a batch this year.

But is it authentic?

I have no idea.

These rolls make a beautiful compliment to anyone's Thanksgiving table. If timed properly, these can be baked right when the turkey is about to come out of the oven to provide a wonderful accent to the meal.

This recipe is inspired by the Buttermilk Cluster recipe in Country Breads of the World. I made a few minor modifications, such as including a little bit of honey, but in general it is the same thing.

These rolls make a beautiful compliment to anyone's Thanksgiving table. If timed properly, these can be baked right when the turkey is about to come out of the oven to provide a wonderful accent to the meal.

This recipe is inspired by the Buttermilk Cluster recipe in Country Breads of the World. I made a few minor modifications, such as including a little bit of honey, but in general it is the same thing.

Buttermilk Cluster
Makes 12 to 18 rolls, depending on size
6 to 6 1/2 cups (750 grams) bread or all-purpose unbleached flour
1/2 tablespoon salt
1 envelope (2 1/2 teaspoons) active dry or instant yeast, or 1 15 gram cake fresh yeast
1 tablespoon warm water
1 3/4 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon honey

Glaze:
1 egg beaten with 1 teaspoon water

Topping:
1-2 tablespoons seeds (poppy, sesame) or grains (cracked wheat, rolled oats)

Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl. Combine the warm water and yeast in a small cup and allow to proof for 10 minutes.

Pour the yeast, buttermilk, and honey into the flour mixture and mix well. If the dough is so dry that some of the flour won't stick, add a bit more buttermilk or water. If the dough is too sticky to knead, more like a batter, add more flour by the tablespoon until the correct consistency is achieved.

Knead by machine or hand for approximately 10 minutes. Return the dough to the bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp cloth, and set aside to rise until the dough has doubled in size, approximately 90 minutes.

Divide the dough into 12 to 18 pieces. If you are a stickler you can scale them so that they are even, but I just cut them roughly the same size. Shape each piece into a neat ball and place in a round dish or spring-form pan close together.

When all of the rolls are in the pan, cover again with plastic or a damp towel and set aside to rise again for 45 minutes to an hour. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425.

Uncover the rolls and brush gently with the egg wash. Sprinkle on the grain topping, if you like. I used cracked wheat.

Bake for approximately 30 minutes, until the rolls are firm and spring back when tapped.

Unmold the rolls from the pan and serve warm.

Fresh cranberries are plentiful this time of year.

I love this quick bread with cream cheese for breakfast.

Cranberry-Orange Walnut Bread
Makes 2 large loaves or 6 small loaves or 18 muffins
4 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
2 cups sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cup orange juice
4 tablespoons butter or shortening
2 tablespoons grated orange peel
2 eggs, beaten
3 cups (1 12 ounce package) fresh cranberries
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Does anyone have any concrete information on differences in flavour from freshly harvested wheat compared with stored wheat or recently ground wheat and grinding method?