Hot Cross.—Rub 3lb. of butter, or clarified
dripping, into 2lb. of flour, then work in 3lb. of sugar and
3oz. of ground cinnamon, and the same of mace, if liked;
now mix up 2oz. German yeast, with rather more than a
pint of tepid milk, and two whole raw eggs lightly beaten
together. When well mixed, add this to the flour, etc., and
knead it all to a light dough; put this into a basin, cover
with a clean cloth doubled, and set the pan in a warm place
for two hours till the dough has risen well. Now add, if
liked, 4oz. well washed and dried currants, shape the dough
into round buns, put them on a buttered tin, mark them
with a knife in a cross, and again let them rise for ten or
fifteen minutes, when you brush them over with milk, and
bake in a sharp oven for fifteen to twenty minutes. Plain
buns are made in the same way, only omitting the spice
and the cross mark. If preferred, 3oz. mixed spice may be
used instead of the cinnamon and mace.