Hop to it

Whilst contemplating my Easter Sunday menu for the whole family, a memory popped into my head of marshmallow bunny rabbits.  No, not the ones you buy coated in chocolate and individually wrapped in the supermarket.  Rather, the ones that people in 'the olden days' (ha!!) made.  So to google I went, to trawl through the many recipe variations.  A lot of these were from American websites and bloggers and all had corn syrup in them.  Which then lead me to try and find substitutes for corn syrup.  Many suggested that glucose syrup or golden syrup would work, but I wasn't so sure.   Eventually I found a couple of recipes that required no eggs, no candy thermometer and no corn syrup.

My next job was to find the bunny rabbit moulds.  This proved a lot easier than I expected, with a visit to my local homewares store.  There I happened to find the full range of D.Line bunny moulds - Big Daddy (750mL), Junior (125mL) and Baby (25mL).  The bonus is that these moulds are actually made in Australia and this is an Australian owned company.  It was difficult deciding on which ones to buy, but in the end I came home with 4 Juniors and 8 Babies.  Cleverly, the creators of these moulds have included four recipes on the packaging - Marshmallow Bunny, Easter Bunny Creams, Chocolate Apricot Bunnies and Jelly Bunnies.  I was pleased to see that their marshmallow recipe was pretty much the same as the one I'd finally settled on before heading to the shops, and so I actually used it instead.  In the end it was a very straight forward process, including filling all the moulds.

The recipe stated it would make about 750mL.  My mixture ended up filling all the bunny moulds I had, as well as a silicon Easter mould (small eggs and rabbit heads), which I got free at Woolworths this week, and there was still enough left to fill a small ramekin as well!  The final result was a beautiful smooth and silky marshmallow, which I'm pleased to say I've only eaten two of, so far!

Happy Easter!

Marshmallow Bunny
3 teaspoons gelatine
125mL hot water
60mL cold water
150g caster sugar
10mL vanilla essence (which I totally forgot to put in!) or other flavouring
Food colouring (if desired)
Dessicated coconut

1. Place sugar and cold water into a large bowl (yes, use your big bowl!) and beat for 5 minutes with an electric mixer.
2. When that time is almost up, sprinkle the gelatine over the hot water and stir briskly with a fork until dissolved.
3. Whilst gelatine mixture is still hot, pour it into the sugar solution and beat on the highest speed for about 10 minutes (mixture should be very thick glossy white and hold a figure 8).
4. Whilst the marshmallow is thickening, grease your moulds - just rub them with a little bit of oil and wipe most of it away with a paper towel.
5. Add desired flavour (I forgot this step and they still taste yummy to me) and beat again.
6. Pour into moulds and run a knife over the top to make a flat base.  Allow to set on the bench for at least an hour, then transfer to the fridge for 1 - 4 hours, depending on the size of the moulds you used.
7. Spread a thin layer of coconut onto a large plate (this is where you'll be tipping the bunnies out shortly).
8. When you're ready to tip them out, run the tip of a knife around the top edge of the mould and ease the marshmallow away from the sides.  Tip it over and 'encourage' it out, so that the base of the bunny lands on the coconut.
9. Roll in coconut, or if you're going to decorate, then now's the time.  Use thin small paint brushes and tiny amounts of food colouring to paint the eyes, ears, nose etc.  Allow to dry, then roll the whole bunny in coconut.
10. Place into an airtight container, lined with baking paper.  Refrigerate for 1 - 2 weeks (don't think they'll last that long!).

Notes

1. To make the grass for the bunnies to sit on: put some dessicated coconut into a snap lock bag, add a few drops of green food colouring, seal and shake around.  Spread this onto your serving plate, then place the bunnies on top.
2. To make coloured bunnies - add a drop or two of food colouring to the marshmallow mixture before pouring into moulds.  Then also roll in coconut of the same colour, if desired. 

One a penny, two a penny

Today is Good Friday - a day of fasting and remembrance.  It's the most solemn day on the Christian calendar.  And it's the day that we love to eat Hot Cross Buns.  As you know, they've pretty much been in the shops now since Christmas, which is very strange indeed.  And oh my, the array of flavours they come in: no fruit, no peel, chocolate, sticky date and caramel (thanks Woolies)!

C'mon now, the hot cross bun is meant to be a sweet spicy fruit bun with sultanas or currants, with a cross on the top, traditionally eaten on Good Friday.  In my opinion there should be no chocolate or other flavours, and nobody should waste their time on those - remember, Good Friday is a day of fasting!  Hot cross buns should be eaten hot, smothered in butter and possibly some red jam (strawberry, raspberry, whatever you've got) and that is it.  The over-commercialisation of our world is astounding.  If you want to mess with them, then don't put a cross on top and just call them whatever flavour they are.  Ok, that feels better, end of rant!

Last year I made my own hot cross buns for the first time.  They were not as soft as I'd hoped, so I've given them another go, with a different recipe this time.  When I make them again next year I will reuse this recipe, as they were lovely and soft this time. I have increased the amounts fruit and mixed spice from the original.  Feel free to adjust those as you see fit, and I won't even mind if you don't put the orange peel in.  Many recipes for hot cross buns have you mixing the yeast with the warm milk and butter initially, then letting that foam, then add that to the dry ingredients.  This one is a bit more of a 'throw it all in' recipe.  Enjoy!

Hot Cross Buns (makes 12 large buns)
4 cups plain flour, sifted (yes, even I sifted it)
2 x 7g yeast sachets
1/4 cup sugar
2 - 3 generous tablespoons mixed spice (or use a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg etc)
pinch of salt
2 - 3 cups sultanas, currants, mixed peel (or use a box of mixed fruit - cherries optional!)
40g butter, melted
300mL milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Flour paste: 1/2 cup plain flour, 5 - 6  tablespoons water

Dough proving

Glaze: 1/3 cup water, 2 tablespoons caster sugar

1. Mix all dry ingredients together - flour, yeast, sugar, mixed spice, salt, fruit.
2. Melt butter, add milk and warm for about a minute, until it is lukewarm (should feel neither cold nor hot when you put your finger in it).
3. Add lightly beaten eggs, and milk mixture to dry ingredients.  Combine well in bowl.
4. Tip out onto a floured bench and knead for 10 minutes or until the dough is smooth.
5. Place ball of dough in a lightly oiled bowl.  Cover and allow to stand in a warm place, until it is doubled in size (about an hour depending on the temperature of the day).
6. Line a large baking tray with baking paper.
7. Punch back dough to original size.  Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead to smooth.  Divide into 12 even pieces (about 100g each), shape into balls and place on lined tray about 1cm apart.  Cover and allow to stand for about 30 minutes, or until balls are doubled in size.
8. Meanwhile preheat oven to 190C.  Make flour paste by combining ingredients.  Put this in a snaplock bag and snip the corner.  Pipe crosses across the buns.
9. Bake for 20 - 25 mins, until cooked and golden.



Buns proving

10. Whilst they are cooking, make the glaze: In a small saucepan, mix the water and sugar, until sugar is dissolved.  Bring to boil and allow to boil about 5 minutes.  Brush over warm hot cross buns.

Variations:
Glaze - warm some jam or golden syrup and brush over the top
Substitute brown sugar for caster sugar, for a richer bun
Add dried yeast to melted butter and warm milk and allow to froth/foam - may reduce proving time.
Make twice as many, by making them smaller - about 50g each