Easter Wrap up

This Easter I wanted to make it special for the kids. Usually Easter just involves my kids eating lashings of chocolate. To be fair, this year was no different in that respect. But since working full time again, you realise how few and far between 4 day stretches with the kids are, so I wanted to make the most of them.

Surprisingly I got somwhat organised with some craft ideas and cooking to do with the kids. A big thanks has to go out to Skip to my Lou for giving me the inspiration for a number of the activities.

I decided spread things over a few days to help build up the anticipation of Easter Bunny's visit

Friday we made

Easter Baskets

These were really easy and the download can be found here

Easter Bunny Cupcakes

You can find the instructions here

Hot Cross Buns & Fruit Loaf

I use the recipe from the Australian Women's Weekly cookbook All Time Favourites.

Hot Cross Buns

INGREDIENTS
2 x 7g sachets granulated yeast

¼ cup (55g) caster sugar

1½ cups (375ml) warm milk

4 cups (600g) plain flour

1 teaspoon mixed spice

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

60g butter

1 egg

¾ cup (120g) sultanas

Flour paste for crosses

½ cup (75g) plain flour

2 teaspoons caster sugar

1/3 cup (80ml) water, approximately

Glaze

2 Tbs warmed apricot Jam

METHOD
Combine yeast, sugar and milk in small bowl or jug; cover, stand in warm place about 10 minutes or until mixture is frothy.Sift flour and spices into large bowl, rub in butter. Stir in yeast mixture, egg and sultanas; mix to a soft sticky dough.

Cover; stand in warm place about 45 minutes or until dough has doubled in size.Grease 23cm-square slab cake pan.

Turn dough onto floured surface, knead about 5 minutes or until smooth. Divide dough into 16 pieces, knead into balls. Place balls into prepared pan; cover, stand in warm place about 10 minutes or until buns have risen to the top of the pan.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to hot.For the flour paste for crosses, combine flour and sugar in bowl. Gradually blend in enough of the water to form a smooth paste.

Place flour paste for crosses in piping bag fitted with small plain tube, pipe crosses on buns.

Bake buns in hot oven about 20 minutes or until well browned. Turn buns onto wire rack, brush tops with hot glaze; cool on wire rack.

To be fair, I have a breadmaker, so I just put all the ingredients in the machine and use the dough setting. Much easier.