Hot Cross Biscuits/ Sooji Hot Cross Biscuits/ Semolina Hot Cross Biscuits

Every year for Good Friday, I like to make a variation of Hot Cross Buns. This year it is Good Friday Biscuits made with semolina/sooji/rava which is a good flour to use to make bread and pizza and biscuits. You do have to use a bit of elbow grease, but the in the end it is worth it. Hot Cross buns are a sweet, spiced bun filled with raisins and other chopped fruit. They are marked with a cross and eaten on Good Friday in many parts of the world Hot cross buns date back to the 12th century. As the story goes, an Anglican monk baked the buns and marked them with a cross in honor of Good Friday. This became popular and eventually became symbolic of Easter. Hot Cross buns were believed to have magical properties and yet others believed that hanging them from the rafters would ward off the evil eye and that they would never go stale. Whatever the belief, I like to make them and eat them every year.

The Recipe:

2 cups fine sooji/rava/semolina; 11/4 cup water (use a little at a time); 2 tbsp olive oil; 1/2 tbsp caster sugar; 1 tsp instant yeast; 1/2 tbsp salt; 1/2 cup mixed, chopped fruit ( I used raisins, red and green cherries and tuitti fruitti

For The Cross: Use Cheese Strips

Whisk the salt, sooji and yeast in a large mixing bowl. Add the oil and mix. Add the sugar to the water and mix till it dissolves. Next add the water a little by little until the mixture comes together. Knead by hand for 10 minutes until the dough is soft and pliable (You may add more water if required). Initially the dough may be rough and grainy but by the time you finish it will be smooth and elastic). Transfer the dough to a greased bowl and cover with cling film. Leave to rise in a warm place for 1 1/2 hours. Add fruit. Knead again for 10 minutes. Divide into equal portions and pat down with palms to form neat circles. Place on oiled tray. cover with cling film and leave to rise for 11/2 hours. Bake in a pre heated oven at 180 Celcius /356 Ffor 15 to 20 minutes until the biscuits turn golden brown. Switch the oven off. Place cheese strips to form a cross and place back in the oven for 5 minutes. Best eaten warm just as it is or with butter and jam. Yum!

Some other Hot Cross Buns Recipes For You To Try