Tradition is a part of everyone’s culture, and in each tradition, there is food that symbolizes the important aspects of that tradition. We all grew up with a traditional food or two that we actually enjoy eating and look forward to. And although we practice different types of diet as years go by, we still find ways to celebrate our traditions with foods that are modified to fit our preferred diet plan even when it comes to Paleo.
There are days in a year that are set for us to practice what we have been taught since the day we become conscious of the things that happen around us. There are some traditions that happen only in our area (or country), and there are some that are practiced throughout the world. One important tradition that majority of people around the world practice is the observance of the Easter Period or the Holy Week. This time of the year, people from all over the world who practice Christianity observe the traditions involved with Easter, and a part of it is food.
There are many traditional foods eaten during the Easter period, but there are foods that simply do not fit in with the Paleo principle. But this does not mean there aren’t any ways to celebrate tradition and still have traditional food on the table. Paleo is a generous and flexible diet – you can find ways and alternatives to make foods that we have grown up with. And for Easter, hot cross buns are one of the foods that what we always look forward to.
This Paleo approved hot cross buns recipe is something worth the while and you will not even see or taste any difference with those that are traditionally made With this recipe, you no longer have to make any excuses for not having these buns during Easter.
Hot Cross Buns
Recipe type: Anytime
Cuisine: Baking
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
- 1 ½ Cups (192 g) Almond Meal
- 1 ½ Cups (192 g) Arrowroot Flour
- ¼ Cup (50 g) 85% Dark Chocolate – Chopped
- 2 Tablespoons (30 g) Ground Cinnamon
- 1 Teaspoon (5 g) Mixed Spice
- 1 Teaspoon (5 g) Bicarbonate of Soda
- 1 Teaspoon (5 g) Baking Powder
- 1 Teaspoon (15 g) Finely Grated Orange Zest
- ½ Teaspoon (2.5 g) Ground Nutmeg
- ½ Teaspoon (2.5 g) Ground Ginger
- ¼ Teaspoon (1.25 g) Ground Cloves
- 2 Eggs – Lightly Beaten
- ⅔ Cup (150 g) Butter (Grass-fed) or ¼ Cup (60 ml) Coconut Oil – Melted
- 2 Tablespoons (30 g) Rice Malt Syrup
- For the Crosses:
- 1 Egg White
- 1 ¾ Tablespoons (25 g) Desiccated Coconut
- • You will need the oven and a 12-hole muffin tray. Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C) and lightly oil the muffin tray. Set the oiled muffin tray aside and work on your buns.
- • Mix the almond meal, arrowroot flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and all the spices in a bowl. Make sure you mix all the dry ingredients well.
- • In a separate bowl, mix the eggs, butter or coconut oil, orange zest and the syrup. Mix everything well.
- • Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and combine everything well. Once you’ve mixed the wet and dry ingredients together, you can fold the chopped dark chocolate into the mixture.
- • Pour the mixture into the oiled muffin tray you prepared earlier. Set aside and work on the cross topping.
- • In a bowl, whisk the egg white and desiccated coconut together. Make sure you mix the ingredients well.
- • Take your muffin tray with the bun mixture and drizzle the coconut toppings on top making a cross shape. You may use a piping bag or a spoon to create the perfect cross on your buns.
- • Once you have all the buns with cross toppings done, bake them in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until the buns turn light golden brown.
- • Check if the buns are cooked through using a skewer or toothpick if you don’t have a skewer. The skewer or toothpick should come out clean when buns are cooked through.
- • Let the buns cool and serve as is, or if you want to be more traditional you can cut each bun in half, toast under the grill and serve.
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Mixing traditional foods with Paleo is easy as long as you know how and what to choose for alternatives that will work well with more traditional recipes. Knowing the history of this traditional food can also help you understand why Easter is not complete without a hot cross bun on Good Friday.
Knowing More About Hot Cross Buns
The tradition of eating buns during the early days did not actually come from Christian backgrounds. This tradition was taking place way before the spread and awareness of Christianity. This tradition of putting a white cross across on the buns is believed to have been done even during the time of the ancient Greeks. Perhaps the most controversial thing of all is the link between hot cross buns and pagan worship, particularly for Saxons who celebrated the goddess “Easter”. They were believed to have a month-long celebration of the changing of the seasons from winter to spring. The most notable part of this tradition was the marking of the cross on the buns they made which was said to represent the phases of the moon.
There are many stories as to how these buns were used in Christianity, particularly during Easter season. But the similarity amongst these stories is the Anglican monk, Father Thomas Rocliffe. In most of the stories, the monk distributed a spiced bun with the sign of the cross during Good Friday. In some stories, though, no name was given to the Anglican Monk. This was believed to originate in Britain and became a hit in most Christian households.
There are beliefs that these buns hold medicinal and somewhat holy powers such as having better luck for the next year and warding off evil spirits. Some even believed that if this bun is baked on Good Friday, it can last for a year and be broken down and dissolved in water to be taken as a medicine. Others also consider this bun as a symbol of good and lasting friendship. It became so popular that Elizabeth I limited the sales of these buns, especially during Easter, Christmas, and funerals. The law was hard to implement and was later abolished because most households knew how to make the buns and continued distribution.
There are many variants of hot cross buns in different countries. In the UK, the traditional recipes are usually orange-cranberry, apple-cinnamon and toffee, and are usually produced by major supermarkets. New Zealand and Australia has chocolate and coffee hot cross buns. Whilst in the Czech Republic, a sweet bread or cake is made but still has a white cross on top.
No matter what part of the world you live and what belief you practice during Easter, having this treat can make each one of your loved one’s smile. So ward off negativity and have a great Easter together with your friends and family whilst enjoying these Paleo diet approved hot cross buns.
