Recipe(tried): Hot Cross Buns from the Bread Machine

I served 2 batches of these to family and friends at Easter dinner yesterday. They are very good, very aromatic and easy to make. I have found over the years that the dough doesn't rise very much until after the buns are formed. I usually make one batch using the lemon icing and one batch replacing the lemon rind with orange rind.

HOT CROSS BUNS FROM THE BREAD MACHINE
Source: Desserts from Your Bread Machine, Perfect Every Time by Lora Brody
Makes 16 rolls

FOR THE BUNS:
2 teaspoons yeast
1/4 teaspoon ascorbic acid
2 1/2 cups unbleached white flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup unseasoned mashed potato (homemade or instant)
1/2 stick (2 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 extra-large egg
1/2 cup evaporated milk
2/3 cup (3 1/2 ounces) raisins OR currants
FOR THE ICING:
3/4 cup confectioner's sugar
3/4 Tablespoon finely grated lemon rind OR 1/4 teaspoon lemon oil
2 Tablespoon light cream OR milk

Have all ingredients at room temperature. Place all ingredients except the raisins in the machine in order called for your bread machine instructions. Program for Dough or Manual and press Start.

When the machine stops, add raisins and press Start. Allow machine to knead them in for 1 to 2 minutes, or until well mixed. (My machine has a raisin beep about 5 minutes before the end of the second knead cycle, so that's when I add the raisins.)

Remove dough from machine and set it aside to rest, covered with plastic wrap, on a lightly greased surface for 10 minutes.

Divide the dough into 16 pieces. Shape each piece into a round ball by holding the dough in both hands and using your thumbs to pull the dough down, evenly, to a small knot at the bottom.

Place the balls, about 1 inch apart, (knot side down), in a lightly greased 12-inch deep-dish pizza pan or similar size pan. (I use a 10-12 inch springform pan with a removable bottom. Cover the pan and let the balls rise for 1 hour, or until almost doubled in bulk.

Bake the buns in a preheated 375 degree oven for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove the buns from the oven, remove them from the pan, and cool them completely on a wire rack.

Make the icing by mixing together the sugar, lemon rind and cream until smooth. The icing will be quite thick; you want it thick enough to squeeze on top of a bun with out running, so adjust your ingredients accordingly.

When the buns are cool, pipe the icing into a thick cross shape atop each bun, or simply squiggle it on. If you don't have something official to do this with, it's just as easy to place icing in a plastic bag, snip off a corner, and squeeze the icing onto the buns that way.