For Easter this year, I'm making dairy-free hot cross buns. I'm making my own variation of Anna Olsen's recipe from the Food Network archives. Growing up, we were never able to find safe brands for myself and my brother, and they were out of my mom's comfort zone to bake herself, so this is my first year participating in the tradition!

I couldn't find currants that did not say "may contain nuts" so I omitted them from the recipe. You can use raisins instead if you prefer. In addition to omitting dairy, I also changed the spices based on what I had in my pantry, and added cardamom. 

Free from peanuts, tree nuts, dairy, soy, fish and shellfish

3/4 cup + 1 tbsp. warm water
4 tsp instant dry yeast
1/3 cup powdered sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 cup canola oil
1 tsp salt
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground clove
1/4 tsp cardamom
1/4 cup mixed diced peel

Glaze:
Sugar
water
pure vanilla extract

Icing:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tbsp. water

Add all the dough ingredients to a large mixing bowl and combine well. I like to mix the dry ingredients, then make a well in the center and add the yeast, eggs, water, and oil. Mix until it forms a sticky ball of dough, then add the diced peel, and knead until it forms a smooth and sticky ball.

Cut the dough into 12 pieces and roll each one into a bun shape. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and let rise for another 40 minutes. Bake at 350F for 25 minutes.

To make the glaze, heat the ingredients in a small sauce pan until syrupy. Brush over the hot buns when they are fresh out of the oven.

For the icing, mix the ingredients and transfer to a piping bag or a plastic bag with the tip cut off. Make a cross shape on each bun when they have come to room temperature.

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