Tea Time: Lemon-Cherry Hot Cross Buns

So.
I continued to make recipes from Crumb, trying to decide what I should use for the Secret Recipe Club reveal.  This is the second recipe that we ate.  I think I enjoyed them more than J.
Growing up, I was not a huge fan of hot cross buns.  While I liked the spiced dough and raisins, I had an issue.  The big thing I didn't like?  Candied peel.  My father didn't like raisins cooked in things, so the only one who really liked hot cross buns at my house was my mom.  Eventually, my mother found a brand that used just raisins, and while I ate them, I was always suspicious of the potential for candied peel. 
Seeing as this is *my* kitchen, I've had a bag of dried cherries hanging around which I have been trying to decide how to use.  When I saw this recipe, it involved the spiced dough with a dried fruit I like, and seeing as I was in charge, no candied peel!  How could this be bad?
I present to you now Crumb's Lemon-Cherry Hot Cross Buns:

Ingredients:

1-1/2 c warm milk
1/4 c butter, melted
1/2 c sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 Tbsp lemon zest
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp yeast
4-1/2 c flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 c dried cherries

Glaze:
2 Tbsp water
2 Tbsp sugar

Icing:
1 c icing sugar
1 Tbsp lemon juice

Method:
1.  In the bowl of a mixer, combine milk, butter, sugar, egg, zest, vanilla and yeast.  Let sit 5 minutes until bubbly.  While waiting, combine flour, salt and spices.
2.  Pour flour mixture into yeast mixture and start mixer, fitted with the dough hook.  Mix for 2 minutes, until the dough forms and pulls away from the bowl.  Continue to mix for 2 minutes, kneading in the bowl.
3.  Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface.  Knead by hand, incorporating the cherries bit by bit.  Grease mixer bowl and put dough back in, turning to grease all sides of the dough.  Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled, about 90 minutes.  (Note:  I set doughs to rise in my oven.  Turn oven on to 400F for 1 minute, then turn off and set covered bowl in middle of oven to rise.  I sometimes leave the oven light on to maintain warmth.)
4.  When risen, punch down and turn out.  Divide into 20 equal pieces and put into 2-9" greased cake pans.  Cover and leave to rise again until doubled, about 45 minutes.
5.  Preheat oven to 375F.  Bake rolls for 30 minutes, until golden.  Near the end of the baking time, combine sugar and water for the glaze.  Heat in microwave for 30 seconds, and stir until sugar is dissolved.  Brush the rolls with the glaze as soon as they are removed from the oven.  Let cool completely.
6.  Mix icing sugar and lemon juice for the icing.  Drizzle over the rolls, or pipe a cross onto the top of each roll.

Adapted from Crumb

 I'm always excited for the chance to use my dough hook!  This came together quickly and easily.  The spices meant it smelled lovely.

The dough was dense, but kneaded smoothly.  I couldn't find anything about adding dried fruit to the Kitchen Aid, and I was afraid of it being pulverized, so I added it by hand.

Making 2 pans of pull-apart rolls meant that I froze one once baked and glazed and left one for us to eat now.  Now we have Easter breakfast!

Shiny and ready for icing!

My piping job isn't pretty, but the icing is tart and contrasts nicely with the glaze.  It's early, but we're ready.

Especially with a hot cup of tea.