Winter Meets Spring
And a hot cross bun recipe with apple and star anise.
Have you felt it yet? The seasons are beginning to shift: Winter meets Spring.
Here in Edinburgh Spring has teased us with the first warm days - before another cold snap arrived - and the crocuses are flowering, the first daffodils emerging and the birdsong is increasing day by day. But mostly, it’s in the light. A growing golden quality in the mornings and evenings. A tiny but tangible spreading warmth. Sunset after 5.30 p.m.
And I don’t know about you, but I am so ready for it.
By the middle of this week it will be March and Ostara, the Spring Equinox, will be just a few weeks away: day and night will be equal length once more, balance in light and dark restored. In the Celtic Wheel of the Year this is the high point of Spring and a time linked with fertility, renewal, rebirth and celebration. It takes its name for the goddess Eostre or Ostara who was traditionally celebrated in April and the Christian celebration of Easter has many links with the festival.
As ever, many of the Celts’ traditions are associated with nature. These twin forces of nature and nostalgia are something I find incredibly comforting, especially during the cold, dark months of the year. The hare is a traditional Celtic symbol - linked to the moon, rebirth and immortality - associated with Ostara and thought to be the origin of the Easter bunny. The egg is another Celtic symbol, one we still understand as representing fertility, growth and balance - particularly apt for the Vernal Equinox. The birch tree is also associated with this time of the year in the Celtic calendar: the Celtic goddess Ostara was celebrated by dancing in and around these trees, among the first to come into leaf. I know I’ll enjoy watching the leaves of the silver birch I can see from my bedroom window unfurling in the next few weeks.
Last year, after a long, long Winter, Ostara coincided with so many big changes in my life: selling my flat and buying a new one, and exciting creative career shifts. I’m really hoping the rising energy in the universe won’t be quite so dramatic this year, but I am looking forward to the new season feeling that always grows over these next few weeks as the light increases in the lead-up to Ostara.
There is much to look forward to but I’m also not-so-secretly embracing the excuse to be cosy, quiet and slow for as long as possible: beeswax candles, lighting the stove as I write, and a spot of weekend baking. I enjoy making hot cross buns in the build-up to the Spring Equinox, served warm with lashings of butter. Here is my recipe for apple and star anise hot cross buns so you can enjoy them too - they are made with sourdough starter, but simply replace with the same amount of milk and flour in equal quantities, and a sachet of fast action yeast in with the melted butter and milk.
Apple and Star Anise Hot Cross Buns
The sourdough tang perfectly balances the sweetness of the dried fruit and spices here. I put fresh apple chunks and star anise in mine, but add whatever dried fruit, nuts (or even chocolate!) and spices you like and have in the cupboard. To make the buns, you will need:
75g active sourdough starter (I feed mine about 12 hours before I want to bake)
210g strong flour
140ml milk, slightly warmed
1 tsp ground star anise and 75g apple (or spice and fruit/ nuts of your choice) and zest of half a lemon
20g butter, melted
40g caster sugar.
Mix the ingredients in a stand mixer with a dough hook and knead for 10 minutes until they come together as a dough. Prove overnight, or for at least 12 hours.
In the morning, knock the risen dough back and add the zest of half a lemon and the apple.
Divide the dough into six and form into ball shapes. Set aside to prove until double in size, covered with a damp tea towel.
Preheat the oven to 200C fan. Make the crosses by mixing 50g flour with a tablespoon of water at a time, until you have a thick paste. Pipe crosses onto the top of the buns.
Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown.
Glaze with warmed golden syrup or make a star anise syrup with 20g each of water and caster sugar and 1/8 tsp star anise (dilute the rest as a cordial if you have any left over). Serve warm with plenty of butter and a cuppa or two.
If you enjoy my monthly seasonal newsletters, do consider joining us in my paid subscriber community for more regular posts. Together in this wee corner of the Internet we are creating a beautiful community of like-minded old souls who want to slow down, simplify and connect with the seasons. Here’s a flavour of what I’ve been posting over there this last month:
Kitchen Shelf Styling for Spring
Potting up Spring Bulbs for Imbolc
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Thanks so much for being here! See you next month,
Rosie xxx
Beautiful words!
Wondering if there is any salt in the dough? I definitely want to try and make these 😊