Instructions:

First Prize Breads Amelia McLelland, St. Catherines, Ont. (no relation to me -Am)

"My grandmother who died at the age of 97, always made her own buns and breads. As children, we looked forward to going to Grandma's for a Sunday afternoon tea party for her scrumptious home baking. These buns were our favorite. I make them year-round and just omit cutting a cross into them. They may be a little time-consuming to make but are well worth the effort."

Cover raisins with boiling water; let cool and drain. Set aside. In small pot, cover potatoes with cold water; bring to a boil and cook for about 20 minutes or until tender; drain well and mash. Let cool.

In small saucepan, heat milk over medium-high heat just until bubbles form around edge; remove from heat. Stir in butter, 1/2 cup sugar, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg and cloves, set aside.

In large bowl, combine 1/2 cup warm water and 1 tsp sugar; sprinkle yeast over top. Let stand for 10 minutes or until frothy. Stir in milk mixture, eggs, potatoes and 2 cups of the flour. Using electric mixer, beat at medium speed for 3 minutes or until very smooth. Cover and let stand in warm place for about 1 hour or until doubled in bulk. Stir in remaining flour and raisins. On lightly floured surface, knead for 10 minutes, adding up to 1/2 cup more flour if necessary to make soft, smooth, elastic dough. Place dough in greased bowl, turning to grease all over; cover and let rise for about 1 hour or until doubled in bulk. Punch down dough. On lightly floured surface, roll out to 1/2" thickness. Using 3 inch round cookie cutter, cut out rounds, rerolling scraps. Transfer to greased baking sheet. Brush tops with egg whites; cut shallow cross in tops. Bake in 400F for 15 to 18 minutes or until golden brown.

magazine for Canada's 125th birthday posted by Anne MacLellan