Mexican Hot Cross Buns
Adapted from an original recipe

Ingredients

1 cup milk
2 cinnamon sticks
2 tbsp. dry yeast
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup butter, melted and cooled
4 eggs
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. anise seeds
4 1//2 - 5 cups flour
milk to brush on buns before baking

Glaze

1 1/3 cup confectioner's sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1-2 Tbsp. milk

Directions

In a small saucepan, heat milk and cinnamon stick slowly to hot, but not boiling.  Remove
from heat, cover and let steep for 15-20 minutes.  Remove cinnamon sticks and heat cinnamon
infused milk until temperature reads 110 degrees.  Pour warm milk in a bowl and sprinkle
yeast over.  Mix to dissolve and let sit for 5 minutes.

Stirring constantly, add sugar, salt, butter, cinnamon, anise seeds and eggs.  Gradually
mix in flour, dough will be wet and sticky.  Knead until smooth, about 5 minutes.  Place
dough in a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat the dough.  Cover the bowl with
plastic wrap and leave in a warm, draft free area 30-45 minutes.

Gently punch down dough and knead again for 3-5 minutes until smooth and elastic.
This dough will still be fairly wet.  Shape dough in a ball, place in a buttered dish,
turning once so the entire ball is coated, cover with plastic wrap and let rise overnight
in the refrigerator

Let dough sit at room temperature for about a half-hour.  The dough should have absorbed
all the excess moisture overnight.  Line a large baking pan with parchment paper (you could
also lightly grease a baking pan, but parchment works better).  Divide dough into 24 equal pieces.
Shape each portion into a ball and place on baking sheet, about 1/2 inch apart.  Cover
with a clean kitchen towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size,
about 1/2 hours.  Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F.

When buns have risen to double original size, take a sharp or serrated knife and carefully
slash buns with a cross.  Brush them with milk white and place in oven.  Bake for 10 minutes,
then reduce heat to 350 degrees F, then bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes more.
Transfer to a wire rack.  Whisk together glaze ingredients, and spoon over buns in a cross pattern.
Serve warm, if possible.