Sweet bread buns with hint of spice, these hot cross buns are soft, delicious packed with raisins and are full of flavor.
With Easter just around the corner, I thought this would be a perfect time to share hot cross buns recipe. Good Friday marks the end of the Christian season of Lent, followed by Easter Sunday. Hot cross buns are traditionally eaten to end the fast during the holy week and on Easter Sunday to celebrate the feast. The top of the buns is marked with crosses to depict the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
Because Hot Cross Buns aren’t sold year-round, you’re sure to find them on stands inside or outside of church premises, or in local bakeries from the end of Lent through Easter. Or you can make hot cross buns at home with this easy recipe.
How to make hot cross buns?
Just like bread rolls, It’s fairly easy to prepare hot cross buns by mixing dry and wet ingredients to create a dough. Kneading the dough then cutting and shaping the dough into small balls, marking the buns after proofing and baking them.
How to make hot cross buns by hand?
You can prepare this recipe without using a stand mixer as well. Follow step 1 below. Then proceed to all ingredients to the milk, water, and yeast, including butter and raisins. Knead the dough roughly in a bowl. Then place the dough on a flour-dusted kitchen platform and continue to knead for 8-9 minutes or until the dough is smooth. Follow the rest of the steps as mentioned below in the recipe.
Ingredients
- Milk – 275ml
- Water – 120ml
- Sugar – 70g
- Flour – 640g ( recommend bread flour )
- Dry yeast – 9g
- Egg – 1 large
- Butter unsalted – 60g (melted)
- Sultanas / Dried black raisins – 130g
- Cinnamon powder – 1 tsp
- Nutmeg powder – ⅓tsp ( optional )
- 1 Orange zest
- Salt – 10g
For crosses
- 100g flour
- 90ml water
For sugar glaze
- Sugar – 100g
- Water – 100ml
- Juice of 1 lemon
Instructions
- In a bowl of a stand mixer (or just a bowl if made by hand), combine the milk, water, yeast, and 1 tablespoon of sugar, mix thoroughly and set aside for 10-12 minutes.
- Once the yeast begins to bubble, add the flour, remaining sugar, egg, powdered cinnamon, powdered nutmeg, orange zest, and salt. Knead the dough for 3 minutes until coarsely mixed.
- Add the melted butter and dried raisins. If your dough is too hard, add a few tablespoons of milk. Continue kneading the dough for about 9-10 minutes or until the dough comes together, forming a smooth surface and is not sticking to the sides.
- Lightly grease bowl and dough with cooking oil, cover with a damp cloth and let rise for an hour or until doubled in volume.
- Dust the kitchen surface with flour and place the dough on the kitchen surface. Gently degas the dough with the back of your hand. Fold in the sides and roll into a long roll. Cut the dough evenly. You should end up with 12-13 equal pieces (110-112g each approximately).
- Line 9×13 inch deep baking tray with parchment paper. Shape the dough pieces into firm balls. Place the dough balls in the prepared baking tray. Cover the tray with a damp cloth and leave the dough balls for the final rise. For about 35-40 minutes or until the dough is risen but not more than 70%.
- Preheat the oven to 180°c. 15 minutes before baking.
- Prepare the flour paste, and pipe it onto the proofed buns. Starting from one end, piping through each bun horizontally and vertically creates an “X” cross on each bun.
- Bake the cross buns at 180°c for 22-23 minutes, or until fully baked.
- Transfer the hot cross buns to a wire rack immediately after baking and glaze with prepared sugar syrup while they are steaming hot.
Flour paste for crosses.
In a bowl, add flour and water and whisk rigorously to form a thick paste. Transfer the paste into a piping bag. If you don’t have a piping bag use a ziplock bag with the one end tip cut off.
Sugar glaze
In a thick bottom pan, add sugar and water. Let it simmer on medium heat for 5-6 minutes. Turn off the gas, and add in lemon juice. Leave it aside to cool down.
Notes
- If you don’t like raisins you can add chocolate chips as well.
- The perfect time to prepare sugar syrup and flour paste is after doing step 6.
- You can use any spice mix of your choice. A grounded mix of cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg works well with this recipe.
- If you don’t like sugar glaze you can simply brush the buns with butter and it tastes amazing too.
Enjoy these freshly baked hot cross buns with your favorite jam, with our most popular strawberry compote, or share them with your family and friends as dinner rolls.
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