Hot Cross Buns
Deliciously sweet and sticky, my easy Hot Cross Buns recipe is perfect for baking this Easter. Serve generously slathered with salted butter.
It’s not long now until Easter! Every day there is more green on my daily walk and the sun shines a little brighter and hotter. Among the patches of wild garlic, bright yellow daffodils are bobbing about and the supermarkets are piled high with as many tulips as Easter eggs.
It must be time for some deliciously sticky and Fruity Hot Cross Buns!
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Why do we eat Hot Cross Buns at Easter?
While we eat them now at Easter, the origins of buns marked with crosses are much older. Dating back to Roman times, they were initially dedicated to the goddess Diana and later baked for Pagan celebrations of the goddess Eostre. However, it was only later that they were brought into the Christian culture.
So these are some seriously holy buns!
Yes! In fact, the buns became such a symbol of holiness during the Tudor period that Queen Elizabeth I forbade the sale of hot cross buns at any other time than burials, Good Friday and Christmas Day (take note, modern supermarkets, we see you selling them in January and we don’t like it 😂.)
Bread baking in spring is part of many cultures
While Hot Cross Buns have come to be associated with Christianity, sweet bread baking is a ritualistic part of this season in many cultures. Greek ‘Tsoureki’, Hungarian ‘Kalach’, Italian ‘Colomba Pasquale’, and German ‘Osterbrot‘ are all served around Easter time.
Here in Bavaria, Easter Sunday is usually a true feast day after the long Lenten fast. A day for good food, time spent with family and friends and the promise of sunny days as winter draws to a close. I like to share some of my culture here by baking Hot Cross Buns with friends and family.
What’s so good about hot cross buns?
I don’t know whether these buns have holy powers as the Elizabethans believed, but I do know the wafting aroma of sweet spiced bread has a magical way of filling the house and encouraging hungry hoards to descend on the kitchen.
For those of us who grew up eating them, the smell of hot cross buns toasted and buttered is like jumping in a time machine straight back to childhood.
Ingredients
To make homemade Hot Cross Buns, you’ll need the following main ingredients:
- Flour: You can use plain, all-purpose or bread flour for making hot cross buns. Using bread flour will give the best texture in the final bake.
- Milk: Mixing the yeast into warm milk (not hot!) will give the yeast a head start in rising and help you to get an extra light and fluffy result.
- Dried Fruit: Raisins and sultanas are traditional, but I also like to add dried apricots and candied orange peel. You could add cranberries, dried cherries or chopped dried apples.
- Yeast: Instant, active dry, or fresh yeast are all suitable for this recipe.
- Spices: Loading these buns with spices gives them their warming, aromatic flavour. Cinnamon, allspice, mixed spice (that’s pumpkin spice to all of you in the U.S.), cloves or nutmeg are all traditional. Experiment and see what you like, but be bold and use plenty!
- Butter and Eggs: To bind and soften the dough.
The complete ingredient list and method are in the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
Variations
If you’re looking to put a twist on the traditional hot cross bun recipe, try experimenting with different fillings.
I like loading my hot cross bun dough with fruit like dried apricots, raisins, or sultanas. I also add candied orange peel, then serve them hot, smothered with salty butter. Delicious.
If you’re a chocolate lover, add chocolate chips to the dough to create a chocolate-filled hot cross bun. Add some cocoa powder to the dough for a more intense chocolate flavour.
While it might seem a bit wild, while I was visiting Australia I spotted savoury hot cross buns, filled with cheese and herbs (and Vegemite, but that’s another story!)
Are hot cross buns hard to make?
Not at all! This is an easy Hot Cross Bun recipe. These buns are relatively forgiving, and with all their lumps and bumps from the fruit and raisins, they don’t need to be perfect to be tasty.
They are also great for making with kids, so they are a great way of filling in time during the Easter holiday. Give them a try and see!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
I don’t have a kitchen machine to knead the dough! Can I still make hot cross buns?
Of course! As usual, the machine is just a way to make things easier, but if you are prepared to use a little muscle, you can make hot cross buns by hand. Rather than kneading with a machine, stir with a wooden spoon until a smooth dough forms.
Turn out onto a floured surface, dust the dough with a tablespoon of flour and knead by hand for 5 minutes until smooth and elastic. Add extra flour as necessary, so the dough isn’t too sticky. Knead the fruit and sultanas through at the end.
I hate raisins!! Is there an alternative?
Yes! Replace with dried cranberries, chopped apple, or, to be super indulgent, chocolate buttons or chocolate chips. Feel free to experiment with spices, but it is worth being heavy-handed with the cinnamon and mixed spice; the aroma alone is worth it.
Can you freeze Hot Cross Buns?
Of course! Wait until the buns are completely cold, then wrap them individually and freeze them.
What can I do with leftover Hot Cross Buns?
They are great toasted the next day. After that, why not try Bread and Butter Pudding or French toast?
Fruity Hot Cross Buns
Deliciously sweet and sticky, my recipe for Hot Cross Buns is perfect for baking this Easter. Serve generously slathered with salted butter.
Ingredients
- 200 ml full-fat milk
- 21 g fresh yeast, or 7g / 1 sachet active dry yeast
- 500 g plain or all-purpose flour, , separated 300g / 200g
- 50 g white sugar
- zest of 1 lemon or orange
- 1.5 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp mixed spice, U.S.: Pumpkin Spice
- 1 tsp ground allspice
- 1 tsp sea salt, see notes
- 50 g unsalted butter, very soft
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 100 g raisins or sultanas
- 100 g dried apricot, diced
- 2 Tbsp candied orange peel, optional
FOR THE CROSSES:
- 50 g plain or all-purpose flour
- 4-5 Tbsp water
FOR THE GLAZE:
- 2 Tbsp white sugar
- 3 Tbsp hot water
Instructions
- WARM THE MILK: Begin by heating the milk slightly in a small saucepan until it is just warm. Remove from the heat, sprinkle or crumble over the yeast and set aside.
- MAKE THE DOUGH: In the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook fitted (see note 1), combine 300g flour, sugar, lemon or orange zest, spices and salt. While mixing, add the butter and egg, stir the yeast and milk mixture and pour it into the bowl. Run the mixer on high until the ingredients are combined, then with the mixer on low speed, add the remaining flour. Knead for 5 minutes.
- CHECK THE DOUGH: After 5 minutes, the dough should be moving freely around the bowl of the mixer and only lightly sticky. If it is still a little liquid or sticking to the sides of the bowl, add one tablespoon of flour and knead for another minute.
- ADD FLAVOURINGS: Add the raisins, chopped apricots, and peel (if using) to the dough and knead until evenly distributed.
- LET THE DOUGH RISE: When the dough has finished kneading, shape dough into a ball – it should feel soft, springy and elastic – don't worry if it's a little sticky; this is normal. Just dust it with some flour if it makes it easier to handle. Place it back in the bowl, cover it with cling film or some plastic wrap and allow it to rise in a warm place for 45 minutes to 1 hour until doubled in size.
- HEAT THE OVEN: Heat the oven to 180°C / 350°F and line a rectangular dish with baking paper. Turn the dough out of the bowl onto a lightly floured surface, and divide it into 8 equal portions (I find it is always easier to weigh the pieces to ensure the hot cross buns are uniform in size).
- SHAPE THE DOUGH: Roll each piece of dough into a tight ball and place it into the prepared baking dish – barely touching each other. Cover the dish with a clean tea towel and allow it to rise for half an hour while you prepare the paste for the crosses.
- BAKE: To make the crosses, stir together the flour and water in a small bowl to make a thick paste. Spoon the paste into a piping bag or disposable freezer bag (you'll need to snip off the corner of the bag) and carefully pipe crosses onto the buns, which should have begun to rise again. Bake in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes until the tops are deep golden brown and the buns are well-risen.
- GLAZE: While the buns are baking, stir together the ingredients for the glaze. As soon as you take the buns out of the oven, use a pastry brush to generously brush the glaze over the top of the buns while they are still piping hot.
- COOL AND SERVE: Allow to cool a little, then enjoy warm, smothered with salted butter.
Notes
- If you don't have a kitchen machine, stir the mixture with a wooden spoon until a smooth dough forms. Turn out onto a floured surface, dust the dough with a tablespoon of flour and knead by hand for 5 minutes until smooth and elastic. Add extra flour as necessary, so the dough isn't too sticky. Knead the fruit and sultanas through at the end..
- Adding salt to the dough counteracts the sweetness of the fruit and gives flavour. If you are particularly sensitive to salt, consider reducing the amount to ½ tsp.
- Imperial and Cup measurements are approximate. I recommend using a digital scale like the one below for the best and most accurate results.
Recommended Equipment
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Nutrition
Serving: 1bun | Calories: 439kcal | Carbohydrates: 85g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 37mg | Sodium: 325mg | Potassium: 394mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 683IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 66mg | Iron: 4mg
Tried this recipe?I’d love to hear how it went! Please leave a review or a star rating and let me know how it was! Use the hashtag #daysofjay on Instagram so I can see your delicious creations.
About the Author
Jay Wadams is a cookbook author, food photographer, and graduate of Le Cordon Bleu in Gastronomy and Nutrition.
Based in Italy 🇮🇹 Germany 🇩🇪 and Australia 🇦🇺.
Mixed spice is completely different from pumpkin spice, so don’t confused the two.
Hi Carol! Thanks for dropping by! While mixed spice and pumpkin spice do vary, in this recipe they are interchangeable as the dominant spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves and allspice) are likely to be in both the UK or US versions. While the exact amounts might make a difference in something delicate like a cake, breads are much more robust and can tolerate a bit of variation. As always, I recommend that you add spices to suit your own palate and preferences. Happy cooking and all the best for the Easter holiday 🐣 J.