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Hot Cross Buns Recipe

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★★★★★

4.6 from 123 reviews

This classic Hot Cross Buns recipe yields soft, fluffy, and fragrant sweet buns studded with sultanas and spiced with cinnamon and allspice. Perfect for Easter or any cozy occasion, these buns are marked with a traditional flour cross and glazed with apricot jam for a shiny, sweet finish.

Ingredients

Scale

Dough Ingredients

  • 3 teaspoons instant or rapid rise yeast (9 grams)
  • 1/2 cup (110g) caster sugar (superfine sugar)
  • 1 1/2 cups (375ml) warm milk (full fat or low fat)
  • 4 1/4 cups (640g) bread flour (or plain/all purpose flour)
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon powder
  • 2 teaspoons allspice (or mixed spice)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 cups (210g) sultanas
  • Zest of 1 to 2 oranges
  • 50g (3.5 tbsp) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 1 egg at room temperature

Cross Paste Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup (35g) extra bread flour
  • 1/2 cup (75g) flour (any white flour)
  • 5 tablespoons water

Glaze Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon apricot jam
  • 2 teaspoons water

Instructions

  1. Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, combine the flour, yeast, sugar, allspice, cinnamon, and salt. Mix briefly using a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook to evenly distribute the dry ingredients.
  2. Add Wet Ingredients: Add melted butter, warm milk, egg, sultanas, and orange zest to the dry mixture.
  3. Knead the Dough with Stand Mixer: Mix on speed 2 until ingredients start to combine, then increase to speed 4 and knead for about 5 minutes until a smooth, elastic dough is formed. Add extra flour gradually if the dough sticks too much to the bowl or fingers, just enough so it pulls away cleanly from the sides.
  4. Or Knead by Hand: Alternatively, dust a work surface with flour and knead the dough by hand for about 10 minutes until smooth and elastic, not sticky, and stretches without breaking.
  5. First Rise: Place the dough in a bowl, cover with cling wrap, and leave in a warm, draft-free area to double in size, about 30 minutes to 1 1/2 hours depending on room temperature.
  6. Shape the Buns: Punch down the dough to deflate it. On a floured surface, shape the dough into a log, then cut into 12 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a tight ball with a smooth surface and place on a baking tray lined with baking paper, arranged 3 by 4.
  7. Second Rise: Lightly oil a piece of cling wrap and loosely cover the buns. Let them rise in a warm spot until the dough increases in size by about 75%, roughly 30 to 45 minutes.
  8. Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F) while the buns complete their second rise.
  9. Prepare Cross Paste: Mix the extra bread flour, white flour, and water to make a thick but runny paste suitable for piping.
  10. Pipe the Crosses: Spoon the paste into a piping bag or small ziplock bag, snip the corner, and pipe a cross over each bun slowly and carefully so the paste adheres to the curved surfaces.
  11. Bake: Bake the buns in the preheated oven for about 22 minutes or until they are deep golden brown on top.
  12. Make Glaze: While baking, mix apricot jam and water in a microwave-safe bowl and heat for 30 seconds, then stir to combine.
  13. Glaze the Buns: Remove the buns from the oven, transfer to a cooling rack using the baking paper overhang, and brush the warm buns with the apricot jam glaze.
  14. Cool and Serve: Allow the buns to cool to warm before serving, enjoying them fresh and fragrant.

Notes

  • Check that your yeast is still active by proofing it in warm water with a pinch of sugar before use.
  • Use full-fat or low-fat milk according to preference; full-fat yields richer buns.
  • Bread flour produces a chewier texture, but all-purpose flour also works well.
  • Allspice or mixed spice can be used interchangeably; add orange zest for a fresh citrus aroma.
  • Adjust the amount of extra flour during kneading so that the dough is tacky but not overly sticky.
  • Rising times depend on the room temperature; warmer environments speed up fermentation.
  • Apricot jam glaze enhances shine and gives a sweet flavor contrast to the spiced dough.

Keywords: Hot Cross Buns, Easter buns, spiced buns, yeast buns, sultana buns, traditional buns, sweet buns, baking, cinnamon buns

Find it online: https://flavorsbymaya.com/hot-cross-buns-recipe/