Hot Cross Buns

These traditional hot cross buns are filled with a delicious mix of warm spices, raisins, and mixed peel. These Easter buns are best served warm with a smattering of butter.

It's that time of the year when the shelves are stocked with Hot Cross Buns! Hot cross buns are sweet spiced buns that are filled with fruit and marked with a cross on the top.

These delicious little spiced fruit buns are a popular treat in South Africa. So I was really happy to discover that they are also super popular here in New Zealand, across the ditch in Australia, as well as in the UK, Ireland, and Canada.

What is a traditional hot cross bun?

Traditionally Hot Cross Buns are eaten on Good Friday to mark the end of Lent. However, they now begin to appear on bakery shelves just after Valentine's Day.

These are yeasted sweet buns that are filled with spices and fruits such as raisins, sultanas, or currents, and candied citrus or mixed peel. They are also decorated with a cross over the top of the dough.

For this particular homemade hot cross buns recipe, I kept to a simple enriched dough. But I decided that a mix of spices - cinnamon, mixed spice, ginger, coriander, cardamom, cloves, and nutmeg combined add to the depth of flavor. This is a bit different from the regular traditional hot cross buns which usually only call for cinnamon and mixed spice or cinnamon and allspice.

Recipe Update

In the last few days, I decided that I needed to retest the recipe, and make sure it was still as good as I remember.

And when I looked at the recipe, I really wanted to make it easy to divide in half for a small batch of hot cross buns - or 6 in total. Which meant it would be easier to use 2 eggs, and maybe a smidge more butter. But this would also mean a touch more flour.

And I was really happy with the new test. But, if you liked the old recipe, and want to stick to it - keep the flour to 500 grams, the butter to 50 grams, and one egg for the dough. Each dough ball weighed about 100 grams.

Ingredients

Here are some notes on the ingredients used in this recipe. Please see the recipe card for quantities.

Butter adds flavor, softness, and moisture and sometimes aids in the leavening of baked goods. I use New Zealand butter in my recipes, which has approximately 82% butterfat and can be very yellow (similar to European or Irish butter). Butter cannot be substituted with butter or margarine spreads, but it can be substituted with baking margarine. Butter adds a softness and enrichment to the dough.

Salt is a crucial ingredient in all baked goods. I use table salt in all my recipes. One teaspoon of table salt equals 1.5 teaspoons of Morton Kosher Salt equals 2 teaspoons of Diamond Crystal.

Bread flour (High-Grade or Strong Flour) for the dough. Bread flour has a higher protein content than plain, standard-grade or all-purpose flour. This extra gluten is what gives bread its texture.

Light brown sugar for sweetness and brown sugar also complements the warm spices in the bread dough. Dark brown sugar can be used instead of light brown sugar.

Orange zest to bring a bit of zing to the dough. And orange juice to hydrate the fruit. The orange can be substituted with a lemon.

Spices - most hot cross bun recipes will call for cinnamon and allspice or mixed spice. But I truly feel a good mix of spices really rounds out and deepens the flavor of these fruit buns. I opted for cinnamon, mixed spice, ginger, coriander, cardamom, cloves, and nutmeg. If you prefer less spice, then just stick to the cinnamon and mixed spice.

​Milk - whole milk, or full-cream milk is best when making an enriched dough. However, a lower fat-content milk will work just fine. 

Eggs -  medium or large eggs for this recipe. The egg adds a bit of richness and flavor to the enriched dough. And are used for an egg wash. 

Plain flour, icing sugar, and milk create the crosses of the hot cross buns.

Yeast - you can use instant yeast or active dry yeast for this recipe. If using instant yeast, it can generally be tossed straight into the bowl with the ingredients and doesn't require blooming.

Mixed peel and raisins - I opted for 100 grams of each because we love mixed peel. However, you can change up the ratio of the fruit, or even just add raisins or sultanas if you don't have mixed peel on hand.

For fruitless hot cross buns, you can simply leave out the fruit. 

For hot cross buns with chocolate chips, simply substitute the fruit with an equal amount of chocolate chips.

Golden syrup is used to create a sweet glaze to be brushed over the top of the bun. Golden syrup can be substituted with maple syrup. And sometimes this is substituted with apricot jam. 

Step-by-step instructions

Rehydrating the fruit - Place the raisins and mixed peel into a bowl, and cover with the juice of the orange. Allow the fruit to rest for a minimum of 30 minutes overnight. Drain the fruit before adding it to the dough.

Making the brioche-style bread dough for the hot cross buns

Step 1 - In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the warm milk, yeast, and a tablespoon of light brown sugar. On a low speed, using the dough hook, gently mix them together. Allow to sit for 5 to 10 minutes, until the mixture starts to foam and bubble. 

Note - If using instant yeast, you can skip this step. 

Step 2 - Add in the flour, salt, spices, orange zest, vanilla, the remaining sugar, and egg to the yeast mixture. Mix on a slow to medium speed for 4 to 5 minutes. 

Step 3 - When the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl, toss in the cubes of butter 1 at a time. Allow the butter to mix in completely before tossing in the next cube. Continue until all the butter is mixed in. Then knead the dough at a slow to medium speed for an additional 7 to 10 minutes. 

NOTE - this sticky dough is very soft, and takes time to come together. Be patient and don't be tempted to add additional flour. 

Step 4 - The dough is finished kneading when you can stretch a portion of the dough between your fingers thin enough to see light through it, without tearing easily. This is known as the windowpane test. If the dough tears fairly easily, then knead for an additional minute or two before testing again.

Shaping the dough

Step 7 - Line a 9" by 13" (23cmx33cm) baking tray or roasting dish with baking paper or parchment paper.

Step 8 - Turn the proofed dough onto a clean, very lightly floured surface. Knock the air out of the dough, folding the dough over itself to equalize the temperature in the dough. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces or portions of about 115 grams (4 ounces) each.

Step 9 - Take each portion of dough, and press it flat onto the clean surface. Then take the edge of the dough, lift it up, and press it into the middle to create a ball of dough. Continue all the way around the piece of dough. Then flip the ball over (onto a portion of the counter or surface with no flour) so the seam side is not on the counter. Create a cage with your hand and rotate in a circle about 7 to 10 times. This will create a nice taught roll or bun. Repeat on all 12 portions.

Step 10 - Place the shaped balls of dough into the prepared baking pan. Cover with cling film or a tea towel and allow to proof for another  30 minutes to an hour. Using a lightly floured finger, poke the side of the bun, if the dough indents and jumps back about halfway the dough is finished proofing.

Hot Cross Bun Crosses/Paste

Step 11 - In the last 15 to 20 minutes of the second rise, preheat the oven to 200°C/390F. In a small bowl, beat the egg to create an egg wash.

Step 12 - In a medium bowl, mix together the plain flour, icing sugar, and milk to form a paste that has a piping consistency. Place the paste into a piping bag. 

Step 13 - Brush the egg wash over the tops of the buns.

Step 14 - Pipe crosses over the top of each bun and bake in a preheated oven for about 25 to 30 minutes. The buns may need to be turned during the last 5/10 minutes of the bake for an even golden brown color across all of the buns.

Hot cross bun glaze

Step 15 - While the buns are baking, combine the golden syrup and boiling water. As soon as the buns come out of the oven, brush the tops of the buns with the glaze. Allow to cool in the baking tray for 10 minutes before lifting out and cool further on a wired rack.

Expert Tips for this Recipe

• All my recipes are currently tested at sea level. 
• You can mix this dough by hand, but it may take up to 20 minutes to reach the window pany consistency. 
• If mixing by hand, add the mix mixture to the flour and mix through before adding any of the ingredients. Allow the mixture to stand for 15 to 30 minutes before continuing. This allows the milk to hydrate the flour and begin the gluten formation before you start kneading. 
• The oven must be properly preheated before baking these buns. A hot oven is a must when baking bread as it kicks the yeast into action, resulting in a nice rise before the edges of the buns bake. This is called the oven spring. 
• All temperatures are stated for conventional ovens. For convection, fan-forced, fan-assisted oven, reduce the temperature by 20°C/25°F.
• Because this is an enriched dough, it may take a little bit longer for the dough to proof when compared to regular bread dough. 
• The butter and eggs should be at room temperature. Mostly to ensure that we don't cool the dough down during the kneading process. 

Storage and Freezing

Store hot cross buns in an airtight container for 3 days in a cool, dry place. These buns can be frozen by individually wrapping the buns in cling film and placed into an airtight container for up to 2 months. Allow to defrost in the fridge overnight, and heat up the next day for serving.

Hot Cross Buns FAQ