Hot Cross Buns Recipe - Soft, fluffy, and perfectly spiced, this easy recipe for homemade hot cross buns will be sure to please your family this coming Easter! Enjoy them with a sweet glaze and the symbolic cross on top on Good Friday or for breakfast throughout the weekend!
No Easter celebration is complete without a freshly baked batch of hot cross buns! This hot cross buns recipe yields perfectly spiced, soft, and fluffy buns studded with raisins and a signature cross on top of each one then finished with a sweet glaze.
They’re so easy to make using simple pantry staples and the process is no different than other yeast bread recipes like my soft dinner rolls, English muffin recipe, or easy 1 hour cinnamon rolls. This one might even be easier because although there are two different rise times, neither is more than an hour.
Make these from scratch just once, you’ll never go back to buying them again!
What Are Hot Cross Buns?
I’m sure by now you’re singing the tune! I know I can’t even hear the words hot crossed buns without also hearing the song. However, the buns we eat are so much more than that.
You’ll see them come out around Easter time and that’s because Christians usually eat them on Good Friday to signify the end of Lent. A spiced bun made with dried fruit (I like raisins, but currents or candied oranges work too) and a cross on top represents the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. The cross on top, the spices inside, and the flavor all represent a different aspect.
Why This Recipe Works
- Easy to make. It’s all done in one bowl using a stand mixer. The dough comes together without you having to do any mixing or kneading, then it needs time to rise and it’s off to the oven for baking.
- Feeds a crowd. This hot cross buns recipe makes 18 little buns or 12 bigger buns! Perfect for breakfast or brunch on Good Friday and have the rest over Easter week.
- Cinnamon and raisins. The combination of the two in these perfectly spiced buns will deliver an aroma throughout your house that will evoke warm memories for years to come!
Recipe Tips
- If using plastic wrap overtop the dough that is resting, grease one side of it so it doesn’t stick.
- You can also use a powdered sugar glaze to form the cross, but this one you’ll want to do after baking.
- I like the look of the glaze, and the added sweetness, but you don’t have to use it if you don’t want to. You can use an egg wash as well if you prefer it less sweet but still want that beautiful sheen.
- If you are using a glaze, you can add some extra flavor to it by mixing powdered sugar and orange juice.
- For extra spice, if you’re interested in adding extra spices, try using nutmeg and allspice in addition to the cinnamon.
Ingredients Needed
- Warm water and active dry yeast: Make sure you are using fresh yeast and it’s still active. Letting it proof in warm water is a great way to tell whether or not it’s still good.
- Warm milk: Make sure the milk is at 105F before adding it into the dough. If it’s too hot it’ll kill the yeast.
- Pantry staples needed: Softened butter, sugar, salt, large egg, all-purpose flour, and cinnamon.
- Raisins: Finely chopped. If you prefer softer raisins, you can soak them first. I never do.
- For the cross: Flour, water, and sugar to make a paste.
- For the glaze: Water and sugar.
How to Make Hot Cross Buns
Step 1: In a small bowl, proof the yeast by combining it with warm water and letting it dissolve for about 5 minutes. It should start to foam, this is how you know it’s activating.
Step 2: In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the warm milk, butter, and sugar. Don’t turn it on yet, but just simply mix it with a whisk to combine.
Step 3: To the stand mixer bowl, whisk in the yeast mixture and an egg until combined. Then, add the flour and cinnamon. Use the hook attachment to mix until the dough forms.
Step 4: Add the chopped raisins and mix until combined. Transfer the dough to a bowl brushed with melted butter. Cover with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and place it in a warm, draft-free area to rest until it doubles in bulk. This should be about 1 hour.
Step 5: Divide the risen dough into 12-18 equal parts. You can do this easily with a bench scraper or sharp knife and use a kitchen scale to weigh them if you want to be that detailed. Roll each portion into a ball.
Step 6: Transfer each dough ball to a parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving room between each one for expansion. Cover once again with a towel and let it rise once more for another 45 minutes - 1 hour.
Step 7: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. While it’s preheating, make the dough for the cross. Whisk the flour, sugar, and water together and put that mixture into a small Ziploc bag. Snip the tip of one of the corners.
Step 8: Gently squeeze the piping bag to use the dough to form crosses on top of each of the balls of dough. It’s ok if they’re not perfect, it can take some practice!
Step 9: Place the baking sheet into the preheated oven and bake the hot cross buns for 18-20 minutes or until they turn golden brown.
Step 10: While the buns are in the oven, boil sugar and water and let it simmer for 3 minutes until the sugar dissolves. Use it to brush on the buns once they are out of the oven. Delish!
How to Make Crosses on Hot Cross Buns
As mentioned above, this is going to take a bit of practice. Or you may just get lucky on your first try, especially if you’re used to piping.
Feel free to use a proper piping bag and tip if you’ve got one on hand.
Squeeze at the top to push the dough as far into the corner as you can. Twist the top and hold the end with one hand. Use the other hand to guide the tip to where you want it to go.
I like to start by placing the tip at the very top of the unbaked bun, squeeze it until the dough comes out, and immediately draw a line from the top of the bun to the bottom. I then do the same from left to right across the middle.
FAQs
There are plenty of ways to mix in a variety of different flavors and textures. For starters, you could swap the raisins for currants, cranberries, apricots, or craisins. Nuts are also a fun way to add some crunch. Chopped walnuts or pecans are a popular choice.
These are best enjoyed warm or room temperature the day they’re made, but they’re ALMOST just as good a day or two later! Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for a couple of days, and then transfer them to the fridge for up to 1 week.
They’re perfectly delicious all on their own without anything else except a hot cup of tea or coffee to enjoy it with.
You can also slice it in half and smear it with butter or your favorite preserves. Honey or your favorite jam would be amazing!
Other Easy Dough Recipes
- Apple Roses Buns
- No Knead Pizza Dough
- Quick Hamburger Buns
- Hoagie Buns
- Sourdough Bread Recipe with Starter
- Sweet Braided Easter Bread
If you tried this Hot Cross Buns Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a * star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting!
📖 Recipe
Easy Hot Cross Buns Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 2 tablespoons water warm
- 2 ¼ teaspoon dry active yeast
- 1 cup milk whole milk, warm
- 2 tablespoons butter softened
- ⅓ cup sugar more if you want buns more sweet
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 3 ⅓ cup all-purpose flour use up to ⅓ cup more flour if needed
- ½ teasoon cinnamon
- ¼ cup raisins finely chopped
For the Sugar Glaze
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ cup sugar
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine warm water and active dry yeast. Let it sit for about 5 minutes to dissolve.
- While the yeast is dissolving, take a stand mixer bowl and mix together warm milk, butter, and sugar using a spoon. Once the yeast is ready, add it to the milk mixture along with an egg and whisk until combined.
- Then add flour and cinnamon, and mix using a hook attachment until the dough forms (it should form a dough on top of the bowl but it will be sticking to the bottom of the bowl, thats what we are looking for).
- Add chopped raisins and mix until combined. Place the dough in a greased bowl, brush with melted butter, cover, and let it rise in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until it doubles in size.
- After that, divide the dough into 12 pieces, roll each piece into a ball, and place them on a greased baking sheet lined with parchment paper or greased baking dish, making sure to leave space between each ball.
- Cover with greased plastic wrap and let it rest in a warm place until it doubles in size, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, water, and sugar. Place the dough into a small ziplock bag, then snip the corner and slowly form crosses on top of the buns.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until golden in color.
- To make a glaze, in a saucepan mix together water and sugar, bring it to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 3 minutes, then brush it over the hot buns. Enjoy!
Notes
- If you're using plastic wrap over the dough that is resting, don't forget to grease one side so it doesn’t stick.
- You can also use a powdered sugar glaze to form the cross, but save this step for after baking.
- I personally love the look of the glaze and the added sweetness, but feel free to skip it if you prefer. Alternatively, you can use an egg wash if you want a less sweet but still beautiful finish.
- If you're using a glaze, consider adding some extra flavor to it by mixing powdered sugar and orange juice.
- For those who want to spice things up, consider using nutmeg and allspice in addition to the cinnamon for some extra flavor.
Leave a Reply