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Breakfast Β· Snack

Hot Cross Buns

Soft spiced buns with raisins and orange zest, marked with a cross and glazed with warm apricot jam. Traditionally eaten on Good Friday.

⏱ 3 hr 32 min (40 min prep, 22 min cooking, 2 hr 30 min waiting) 🍽 Serves 12 · 1 bun make aheadfreezer friendly vegetarian

In our collection Easter and spring dinner: menu and shopping list β†’

πŸ“… Add to my plan

ContainsMilk, Eggs, Wheat. Check the labels on what you buy; brands differ.

Ingredients

Make 12 servings

  • Dough

  • 1 cup Whole milk, warm (about 110Β°F)
  • 1 package Active dry yeast, instant or active dry (2ΒΌ teaspoons)
  • β…“ cup Granulated sugar
  • 4 cup All-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp Table salt
  • 1Β½ tsp Ground cinnamon
  • Β½ tsp Ground allspice
  • ΒΌ tsp Ground nutmeg
  • 1 Eggs, large
  • 4 tbsp Butter, unsalted, softened
  • ΒΎ cup Raisins, or currants and dried cranberries
  • 1 Orange, zest only

  • Cross and glaze

  • Β½ cup All-purpose flour, for the crosses
  • β…“ cup Water
  • ΒΌ cup Strawberry jam, apricot, warmed

Make it yourself

Make the butter yourself β†’

In the planner, Make it on the shopping list swaps the store item for these ingredients and puts the work on your prep day.

Nutrition

Nutrition coming: the USDA numbers for these ingredients are being added.

Steps

You’ll need: stand mixer with a dough hook, or a big bowl and your hands, 9-by-13-inch pan, piping bag or zip-top bag, pastry brush.

  1. Stir the warm milk, yeast and a pinch of the sugar together; if using active dry yeast, wait 5 minutes until foamy.
  2. Mix in the rest of the sugar, the flour, salt, spices, egg and butter. Knead 8 to 10 minutes (5 in a mixer), until smooth and springy. Knead in the raisins and zest.
  3. Cover and let rise in a warm spot until doubled, 1 to 1Β½ hours.
  4. Grease the pan. Divide the dough into 12 pieces, roll each into a tight ball, and set them in rows. Cover and let rise until puffy and touching, 45 minutes.
  5. Heat the oven to 375Β°F. Stir the Β½ cup flour and water into a thick paste, pipe lines down each row and then across to make crosses.
  6. Bake 20 to 22 minutes, until deep golden. Brush the hot buns with the warmed jam. Cool a little and pull apart.
Make aheadShape the buns, cover, and refrigerate overnight; let them rise at room temperature about 1 hour before baking.
❄️ FreezerFreeze baked buns up to 2 months. Warm from frozen at 325Β°F for 10 minutes.
β†Ί LeftoversKeep covered at room temperature 2 days. Split and toast older buns with butter.
πŸ§’ With kidsKids can roll the balls and pipe the crosses.
Chocolate swapUse chocolate chips instead of raisins.
Icing cross swapPipe crosses of powdered-sugar icing on the cooled buns instead of the flour paste.

Goes well with

πŸ– Honey-Orange Glazed Bone-In Ham

Good to know

All-purpose vs. bread flour (and friends) Table salt vs. kosher salt vs. sea salt Ceylon vs. Cassia Cinnamon Cooking Fats Compared Salted vs. unsalted butter

An original Teddy Rook Book recipe, written for our Easter and spring dinner collection; safety steps follow USDA. Nutrition is estimated from USDA FoodData Central and changes with brands and portions.