Hot Cross Buns are spiced sweet bun made with currants or raisins and marked with a cross on the top, traditionally eaten on Good Friday.
Get creative and make them in a variety of flavours such as chocolate, vanilla, cinnamon and fruits. These warm, sweet and delicious treats are simply perfect for the occasion.
Hot Cross Buns
Ingredients
Buns
- ½ lemon or 1 lime, zest only, no white pith (optional)
- 500 g baker’s flour
- 250 g full cream milk
- 1 tbsp dried instant yeast or 40 g fresh yeast, crumbled
- 1 pinch salt
- 70 g butter
- 50 g caster sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- 100 g sultanas
- 70 g currants
Piping
- 80 g plain flour
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 100 g water
Syrup
- 2 tbsp water
- 2 tbsp sugar
Preparation
Buns
- If using zest, proceed with step – if not, skip to step 2. Place lemon zest or lime zest (optional) and 100 g baker’s flour into mixing bowl and grate 10 sec/speed 9. Transfer into a bowl and set aside.
- Place milk and yeast into mixing bowl and heat 3 min/37°C/speed 1.
- Add reserved grated zest and flour mix, remaining baker’s flour (or total 500 g if you skipped step 1), salt, butter, caster sugar, egg, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg and ground cloves and mix 6 sec/speed 7. Scrape down sides and lid of mixing bowl with spatula.
- Add sultanas and currants then knead Dough /2 min.
- Preheat oven to 220°C. Line a baking tray with baking paper and set aside.
- Transfer dough onto silicone bread mat or floured work surface and work into a ball. Wrap in silicone bread mat, or place into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel. Leave to prove in a warm place until doubled in size (approx. 30 minutes).
- Knock down dough and divide into 12 equal-sized pieces. Form into rolls and place close together onto prepared baking tray then set aside to prove again while you prepare the piping.
Piping
- Place plain flour, salt, olive oil and water into mixing bowl and mix 30 sec/speed 4.
- Pour into piping bag and pipe crosses onto the top of buns. Bake for 10-15 minutes (220°C) or until golden brown. Clean and dry mixing bowl.
Syrup
- Place water and sugar into mixing bowl and cook 2 min/100°C/speed 4.
- Using a pastry brush, apply hot sugar syrup onto buns while still warm.
- Allow to cool on tray for 5 minutes before transferring onto a wire rack. Serve warm.
Get Hot Cross Buns recipes here on Cookidoo®
Hot cross buns https://cookidoo.international/recipes/recipe/en/r69093
Chocolate hot cross buns https://cookidoo.international/recipes/recipe/en/r709953
Christy Tania’s Vegan Hot Cross buns https://cookidoo.international/recipes/recipe/en/r762804
Cheese and jalapeño savoury hot cross buns https://cookidoo.international/recipes/recipe/en/r726844