Hot cross buns are very famous yeast Easter buns with raisins or currants in them. Hot cross buns are eaten on Good Friday in many countries, including England, Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, South Africa, and some parts of America.
The cross on the bun symbolizes the crucifixion of Christ. There are many stories about the buns, and some are dated as far back as the 12th century.
The Hot cross buns were sold only during the week of Easter . As they became popular, they were being sold and made year-round. I relate to the Hot Cross Buns, also known as Easter Buns, through the popular Nursery rhyme that I learned in elementary school.
Since this bun is popular in many countries, I chose England as the country under which I am going to label it. When researching for recipes, I found many different Easter Buns with minor changes.
Some were heavily spiced, and some were just basic ones. Also, the cross was made with either a flour mixture or using icing sugar. I worked with the recipes and made something that my family would like, and yet kept it as traditional as I could.
It feels very good to be posting this recipe right around Easter time. I also chose to make it eggless and used sour cream as my egg alternative. The dough is very basic, and I used some spiced milk to make the dough.
Ingredients needed
To make the Dough
- Milk - 75 ml
- Butter - 25 g (2 tbsp)
- Clove - 2
- Cardamom - 2
- All-purpose flour - 1 ¾ - 2 cups
- Instant yeast - 1 ½ tsp
- Cinnamon powder - ½ tsp
- Nutmeg - ¼ tsp
- Ginger powder - ¼ tsp
- Salt - ½ tsp
- Sugar - 3 tbsp
- Sour cream - 1 tbsp
- Raisin - ½ cup
- Cream plus milk - 1 tablespoon + 1 tablespoon (to brush on the rolls)
To make the cross
- All-purpose flour - 2 tbsp
- Confectionery sugar - 1 tbsp
- Water - 1 tbsp
Step-by-step process
Make the Dough
In a saucepan, add the milk, butter, cloves, and cardamom and heat it until the butter melts. Let it cool down to a lukewarm temperature. Strain the milk and use it in the dough.
I made the dough in my food processor. Add the flour, salt, sugar, instant yeast, raisins, and spices to the bowl of the food processor.
Add the sour cream and mix it.
Now add the lukewarm milk to the flour mixture and form a soft dough. If needed, add a little more flour or milk.
Knead the dough until it is very soft and then place it in a greased bowl. Cover it with plastic wrap and then a kitchen towel and place it in a warm, draft-free place until it doubles in volume.
Shape the dough
- Once the dough has risen, punch it down gently and then divide it into 8 equal pieces.
Roll each piece of dough into a taut ball and place it on a parchment-lined baking dish.
Using a butter knife, make a deep cut in the shape of a cross on each ball.
Cover the dough with a kitchen towel and let it proof again until they are puffy. About 45 minutes to an hour.
- In the meantime, mix all the ingredients mentioned to make the cross. Transfer the paste to a Ziploc bag and seal it.
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Once the dough balls have puffed up, use a pastry brush and liberally brush the top of the hot cross buns with the cream and milk mixture.
Now, make a small hole in one corner of the Ziploc bag with the flour paste and draw the cross over the buns right where we made a cut.
Bake the buns
Place the buns in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until the top of the buns is golden brown and shiny. Keep an eye on it starting from about 15 minutes, as the cooking times vary by oven.
Remove the hot cross buns to a cooling rack and serve warm with butter.
Expert Tips
- Use fresh yeast as with any baking. Expired yeast might not be active and will result in the dough not rising.
- I have used sour cream as an egg replacement for this hot cross bun, and it works well. Feel free to use any other alternative that works for you.
- Making the deep cut over the buns before placing the cross is important. Otherwise, the cross-design that we draw can slide off when baking.
Hot cross buns taste best when eaten fresh. They can remain at room temperature for a couple of days in an air-tight container. The hot cross buns freeze well and can be frozen for a couple of months.
Absolutely, just skip the sour cream and add one large egg to the dough.
Hot cross buns are traditionally made with raisins or sultanas, or currants. But we can use any other dry fruits. I like to use cranberries or a Christmas fruit mix at times.
More Similar Bun Recipes
- Gai Mei Bao - Chinese Cocktail Buns - Chinese Coconut Buns
- Pull-Apart Sweet Buns | Bakery Style Sweet Buns
- Kofieebroodje - Dutch Coffee Buns
- Honeycomb Bun | Bee’s Hive Bun | Khaliat Nahal
Recipe
Ingredients
To make the Dough -
- ▢ 75 ml Milk
- ▢ 25 grams Butter - 25 g 2 tbsp
- ▢ 2 Clove
- ▢ 2 Cardamom
- ▢ 2 cups All Purpose flour Might need 1 ¾ to 2 cups
- ▢ 1 ½ teaspoon Instant yeast
- ▢ ½ teaspoon Cinnamon powder
- ▢ ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg
- ▢ ¼ teaspoon Ginger powder
- ▢ ½ teaspoon Salt
- ▢ 3 Tablespoon Sugar
- ▢ 1 Tablespoon Sour cream
- ▢ ½ cup Raisin
- ▢ 2 Tablespoon Cream plus milk - 1 tablespoon + 1 tbsp 1 tablespoon + 1 tablespoon to brush on the rolls
To make the cross -
- ▢ 2 Tablespoon All purpose flour
- ▢ 1 Tablespoon Confectionery sugar -
- ▢ 1 Tablespoon Water
Instructions
To Make the Dough -
- In a sauce pan, add the milk, butter, cloves and cardamom and heat it until the butter melts. Let it cool down to lukewarm temperature. Strain the milk and use it in the dough.
- I made the dough in my food processor. Add the flour, salt, sugar, instant yeast, raisins and spices to the bowl of the food processor.
- Add the sour cream and give it a mix.
- Now add the lukewarm milk to the flour mixture and form a soft dough. If needed add a little more flour or milk.
- Knead the dough until it is very soft and then place it in a greased bowl. Cover it with a plastic wrap and then a kitchen towel and place it in a warm, draft-free place until it doubles in volume.
To shape the dough -
- Once the dough is risen, punch it down gently and then divide it into 8 equal pieces.
- Roll each piece of dough into a taut ball and place it on a parchment lined baking dish.
- Using a butter knife, make a deep cut in the shape of a cross on each ball.
- Cover the dough with a kitchen towel and let it proof again until they are puffy. About 45 minutes to an hour.
- In the meantime, mix all the ingredients mentioned to make the cross. Transfer the paste to a Ziploc bag and seal it.
- Preheat the oven to 400 F.
- Once the dough balls have puffed up, use a pastry brush and liberally brush the top of the buns with the cream and milk mixture.
- Now make a small hole in one corner of the Ziploc bag with the flour paste and draw the cross over the buns right where we made a cut.
- Place the buns in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until the top of the buns are golden brown and shiny. Keep an eye starting from about 15 minutes as the cooking times vary by the oven.
- Remove the buns on a cooling rack and serve warm with butter.
Notes
- Use fresh yeast as with any baking. Expired yeast might not be active and will result in the dough not rising.
- I have used sour cream as an egg replacement for this hot cross bun and it works well. Feel free to use any other alternate that works for you.
- Making the deep cut over the buns before placing the cross is important. Otherwise, the cross design that we draw can slide off when baking.
Nutrition
More Buns and Rolls
- Classic Homemade Bialys Recipe
- Lolo Buns | Fijian Coconut Buns
- Pão de Queijo | Brazilian Cheese Bread
- Lepinja Bread | Somun | Croatian Flatbread
Hot Cross Buns
Ingredients
To make the Dough -
- 75 ml Milk
- 25 grams Butter - 25 g 2 tbsp
- 2 Clove
- 2 Cardamom
- 2 cups All Purpose flour Might need 1 ¾ to 2 cups
- 1 ½ teaspoon Instant yeast
- ½ teaspoon Cinnamon powder
- ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon Ginger powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 3 Tablespoon Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Sour cream
- ½ cup Raisin
- 2 Tablespoon Cream plus milk - 1 tablespoon + 1 tbsp 1 tablespoon + 1 tablespoon to brush on the rolls
To make the cross -
- 2 Tablespoon All purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon Confectionery sugar -
- 1 Tablespoon Water
Instructions
To Make the Dough -
- In a sauce pan, add the milk, butter, cloves and cardamom and heat it until the butter melts. Let it cool down to lukewarm temperature. Strain the milk and use it in the dough.
- I made the dough in my food processor. Add the flour, salt, sugar, instant yeast, raisins and spices to the bowl of the food processor.
- Add the sour cream and give it a mix.
- Now add the lukewarm milk to the flour mixture and form a soft dough. If needed add a little more flour or milk.
- Knead the dough until it is very soft and then place it in a greased bowl. Cover it with a plastic wrap and then a kitchen towel and place it in a warm, draft-free place until it doubles in volume.
To shape the dough -
- Once the dough is risen, punch it down gently and then divide it into 8 equal pieces.
- Roll each piece of dough into a taut ball and place it on a parchment lined baking dish.
- Using a butter knife, make a deep cut in the shape of a cross on each ball.
- Cover the dough with a kitchen towel and let it proof again until they are puffy. About 45 minutes to an hour.
- In the meantime, mix all the ingredients mentioned to make the cross. Transfer the paste to a Ziploc bag and seal it.
- Preheat the oven to 400 F.
- Once the dough balls have puffed up, use a pastry brush and liberally brush the top of the buns with the cream and milk mixture.
- Now make a small hole in one corner of the Ziploc bag with the flour paste and draw the cross over the buns right where we made a cut.
- Place the buns in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until the top of the buns are golden brown and shiny. Keep an eye starting from about 15 minutes as the cooking times vary by the oven.
- Remove the buns on a cooling rack and serve warm with butter.
Notes
- Use fresh yeast as with any baking. Expired yeast might not be active and will result in the dough not rising.
- I have used sour cream as an egg replacement for this hot cross bun and it works well. Feel free to use any other alternate that works for you.
- Making the deep cut over the buns before placing the cross is important. Otherwise, the cross design that we draw can slide off when baking.
