Hot Cross Buns
Serves: 12 buns
Light and fluffy Hot Cross Buns with delicious spices and raisins. Recipe with step-by-step photos.
Ingredients
For the Hot Cross Buns
- 185 ml (¾ milk) milk
- 125 g (1 stick plus 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter
- 1 orange, zested
- 3 green cardamom pods
- 2 cloves
- 90 g (½ cup plus 1 tablespoon) light muscovado sugar, or light brown sugar
- 125 g (4 ½ oz) raisins
- 625 g (4 cups plus 3 tablespoons) white bread flour
- 7 g (2 teaspoons) instant dried yeast, see Kitchen Notes
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon cardamom seeds, freshly ground, optional
- 3 eggs
For the crosses
- 60 g (⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon) plain flour, (all-purpose flour)
- 125 ml (½ cup) water
For the glaze
- 1 tablespoon boiling water
- 1 tablespoon caster sugar, (superfine sugar)
Instructions
Making the dough
- Combine the milk, butter, orange zest, cardamom pods, cloves, brown sugar and raisins in a small saucepan and gently heat until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved.
- Leave the mixture to cool until it is lukewarm (about 37°C or 98°F).
- Remove and discard the cardamom pods and cloves.
- In a large bowl, mix together the flour, yeast, salt, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, ground ginger, and ground cardamom seeds (if using).
- Slowly mix the milk mixture into the flour mixture.
- Add one egg at a time.
- Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until it is soft and elastic in texture. If you have an electric stand mixer, you can knead the dough using the dough hook for about 10-12 minutes on the lowest speed.
- If the dough is too wet, add some flour (about a tablespoon at a time) until the dough looks the right texture.
- Lightly oil a large bowl.
- Place the dough into the bowl, cover with a teatowel, and leave it to prove in a warm place for about 1 hour or until it has doubled in size.
Shaping the buns
- Once the dough has doubled in size, gently remove it from the bowl.
- Divide the dough into 12 equal portions. I like to weigh the whole dough, divide the weight by 12, and then weigh each portion of dough as I form them.
- Roll each portion of dough into a ball and place them on a tray lined with baking paper.
- Cover the balls of dough with a teatowel and return the tray to a warm place to prove for 30 minutes or until the balls of dough have slightly risen.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 170°C/340°F (without fan).
Decorating the buns
- To make the crosses, mix together the flour and enough water in a small mixing bowl until you have a thick paste, but which is still runny enough to push through a piping bag.
- Fill a small piping bag with the paste.
- Pipe a cross onto each bun. I do this by piping a line horizontally across all of the buns, and then vertically.
Baking the Hot Cross Buns
- Bake the buns for 25-30 minutes, or until they are golden.
- Meanwhile, make the glaze by heating the water and sugar together in a small saucepan until it comes to a boil and the sugar has dissolved.
- Brush the glaze over the buns as soon as you take them out of the oven.
- Serve the hot cross buns with a generous spread of butter.
Kitchen Notes
- MAKE AHEAD TIPS
To start the dough the night before, make the dough as per the recipe. Place the bowl of dough (covered) in the fridge to proof overnight, or for at least 8 to 10 hours. During this time, it should have at least doubled in size. The next day, proceed with the rest of the recipe. As the dough will be cold, it may require a bit more time for the second proofing period. - DIFFERENT TYPES OF YEAST
* Please note that there is a difference between instant yeast (also called instant dried yeast or fast-action dried yeast) and dried yeast (also called active dry yeast). If you are not sure what type of yeast you have, please check the packaging for instructions on how to use the yeast.
* With instant yeast, you can add it directly to the flour mixture without having to activate it first.
* With dried yeast, you will need to activate it first (usually in some warm liquid). - DIFFERENT TYPES OF FLOUR
* Bread flour contains 11-13% protein content, which is required to develop more gluten in the dough, which in turn gives yeasted bread a nice, chewy texture.
* For Swiss readers, I use Zopfmehl (or farine pour tresse) when making bread and enriched dough. - PROOFING THE DOUGH
Dough needs a warm environment for the yeast to activate and cause the dough to rise. If you don't have a warm place in your home, try one of the following ideas:
* In the oven with the oven light switched on (works only for some ovens).
* In the oven with a tray of boiling water on the bottom shelf.
* In the oven at a low temperature of about 25-40°C (77-104°F). - DRIED FRUIT
You can also play around with the dried fruit content, or omit it completely for just a plain spiced bun. - MAKING SMALLER BUNS FOR KIDS
This recipe produces 12 large buns. You could also divide the dough into 15 portions to produce slightly smaller buns which are more kid-friendly. - STORAGE
Hot Cross Buns are best eaten the day they are made. Any leftover hot cross buns can be stored in the freezer and toasted before serving. - OVEN TEMPERATURES
All recipes on this website state temperatures for a regular oven (i.e. a conventional oven without fan). If you have a convection oven with a fan, please consult the manufacturer's handbook on how to adjust the temperature and baking time accordingly. - CONVERSIONS
To convert from cups to grams, and vice-versa, please see this handy Conversion Chart for Basic Ingredients.