Hot Cross Buns, a traditional spiced sweet bun recipe made with fruit and marked with a cross on top, typically served for Good Friday.
Spring is here, the weather is getting nice and it is time to start thinking about Easter. I love this time of year when things start to come back to life. It is so refreshing.
So one recipe that is a must this time of year is Hot Cross Buns. It is a seasonal tradition that we never miss.
My family loved making all of the traditional recipes for holidays. I remember my grandmother making these buns each year.
As a small child I would focus on the icing on top then sort of pick the raisins out to eat separately from the bun itself. I have no clue why.
But we have tried to carry on this tradition here and I hope that the kids will eventually do the same when they have their own families.
hot cross buns recipe
Here are some commonly asked questions
What is the best way to store leftover hot cross buns?
These buns are best when stored in an airtight container at room temperature. Because of the icing on top, I don’t recommend stacking them. You could use a baking dish with an airtight lid to make it easy.
cross buns
This recipe calls for a stand mixer. Can I also make this recipe by hand?
Yes. This recipe can easily be made by hand. However, keep in mind that this method will influence the overall time commitment.
Why is the cooked dough so dense?
This dough should be light and fluffy like you see in the images here. If you find that your dough is not rising or it comes out more dense, please see the following suggestions below.
- Kneading. While the recipe here does not call for kneading as a separate step, the dough needs the kneading to form the gluten because that is what makes bread light and fluffy. This can be as easy as letting your mixer work the dough for a couple of extra minutes.
- Check that yeast. If your yeast doesn’t proof, it could either be expired or the temperature of the liquid wasn’t the right temperature and the yeast died. Too cold and it will take much longer to proof, too hot or expired – and won’t grow at all.
- Too much flour. If you have too much flour it will make the dough dense. I know the inclination is to add more when the dough is sticky – but mix in just enough to be able to form it into the rolls with wet or oily hands. If you live in a lower elevation, or higher humidity, you probably won’t need as much flour.
easy hot cross buns recipe
How do I properly measure the flour?
The official way is to spoon the flour into the measuring cup & level off. This makes sure the flour isn’t packed tightly into your measuring cup, adding more than you need, as that will make the recipe too dry.
However – if you fluff your flour with a spoon, then gently scoop the flour into the measuring cup, taking care to not pack the flour – that should work for this recipe.
What is the best yeast?
You can use rapid rise, premium or whatever you have on hand. I buy my yeast in the bulk section of my store, so it’s not brand-name or anything fancy & it works just great.
traditional hot cross buns recipe
Can hot cross buns be frozen?
Yes, I do it often. If this recipe makes too many for you to enjoy all at once, you can freeze some for later. Just place the buns in an airtight container, label with the date, and freeze for up to 3 months.
Can I use a gluten-free flour?
I’m not sure just yet. I have been meaning to give this a try but haven’t had a chance. If you do try this, I would recommend using a 1:1 flour like this one as I don’t believe it would require additional ingredients that are typically called for when trying to make baked recipes in a gluten-free version. Please come back & tell me how they turned out.
easter buns
Ingredients for Hot Cross Buns
- active dry yeast
- warm milk 105-110 degrees F
- granulated sugar
- all-purpose flour
- ground cinnamon
- ground allspice
- salt
- unsalted butter – softened (½ stick )
- eggs room temperature
- raisins- plumped in hot water, and drained
Glaze
- egg
- milk
Icing
- confectioner’s sugar
- milk
Recipes for Good Friday
HOW DO YOU MAKE HOT CROSS BUNS?
- In a small bowl, add the milk and sugar, then sprinkle the yeast over the top.
- Let sit until foamy, about 5 minutes.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 3 cups of flour, cinnamon, allspice, and salt.
- Create a well in the center and add the yeast mixture, butter, and eggs.
- Mix using a stand mixer or wooden spoon until well combined.
- Stir in the raisins until well incorporated.
- Turn the dough onto a floured surface to knead or use the dough hook on a stand mixer.
- Add more flour if needed a little at a time.
- Form a ball and place it back into the mixing bowl.
- Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm area to rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
- Punch down the dough and turn onto a floured surface.
- Coat a 13×9 baking dish with butter.
- Divide the dough evenly and shape it into balls.
- Place the shaped dough on a baking sheet, cover with a towel and let rise again until doubled, about 30-45 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Optional: score the top of the rolls using a knife making a cross pattern.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the glaze ingredients.
- Brush the glaze over the buns.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned.
- Remove from the oven and let cool slightly, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the icing, it should be thin enough to pipe onto the buns easily but not too thin.
- Transfer to a piping bag.
- Frost a cross-shape onto each bun.
- Allow the frosting to set until.
- Store in an airtight container.
Easter Side Dish Recipes
Can I leave out the raisins?
Sure – you can do that. I have heard that currants or candied citrus have been used, but the raisins aren’t necessary to the buns baking correctly. You could change it up and make them with another type of fried fruit like cherries or dates if you like.
hot cross buns easter
What Do Hot Cross Buns Taste Like?
Basically these are a cross between a dinner roll and a cinnamon roll. The texture and shape is like a dinner roll but then you have the spices added and the glaze over the top.
In a lot of recipes people use orange juice to make the glaze since these are supposed to be a sweetened roll. But we have some citrus allergies in our house, so we stick to the egg and milk wash instead.
It still gives the same sweetness you would expect along with that shiny outer crust. If you want you can also use orange juice in the icing – just a little splash.
old fashioned hot cross buns recipe
My dough didn’t rise, what happened?
Most of the time this means your water or milk (depending on which one you are using) was either too hot or too cold. If it is too hot it will kill the yeast, too cold & it just won’t rise. I find that using a thermometer helps & bringing the water to 115-125 degrees is best.
easy hot cross buns
Products I love when making hot cross buns…
This holiday bun recipe is SUPER EASY and delicious – and if you’re like me this time of year, then you most likely already have some of these items on hand OR maybe you have never made buns before, & you might be a bit nervous – but you’re going to love them. I have made a list below of the things I absolutely can’t live without when it comes to making this holiday recipe.
- active dry yeast
- granulated sugar
- all-purpose flour
- ground cinnamon
- ground allspice
- table salt
- raisins– plumped in hot water, and drained
- confectioner’s sugar
- mixer
- plastic wrap
- 9×13 baking dish
- pastry brush
- wire cooling rack
- piping bag
- whisk
If you love this Hot Cross Bun recipe, you’re going to love these other holiday recipes too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!
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Hot Cross Buns
Ingredients
Buns
- 2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast 1 packet
- ¾ cup warm milk 105-110 degrees F
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 3 to 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground allspice
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ cup unsalted butter – softened (½ stick )
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 cup raisins plumped in hot water, and drained
Glaze
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbsp milk
Icing
- 1 ½ cups confectioner's sugar
- 4-5 tsp milk
Instructions
- In a small bowl, add the milk and sugar, then sprinkle the yeast over the top.
- Let sit until foamy, about 5 minutes.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 3 cups of flour, cinnamon, allspice, and salt.
- Create a well in the center and add the yeast mixture, butter, and eggs.
- Mix using a stand mixer or wooden spoon until well combined.
- Stir in the raisins until well incorporated.
- Turn the dough onto a floured surface to knead or use the dough hook on a stand mixer.
- Add more flour if needed a little at a time.
- Form a ball and place it back into the mixing bowl.
- Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm area to rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
- Punch down the dough and turn onto a floured surface.
- Coat a 13×9 baking dish with butter.
- Divide the dough evenly and shape it into balls.
- Place the shaped dough on a baking sheet, cover with a towel and let rise again until doubled, about 30-45 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Optional: score the top of the rolls using a knife making a cross pattern.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the glaze ingredients.
- Brush the glaze over the buns.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned.
- Remove from the oven and let cool slightly, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the icing, it should be thin enough to pipe onto the buns easily but not too thin.
- Transfer to a piping bag.
- Frost a cross-shape onto each bun.
- Allow the frosting to set until.
- Store in an airtight container.
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate. Please double-check with your own dietary calculator for the best accuracy. We at Yummi Haus cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.
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