Homemade Hot Cross Buns Recipe

This beautiful, homemade hot cross buns recipe is simple to make and tastes just like the deliciously spiced and fragrant buns you find in your favourite bakery. Made from scratch using yeast, currants and cinnamon, these incredibly soft and fluffy hot cross buns are the perfect way to celebrate Easter!

 

There is nothing quite like the smell of hot cross buns baking in the oven. Fresh, straight from the oven or lightly toasted and covered in butter, these fruit filled buns are an Easter breakfast staple in our home and have become one of our special family traditions. This is the only recipe for hot cross buns that you will ever need!

My kids always wake me up incredibly early at Easter time! And why not? There’s so much chocolate to be eaten and so little time. At Easter, calories don’t count and chocolate is a perfectly acceptable breakfast food, right?

Every Easter Sunday, once we have over indulged on chocolate and recovered from our early start, I begin working on the hot cross bun dough. This recipe takes a few hours including ‘rise’ time, so if it is started in the morning, it is ready just in time for brunch!

How to make hot cross buns

To make the dough, you will need;

• Milk. I use full cream dairy milk in this recipe, but you can substitute for your preferred milk of choice.
• Yeast. Dry, instant yeast is the ingredient that makes the dough rise and become light and fluffy. Fresh yeast can be used instead (you will need to double the amount), simply crumble and dissolve in milk or water.
• Sugar feeds the yeast which helps it to rise.
• Flour. Regular plain flour works well. And baker’s flour can also be used.
• Mixed spices. For that classic hot cross bun flavour, use a combination of cinnamon and mixed spice.
• Salt.
• Butter.
• Egg.
• Dried Fruit. I use a combination of sultanas and currants. Raisins or mixed peel can also be used.

To make this hot cross buns recipe, you can either use your hands or a stand mixer and follow these easy steps;

1. Activate the yeast. Start by warming the milk and sugar on the stove and then whisk in the yeast (see my tips below). Let the mixture sit for ten minutes until it blooms and becomes frothy.
2. Make the dough. The dough is made by mixing the flour, spices and salt together and then rubbing the butter into the mix. The yeast mix is then added, along with the egg and dried fruit.
3. Mix the dough using your hands or a mixer and knead for 2 minutes.
4. First rise. Cover the dough and allow it to rise in a warm spot for 1-2 hours. See more instructions below.

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5. Punch down the dough to release the air bubbles and knead on a floured surface for 10 minutes. This can be done by hand (you will need some muscle!) or a stand mixer. The dough will start off tough, but will become soft and pliable as you knead.
6. Divide the dough into 12 balls (see tips below) and place them onto a lined baking tray.
7. Second rise. Rest the balls in a warm spot for 30 minutes.
8. Pipe the crosses over the balls and bake for 15-20 minutes.
9. Glaze and allow to cool and then eat as many as you can within minutes. Oh wait, that’s just me!

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My tips for making the best hot cross buns

Follow these tips for the most deliciously fluffy homemade hot cross buns you’ll try!

Check the yeast!

Firstly, check the yeast! Check the expiry date on the yeast and ensure that it has been stored in a cold, dry place. (I keep mine in the fridge). The yeast won’t be effective if it has been stored incorrectly or passed its use-by date.

Don’t overheat the milk.

When heating the milk, it needs to be warm but not scalding. Hot milk will kill the yeast. Heat it on low heat in a saucepan until warm to touch, without burning.

Avoid too much flour.

Soft, sticky dough is best and will rise better than dry dough with too much flour. If your dough is too sticky, slowly sprinkle a little more flour until soft. The dough will feel firm before kneading, but after 10 minutes it should feel much more soft and elastic.

Find a nice, warm spot for the dough.

In some climates, this can be tricky. My house is always cold around Easter time, so it can be challenging to find a warm spot for the yeast to work its magic. If you have a warm, sunny spot that’s great. If not, try adding it to a warmed and turned off oven on very low heat (around 30-40 C).

For even cooking;

Weigh the dough when dividing the mixture into balls. To ensure that all of the buns cook evenly, I cut my dough into four and then divide it from there, weighing the balls to ensure they are roughly the same weight. This is not necessary, but helps ensure that all of the buns have finished cooking at the same time.

For hot cross buns on demand!

This recipe can also be made ahead of time and the dough stored in the fridge or freezer. Allow the dough to return to room temperature before baking, as cold dough will not rise. Store the uncooked dough in the fridge for up to 5 days, or cover and freeze for up to 3 months. Cooked hot cross buns can also be cooled and frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Imagine having a stash in your freezer, ready for whenever the desire for toasted hot cross buns with butter hits!

Crosses on hot cross buns

Traditional hot cross buns have a flour paste piped over them before baking. This is my favourite method and the one that I use here. However, you could skip this step and instead pipe an icing cross over the top after baking once the buns have cooled.

To pipe the flour paste over the top, use a piping bag or zip lock bag with a small hold cut in the corner.

Easter recipe ideas

For more delicious Easter recipes, see my Easter Recipe Collection or Healthy Easter Dessert Ideas and Recipes.

Thanks for reading this post! If you tried this easy hot cross buns recipe, I’d love to hear about it! Feel free to leave a comment below, or send me a message. For more food inspiration, tips and to share your own recipes and creations, head over to my Facebook Recipe Group. 

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