Hot cross buns are a lovely treat that is enjoyed throughout the Easter period every year. They come in many different varieties, with different fruits or chocolate chips. Homemade hot cross buns can be altered to suit all these different tastes, so that they can be enjoyed by everyone.
Homemade Hot Cross Buns
These fluffy hot cross buns as so tasty, especially when fresh out of the oven. Cut in half, spread with a little butter and you have a lovely morning or afternoon treat to enjoy with a cuppa.
For this recipe, I used instant yeast that helps make the dough rise faster and doesn’t need to be dissolved in liquid first. If you have active dry yeast, you can still use that, but it is best used after dissolving in warm water and letting it go foamy before adding to the dry ingredients. I haven’t used fresh yeast, though if that is what you have, just crumble it up and dissolve in liquid before using.
When making these hot cross buns, I make the batter kneading by hand. This method does take some time and requires a little more effort. You can mix the ingredients for the buns in a stand mixer using a dough hook or even make the batter in a bread maker, if you wish.
Ingredients
To make these hot cross buns, you will need:
Buns
- 4 cups Bread Flour
- 1 tsp mixed spice
- 1 tsp salt
- 60g butter, softened
- ⅓ cup caster sugar
- 9g dry yeast (3 tsp)
The Cross
To make the cross, you will need plain flour and water.
The Glaze
To make the glaze, you will need milk and caster sugar.
More Easter Recipes
Hot Cross Bun Tips
Here are some tips for making the fluffiest hot cross buns!
- Check the yeast! Yeast is what makes the dough rise and as it is an ingredient that is not used often in many households, it does tend to go off. If you live in hot, humid conditions like I do, store your yeast in the fridge or freezer. An easy yeast test is a great way to make sure your yeast is active and will work in your buns before making them. Just mix 2 TBSP very warm tap water with a pinch of sugar and ¼ tsp of yeast in a bowl. Sit the bowl in a warm place for 5 to 10 minutes. The surface should get foamy if your yeast is active. If it doesn’t, it is time to replace your yeast.
- The stickier your bun dough is, the more moist your buns will be as it creates a dough that is rises better. If you add too much flour to your dough, it can make your buns hard and affect the rising of them.
- Humidity, weather and the type of flour can all affect the dough. Start with less flour and gradually increase as needed. In hot, humid conditions, you may need to add extra flour to create a stickier and softer dough. The opposite applies for cooler months.
- Kneading is important. If you don’t knead the dough enough, your buns may not be as soft and fluffy as you would like.
Other Easter Themed Activities & Printables
- Easter Counting Cards
- Easter Rocky Road
- No Bake Bird’s Nest Treats
- Printable Easter Planner
- Easter Activity Grades 1 – 3
- Easter Tracing and Cutting Strips
- Dyeing Easter Eggs Sequencing Printables
- The Easter Story Printables
- Jesus is Alive! Printables
- Easter Activity Pack – Preschool
- Easter Multiplication Worksheets
- Easter Subtraction Worksheets
- Easter Addition Worksheets
- Easter CVC Baskets
- Make your own Blueberry Dyed Eggs
- How to Naturally Dye Eggs for Easter
Other ingredients you could use instead of raisins, sultanas or currants are:
- walnuts
- pistachios
- coconut
- glace cherries
- shortbread, chopped
- mint chocolate pieces
- Tim Tams, broken up
- macadamia nuts
- Turkish delights
- dried cranberries
- chocolate chips – milk, white or caramilk
- goji berries
Homemade Hot Cross Buns
Homemade hot cross buns can be altered to suit all these different tastes, so that they can be enjoyed by everyone.
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Servings: 12 servings
Ingredients
Hot Cross Buns
- 4 cups Bread Flour
- 1 tsp Mixed spice
- 1 tsp Salt
- 60 g Butter, softened
- 1/3 cup Caster sugar
- 9g (3 tsp) Dry yeast
- 1/2 cup Sultanas, raisins or currants
- 1/2 cup Warm water
- 1 cup Lukewarm milk
- 2 Eggs
The Cross
- 1/3 cup Plain Flour
- 1/4 cup Water
Glaze
- 3 TBSP Milk
- 3 TBSP Caster sugar
Instructions
Hot Cross Buns
- Sift flour, mixed spice and salt in a bowl.
- Rub in butter, until mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
- Stir in sugar, yeast and fruit.
- Make a well in centre of dry ingredients. Stir in 1/2 cup warm water, milk and egg, gradually incorporating surrounding flour to mix to a soft dough.
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic.
- Shape into a ball and place in a clean, greased bowl. Turn over once so that top of dough is greased.
- Cover bowl completely with plastic wrap and a tea towel.
- Leave to rise in a warm place for 1 ½ to 2 hours until doubled in size.
- Lightly grease a baking tray, two 20cm cake pans or a large round cake pan.
- Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently pat out to 3cm thickness.
- Cut into 12 pieces and gently shape each into a ball, always keeping the tops uppermost as you shape to keep them nice and smooth.
- Place buns on prepared tray or cake pans.
- Cover loosely with plastic wrap and a tea towel and leave to rise in a warm place for 20-30 mins.
The Crosses
- Combine the flour and 1/4 cup water in a small bowl until smooth.
- Spoon into a snap lock bag, snip end and pipe crosses on buns.
- Preheat oven to 200˚C or 180˚C for a fan-forced oven.
- Bake buns for 15 - 20 mins, until golden brown.
The Glaze
- To make the glaze, heat up the milk and the sugar in a saucepan until it becomes syrupy.
- Brush buns with glaze and stand near open and turned off oven, until glaze is dry.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for a few days.
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Nutritional information is an estimate and provided as a courtesy. The values may vary according to the ingredients and tools that are used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed information.
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