Hot Cross Buns with Flour Cross

5 from 9 votes

Hot Cross Buns with Flour Cross

This year make a fresh batch of homemade hot cross buns for Good-Friday. Rich, buttery, light and airy these sweet buns are filled with raisins and cranberries, etched with a cross just before baking. A must-try recipe this Easter season.

Course Bread

Cuisine American

Keyword baking, bread, Buns, Easter, Hot cross buns

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Proofing time 1 hour 45 minutes

Total Time 2 hours 40 minutes

Servings Buns

Calories 311kcal

Author Veena Azmanov

Cost $10

Equipment

Ingredients

¾ cup Milk warm 110 F
2 ¼ tsp Instant dry yeast (1 packet)
2 Eggs large
2 tbsp Sugar
1 tsp Salt
¼ cup Butter (1 stick)
3 ½ cup Bread flour
1 cup Raisins or currants soaked and drained
½ cup Cranberries soaked and drained
½ tsp Cinnamon powder
¼ tsp Nutmeg freshly grated
½ cup Flour bread (½ cup) or AP Flour extra for kneading

For the flour cross

½ cup flour
¼ cup water more as needed.

Metric - US customary

Instructions

For the dough

Combine – flour and salt – set aside.
In a bowl combine milk, eggs, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and yeast – mix well – set aside for 2 minutes
Add the flour mixture. Bring it all together
Transfer the dough to a well-dusted work board and knead for 3 minutes until soft, elastic and dough springs back. (see video)
Then add the soft room temperature butter – knead for 3 minutes more – the dough will be very soft but will come together again as you knead it. Resit the temptation to add too much flour.
Once the dough is smooth, soft and pliable again.
Roll into a ball and place in an oiled bowl.
Cover with a clean kitchen cloth and let rise for 60 to 90 minutes or until double in volume.

Shape the buns

Transfer to a lightly dusted work surface again.
Gently knead in the soaked and well-drained raisins and cranberries.
Then divide the dough into four sections and each section into three. This will give you a total of 12 buns. (see video)
Form the rolls by simply rolling them between two hands or on the work surface.
Place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper
Cover and let prove for another 45 minutes.

Pipe the cross

Combine the flour and water to make a paste.
The paste should be thick like piping consistency (see video)
Spoon the paste into a piping bag with a tip.
Cut a small hole a the end of the piping bag.
Pipe a line in one direction then pipe a line in the other direction.

Bake the buns

Meanwhile, preheat the oven at 180 C / 360 F.
Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes until the top is golden.
Let cool in the pan or on a white rack.

Video

Notes

Storage

These buns will stay fresh for 3 to 4 days.
They are best kept in an airtight container, rather than the refrigerator.
You can also freeze them in a ziplock bag for up to a month.
They are best reheated from frozen because the condensation adds moisture.

Making the dough overnight

You don't have to make these buns immediately.
You can prepare the dough - let rise for an hour
Then cover and leave in the fridge for up to 12 hours.
Remove from the fridge, punch down the dough.
Shape the buns - cover and leave at room temperature
This second rise will take longer because the dough is chilled - about 60 to 90 minutes depending on the temperature.
As a guide they should be about double in volume.
Pipe the cross and bake in the preheated oven as directed in the recipe above.

Freezing instructions

For make-ahead or freezer-friendly dinner rolls.
Bake the buns as given in this recipe.
Let them cool completely.
Once cooled place them in an airtight freezer-safe ziplock bag.
For best results, thaw in the fridge overnight then reheat in the microwave for 30 seconds or more as needed.

Optional add-ins

I've use raisins and cranberries but you can also use other dried fruits like dried apricots, dates .
Nuts are a great addition to hot cross buns as well
Apart from cinnamon a pinch of pumpkin spice, gingerbread spice, all spice are great too.

Adapted from my recipe for Dinner rolls

Nutrition