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Hot Cross Buns are the perfect addition to your Easter celebration. They are soft and tender, lightly spiced with cinnamon, lemon, orange and filled with sweet craisins.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Great Flavor. The sweetened dough that is lightly spiced with cinnamon along with the addition of lemon and orange zest. That and the addition of dried cranberries makes for a delicious and flavorful bun.
Fun and Meaningful Tradition. Making Hot Cross Buns as part of your Easter celebration is a fun, tasty and meaningful family tradition .
What are Hot Cross Buns?
A hot cross bun is an old English tradition. It is a spiced sweet yeast roll made with currants or raisins and marked with a cross on the top. The cross is either made with frosting or additional dough. They are traditionally eaten on Good Friday, the Friday before Easter. They are often served for Easter brunch or dinner.
Ingredients Needed
- All Purpose Flour
- Sugar, granulated and powdered sugar
- Milk, 2% or whole
- Butter, salted
- Eggs
- Active Dry Yeast
- Lemon Zest
- Orange, juice and zest
- Cinnamon
- Salt
- Dried Cranberries
How to Make Hot Cross Buns
- Place yeast into warmed milk and allow to proof, about 5 minutes.
- Mix together butter, sugar, slat, egg, egg white, lemon zest, orange zest, cinnamon and flour in a stand mixer using the dough hook.
- Add in yeast mixture and combine.
- Knead until dough is soft, about 5 minutes.
- Place in a greased bowl and allow to rise until double, 40-60 minutes.
- Punch down dough and place on a floured surface.
- Divide into twelve equal pieces and form into balls.
- Place dough onto a greased baking sheet and cover. Allow to rise until rolls are doubled in size, about 30 minutes. You can also place dough into a greased 9 x 13 inch pan.
- Mix together egg yolk and and water and brush over the top of rolls.
- Bake at 375 degrees F oven for 20 minutes or until rolls are cooked through and golden brown.
- Allow rolls to cool completely.
- Mix together the powdered sugar, milk, orange juice, and lemon zest until you have a nice piping consistency.
- Place glaze into a zip lock bag and clip off a corner of bag.
- Pipe crosses onto rolls.
Tips from leigh Anne
- If you like, you can add in additional spices such as nutmeg, cardamom, ground cloves or allspice. I would recommend using 1/2 tsp of cardamon and or allspice and 1/4 tsp of ground cloves and/or nutmeg.
- Instead of using frosting on the top to make the cross you could also mix together a paste of flour and water and pipe that onto the bun BEFORE baking. You can also use a sharp knife to cut a fairly deep cross into the top of the buns before you put them into the oven. The buns will be a bit flatter but no icing or piping is involved.
- To soften up the craisins, you can soak them in a cup of hot water for 10 minutes and then drain them and add them to the dough.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I freeze Hot Cross Buns?
It is very easy to freeze hot cross buns. Bake them but do not frost them. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap then foil. When ready to serve, allow rolls to thaw for several hours at room temperature and then rewarm them in the oven at 300 degrees F for about 5 minutes. Add frosting before serving.
How do you store leftover buns?
Keep them covered in an airtight container, stored at room temperature for 2-3 days or you can keep them in the refrigerator.
What do hot cross buns taste like?
They are slightly sweet, and include ground spices, grated orange zest, and craisins or currents. They are slightly spicy and have a touch of citrus. The sugar crosses piped on top adds in some more sweetness.
What can I use instead of craisins?
You could use raisins, currents or even chocolate chips.
Some other favorite Easter recipes:
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Hot Cross Buns Recipe
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup milk warmed to 110 degrees F
- 1 Tbsp active dry yeast
- 3 Tbsp butter softened
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 egg
- 1 egg white
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp orange zest
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup craisins
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 Tbsp water
Frosting
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tsp orange juice
- 2 tsp milk
- 1/2 tsp lemon zest
Instructions
- Place yeast into warmed milk and allow to proof, about 5 minutes.
- In your stand mixer, mix together butter, sugar, slat, egg, egg white, lemon zest, orange zest, cinnamon and flour.
- Add in yeast mixture, mix and knead for about 5 minutes until dough is soft.
- Place in a greased bowl and allow to rise until double, 40-60 minutes.
- Punch down dough and place on a floured surface. Divide into twelve balls.
- Place dough onto a greased baking sheet and cover. Allow to rise until rolls are doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
- Mix together egg yolk and and water and brush over the top of rolls. Bake at 375 degrees F. for 20 minutes or until rolls are cooked through and golden brown.
- Allow rolls to cool and then add crosses with frosting.
- Mix together the powdered sugar, milk, orange juice, and lemon zest until you have a nice piping consistency. Place frosting into a zip lock bag and clip off a corner of bag. Pipe crosses onto rolls.
Tips & Notes:
-
- If you like, you can add in additional spices such as nutmeg, cardamom, allspice.I would recommend using 1/2 tsp of cardamon and or allspice and 1/4 tsp of ground cloves and/or nutmeg.
-
- Instead of using frosting on the top to make the cross you could also mix together a paste of flour and water and pipe that onto the bun BEFORE baking. You can also use a sharp knife to cut a fairly deep cross into the top of the buns before you put them into the oven. The buns will be a bit flatter but no icing or piping is involved.
- To soften up the craisins, you can soak them in a cup of hot water for 10 minutes and then drain them and add them to the dough.
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