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Hot Cross Buns!
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These lightly spiced hot cross buns combine a rich, enriched dough packed with juicy raisins and bright orange zest, topped with classic flour crosses and a sticky apricot glaze. Requiring 40 minutes of active preparation and baking time (plus 2 hours of proving), these iconic Easter treats are surprisingly simple to master at home.
Notes from The Patisserie
While they are universally pushed to the forefront during Easter, hot cross buns are entirely deserving of a spot on your baking roster all year round. There is something deeply therapeutic about kneading a sweet dough, watching it double in size, and filling your entire home with the nostalgic aroma of warm cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Whether you enjoy yours split and toasted with a thick layer of salted butter, a dollop of jam, or even a cheeky slice of sharp cheddar cheese (trust us, the sweet and savoury combination is a revelation), making them from scratch elevates this humble classic to a gourmet experience.
The timeless appeal of a hot cross bun relies on the precise mechanics of an enriched dough. Unlike standard lean bread doughs, which contain only flour, water, salt, and yeast to create a chewy, rustic crust, an enriched dough introduces fat and sugar via whole milk, butter, and eggs. These fats coat the gluten strands, weakening them just enough to transform what would be a chewy loaf into an incredibly soft, pillowy, and tender crumb.
A classic enriched dough
If you have never baked bread before, an enriched dough can seem intimidating, but it is actually wonderfully forgiving to work with. To guarantee structural success i use the following ingredients:
- Milk – I always tend to use whole milk because the fat content creates the best bake in my opinion. You also want it warm to activate the yeast.
- Bread flour – I use a basic strong white bread flour as it works wonderfully
- Sugar – a little caster sugar for the sweetness in the dough, and to feed the yeast in the process
- Yeast – I use a dried active yeast that doesn’t need activating, but make sure to check your packet. If it does need activating, add it to the milk before using
- Salt – bread dough needs salt!!
- Flavours – Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and orange for me create a wonderful flavour
- Butter – it’s best to use a block butter and not a margarine for a bread dough
- Fruit – raisins, for me!
- Eggs – this makes the dough richer and delicious
When mixing the base, cold block butter is rubbed directly into the dry ingredients until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. This technique ensures the fat is evenly dispersed before the warm milk and eggs are introduced, resulting in a uniform, elastic dough that becomes incredibly smooth and springy after a 5 to 10-minute knead.
Balancing fruits, spices and citrus
I like raisins and sultanas, but personally things such as mixed peel or too many lumpy bits inside the hot cross buns is too far for me. In other bakes, these ingredients can work well… but it’s just too much for me in my buns.
I love ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg in my hot cross buns, and raisins. It’s quite simple a mix really, but with a dash of orange zest in there too, you have a delicious and winning bake. If you can’t eat orange, you can leave it out, or replace with lemon.
Perfecting the cross
That distinctive white cross on top of the bun isn’t made of icing, it is a simple, baked on paste of equal parts flour and water. Whisking them together creates a thick, pipeable mix that holds its shape perfectly in the oven without melting away.
To get that signature sticky, professional bakery gleam, brush the buns with a tablespoon of apricot jam the exact second they come out of the oven. The residual heat of the hot buns thins the jam naturally, allowing it to sink into the crust and dry into a gorgeously glossy, sweet glaze.
FAQs
How do I know if my dough has finished its first rise?
The easiest indicator is volume; your dough should visibly double in size inside the bowl, which typically takes 1 to 2 hours depending on the warmth of your kitchen. You can also use the finger-poke test: gently press an oiled finger about a CM into the dough. If the indentation stays or springs back very slowly, it is perfectly proofed and ready to be knocked back.
My dough feels incredibly sticky while kneading. Should I add more flour?
Enriched doughs are naturally stickier than standard bread doughs due to the milk and eggs. Avoid the temptation to dump excess flour onto your workspace, as this will alter the recipe ratio and make your finished buns dense and dry. Instead, keep kneading; as the gluten structure develops, the dough will naturally become smoother, more elastic, and less sticky. You can also lightly oil your hands to make handling easier.
Can I use fast-action yeast instead of active dried yeast?
Yes! Fast-action yeast (often labeled as instant or easy-blend yeast) is perfect for this recipe. You can mix it directly into the dry flour along with the spices and sugar without needing to dissolve or activate it in the warm milk first.
Could I add chocolate chips instead of raisins?
Of course! I am going for a traditional hot cross bun here but you can definetley substitute the fruit element for chocolate chips and even have another recipe covering this at the end of this post.
Hot Cross Buns!
Lightly spiced hot cross buns that are easy to make, and PERFECT for Easter!
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Servings: 12 Buns
Ingredients
Hot Cross Buns
- 225 ml whole milk
- 500 g strong white bread flour
- 65 g caster sugar
- 8 g dried active yeast/fast action yeast
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ginger
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- Zest of 1 orange
- 50 g unsalted butter (cold)
- 200 g raisins
- 2 medium eggs
Topping
- 30 g flour
- 30 ml water
- 1 tbsp apricot jam
Instructions
- Warm your milk in a pan until it's just steaming.
- In a bowl, add the flour, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, sugar, yeast and orange zest – add in the butter and rub between your fingers so the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
- To the bowl, add your warmed milk, and the eggs and raisins and mix it all together.
- Knead for 5-10 minutes until the mixture is smooth, elastic and springy to touch.
- Transfer to a clean but lightly oiled bowl, and cover the bowl with clingfilm. Leave to rise until doubled in size – usually takes 1-2 hours.
- Once risen, remove from the bowl and knead lightly on a floured surface to 'knock it back'.
- Split evenly into 12 balls (Mine weighed 98g each) and add on to a lined tray with about a centimetre gap between the balls.
- Cover with lightly oiled cling film, and leave to rise whilst your oven preheats to 200ºc/180ºc fan. I usually leave them 45-60 minutes!
- Once at the temperature – whisk together the flour and water, and carefully pipe on to form the crosses.
- Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until golden
- Once baked – brush lightly with apricot jam if you like them sticky and shiny and then leave to cool fully.
Notes
- These are best on the day of baking, but will last a couple of days at room temperature but covered.
Storage and freezing
These are best on the day of baking, but can be fine for a couple of days – they might just need reviving in the toaster a bit as the lack of additives compared to shop bought means they can harden. They will freeze for 3+ months.
Related recipes
So even though I have admitted how much I love these all year around, they are a firm easter favourite. They are synonymous with Easter, and I am not mad about it because it means you guys will enjoy this recipe more.
For me, the classic is iconic and can’t be beaten, and I also use them in my hot cross bun pudding. My hot cross bun addiction has gone quite far at this point as I now also have my chocolate hot cross buns, my hot cross loaf, and I even have a recipe for hot cross scones now. The obsession is real.
Hiya Jane
I’ve made these before and each time they’ve been utterly delicious 🥰.
However I do have a question. I’d like to make these for Easter on Sunday, can I make the dough on Saturday night and prove it in the fridge overnight, then shape and bake the buns the next day?
Thank you
Amelia 💕
I would do the second prove in the fridge – so shape and then refrigerate and bake in the morning x
Hey Jane I’m planning on making these tomorrow but I currently don’t have a hand mixer so I’m making them by hand would they be OK still? Xx
Hello! Yes of course it will just take a little longer x
Hi Jane, I’m wondering if the ginger should be grated or diced? Thanks 🙂
Hi, just thinking about making these but won’t want them until the weekend – do they freeze ok?
I have been baking hot cross buns for a while now. I made these yesterday and they are the best ones I have ever made.
Thank you Jane for another great recipe.
Hey! I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe, thank you so much x
So excited to try these! If I wanted to do chocolate and caramel; would I just add chocolate chips and maybe a caramel syrup? Thank you!x
Hello! Yes the chocolate chips would work but I would use fudge chunks for better results x
Could I substitute bread flour for all purpose? Thanks
Hello! You can but the texture will change quite abit x
Hi, sounds like a fantastic recipe can I ask can I use plain flour instead of bread flour?
Hello! Yes you can but it might turn out bit more cakey x
Absolutely fabulous recipe. I’ve made the hot cross buns twice and I also used the same dough recipe to make caramel buns for my son as he doesn’t like sultanas. I used condensed milk, caramelised it, put a blob of it on top, baked the bun then smoothed over more caramel whilst still warm, allowing it to melt. So, so delicious, soft fluffy dough. Will use this recipe many more times. Thank you
Hi Jane would like to make these but
how long do you knead the dough in
the kitchen aid.
Thanks
Hiya! This can depend on different factors – so knead the dough until fully combined and springy to the touch! x
Hi, I made this a few days ago and the flavour is amazing but they turned out quite dry and the cross part is hard can you think why? thank you!!!
After a few days they will turn dry as they turn stale, but if you mean fresh out of the oven then they are a little over baked! x
Hi Jane, thought i would give these hot cross buns a try, but they don’t seem to be rising, do you leave them at room temperature to proove?
As its colder weather it can take longer – proving isn’t a guaranteed time! But yes room temp/somewhere warm but not too hot as that can ruin it x
Hi Jane, I would love to give this recipe a go. What is the best type of tray to use for these?
Hello! A large metal tray will do the job!x