Hot Cross Buns
This hot cross buns recipe is filled with warm spices and bright citrus. Make it a part of your cherished Easter traditions!
Much more than just a nursery rhyme, hot cross buns are an important part of spring holiday celebrations around the world. Easter just isn’t Easter for many folks without these treats.
I made a version of hot cross buns many, many years ago and while they were good, they fell short of great. I began testing and re-testing recipes again this year again (much to the delight of my raisin-loving husband and kids!) and finally came upon the holy grail of flavor and texture. Loaded with orange zest, spices, and lots of raisins, these bake up super soft and with the best texture.
What is the significance of hot cross buns?
Everything about the pastries symbolizes something significant:
- A warm mix of spices signals the melting away of winter’s chill, as well as the embalming of Christ at his burial.
- Bright citrus reminds you of the past winter’s provisions and the light that exists even in the darkest times.
- The proofing yeast represents life returning and the Resurrection.
- And of course, the cross on top represents the Crucifixion.
Beyond just the components of the bread, there are so many superstitions and beliefs about them! Some believe a bun hung in the kitchen will prevent fires and ensure bread bakes perfectly.
They’re believed to protect seafarers against shipwrecks and to be medicine for the ill. Many also believe that if you bake them on Good Friday, they’ll never go moldy.
No matter what you believe about them though, one thing is for sure: they’re super delicious!
What are the ingredients?
I love how fluffy and moist the crumb is, how deliciously spicy and oozing of a fresh orange scent. These very much remind me of the Greek Celebration Bread that I made in the past and it’s likely that the two may be related if we trace the family tree back a few centuries!
A rundown of the key ingredients:
- Dry Ingredients: Bread flour, sugar, instant yeast, and salt
- Fats: Milk, butter, and egg
- Fruits: Orange zest and raisins
- Flavors: Vanilla, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg
- Cross paste: Flour + water
- Glaze: Apricot jam
How to make hot cross buns
A lot of people get really intimidated when it comes to the idea of making yeast bread, but you shouldn’t be scared! Just follow the steps outlined in the recipe, and I promise you can do it. A quick summary:
- Whisk the dry ingredients, then make a well in the center.
- Whisk the wet ingredients, add to the well in the center of the bowl.
- Stir together with a wooden spoon until the dough comes together.
- Rise until doubled in size (it takes about an hour).
- Add the raisins, orange zest, and spices to the dough, knead it into the dough with your hands, then cover and allow to rise again.
- Divide the dough into 15 balls, shape into rolls, place on a baking sheet and allow to rise again.
- Make the cross paste and pipe onto the risen rolls.
- Bake the rolls for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Brush the rolls with warm apricot jam.
Yes, there are 3 (three!) rise times; honestly, I feel like this is what sets this recipe apart and makes utterly fantastic, melt-in-your-mouth rolls. I tried testing different variations with only two rise times and this version was far and away superior!
Recipe tips and notes
For making the best hot cross buns!
- Bread Flour: The higher protein content creates a chewier texture and helps the rolls hold up to all of the raisins and zest. You can substitute all-purpose flour if that’s all you have, but the texture will be a bit different.
- Yeast: Instant yeast makes this a breeze to make, however you can use an equal amount of active dry yeast if necessary. It will need to be activated: warm the milk, sprinkle the yeast over and let sit for 10 minutes. Then mix with the rest of the wet ingredients and proceed with the rest of the recipe. Please note rise times may be a bit longer.
- Raisins: You can substitute currants, dried cranberries, dried cherries, or just about any other dried fruit you’d like!
- Spices: I’ve included my preferred mix of spices, but feel free to play around with your favorites.
- Cross Paste: Baking the cross into the tops of the buns is the most traditional method, but you can also pipe a cross on after baking with a simple sugar glaze – mix together powdered sugar and a little bit of milk (thick enough for a piping consistency) and pipe onto cooled buns.
- Make-Ahead Instructions: You can shape the buns, place on the baking sheet, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Remove from the refrigerator 2 hours before you plan to bake them. Once risen, pipe with the cross paste and proceed with the recipe as written.
- Freezing Instructions: These freeze beautifully! Allow to cool completely, then wrap individually in plastic wrap and place in a zip-top freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or pop in the microwave.
Watch the Recipe Video:
Want more Easter bread ideas? Try my Italian Easter Bread and Tsoureki (Greek Easter bread).
If you make these hot cross buns and love them, please take a moment to stop back and leave a review below; they help out fellow readers so much! Thank you! xo
Hot Cross Buns
Ingredients
- 3½ cups (35.44 g) bread flour
- ½ cup (183 ml) granulated sugar
- 2¼ teaspoons (390 to 420 g) instant yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1¼ cup (0.5 teaspoon) milk, room temperature
- 4 tablespoons (0.5 teaspoon) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
- 1 (0.5 teaspoon) egg, room temperature, lightly beaten
- ½ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) vanilla extract
- ¾ cup (0.25 teaspoon) raisins
- 1 (4 tablespoons) orange, zested
- 1 teaspoon (2) ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon (108 g) ground cloves
- Pinch (2 teaspoons) nutmeg
For the Cross
- â…” cup all-purpose flour
- 5 to 8 tablespoons water
For the Glaze:
- 3 tablespoons (1) apricot jam
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. Make a well in the center.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the milk, butter, egg, and vanilla extract, then add to the center of the bowl. Use a wooden spoon to stir everything together. The dough will be sticky, but should come together. Add more flour a tablespoon at a time if needed.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.
- Place into an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- With the dough still in the bowl, add the raisins, orange zest, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. With your hands, knead everything into the dough, making sure it is well distributed. Cover the bowl and allow to rise again until doubled in size, another 1 hour.
- Turn the dough out onto a work surface and divide into 15 even pieces. Roll each piece into a smooth ball and place at least 1 ½ inches apart on a half sheet pan that has been lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rise until the rolls are puffed, about 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Make the Cross Paste: In a small bowl, stir together the flour and 5 tablespoons of water. Add the water 1 tablespoon at a time; use only enough to make a very thick paste. Spoon the paste into a piping bag or resealable plastic bag and snip off the end. Pipe the paste down and across each row to make a cross on top of each roll.
- Bake until golden brown and the internal temperature registers 195 degrees F, about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Prepare the Glaze: Heat the jam in a small saucepan over low heat or, alternatively, in the microwave in 30-second bursts until melted. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve to remove chunks, then brush over warm hot cross buns.
- Serve buns warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- Bread Flour: The higher protein content creates a chewier texture and helps the rolls hold up to all of the raisins and zest. You can substitute all-purpose flour if that’s all you have, but the texture will be a bit different.
- Yeast: Instant yeast makes this a breeze to make, however you can use an equal amount of active dry yeast if necessary. It will need to be activated: warm the milk, sprinkle the yeast over and let sit for 10 minutes. Then mix with the rest of the wet ingredients and proceed with the rest of the recipe. Please note rise times may be a bit longer.
- Raisins: You can substitute currants, dried cranberries, dried cherries, or just about any other dried fruit you’d like!
- Spices: I’ve included my preferred mix of spices, but feel free to play around with your favorites.
- Cross Paste: Baking the cross into the tops of the buns is the most traditional method, but you can also pipe a cross on after baking with a simple sugar glaze – mix together powdered sugar and a little bit of milk (thick enough for a piping consistency) and pipe onto cooled buns.
- Make-Ahead Instructions: You can shape the buns, place on the baking sheet, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Remove from the refrigerator 2 hours before you plan to bake them. Once risen, pipe with the cross paste and proceed with the recipe as written.
- Freezing Instructions: These freeze beautifully! Allow to cool completely, then wrap individually in plastic wrap and place in a zip-top freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or pop in the microwave.
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
(Recipe adapted from BBC Good Food)
Originally published in 2011, this hot cross buns recipe has been updated to include a better technique, new photos, a helpful video tutorial, and more in-depth recipe tips.
[photos by Dee of One Sarcastic Baker]
Great recipe and texture! After the first batch disappeared, the next batch was a double. Pretty simple techniques too: I have made this, with equal ease, in a bread machine and stand mixer. Thank you!
Thanks for the delicious recipe!
FYI, because I prefer to bake using metric measurements, and I saw that you have the handy tool that you click to do the conversions, I decided to use that option. But when I did a check on the results, I realized that it doesn’t appear to be functioning correctly, so you may want to check into that. For example, some of the ingredient quantities for this recipe are 35.44 g bread flour, 390 to 420 g instant yeast, and 108 g of ground cloves. That would be a very interesting, and probably not very tasty, result :-)
I tried this recipe. Everybody in my family loved it. Thanks for sharing!!
Can you use all the zest from the orange in this recipe or only a certain amount like 1 teas or tblsp? Thank you—looks like a great recipe
I’m from England & moved to the States 9 years ago, I have been craving hot cross buns as Easter is looming & made this recipe for the first time today. They are delicious, thank you. I will enjoy them the traditional English way with a lovely cup of afternoon tea. I can’t wait for my husband to come home & try them. ( he is also English )
I made these today and they turned out great! I’ve tried several hot cross bun recipes before and this one is definitely my favorite! Thank you!
I was wondering if the bowl the dough rises in and the baking sheets need to be greased. I have been looking for a Hot Cross Bun recipe and these sound delicious. Thanks for your help
Hi Jackie, The bowl does not need to be greased; for the baking sheets, I would use parchment paper.
Why do they go so brown? Pls reply I need it for an assignment !
When I was younger my mom would make these, although I never was really a fan (don’t like raisins or currants too much in my baked goods), but they remind me of my childhood so very much.
Speaking of bread baking, I have gotten back into it, and if you’re looking for a great book I highly recommend Peter Reinhart’s “Artisan Breads Everyday.” I have his much more involved “Bread Baker’s Apprentice” but the everyday book is so much easier and you can get some amazing bread recipes from it. My personal favorite right now is his 100% Whole Wheat Hearth Bread…..yum!
I made these today, they were delicious. They were a little too sticky to roll into balls so I ended up dropping them onto the cookie sheets. Perhaps a little more flour in the kneading stage would have prevented that. But they still turned out great. Thank you.
Picture perfect!
I’ve never made hot cross buns either! Good to know I have a great resource to turn to when I’m ready! These look fantastic!
Those look lovely..Congrats on top 9!!!
hello! first time here.
hot cross buns are everywhere @ easter time here in australia. i recently made them for the first time with chocolate chips and chocolate crosses, and they were to die for!
this recipe looks really yummy as well. i’ve gotten lots of inspiration from Simply Recipes as well :)
-yasmeen @ wandering spice
Hot cross buns..Hot Cross Buns..Hot cross Buns.. I always sing the song!
Happy Easter
I sang that song when I was a little girl too! That was a long time ago. Now I have it on repeat in my head again. If only they were still one a penny, considering the price of eggs and flour today! Happy Easter everyone! and thanks for this recipe.
think about baking thelm every year, but I dont
Hot cross buns are a “must” for us on Easter weekend. I have eaten them ever since I was a kid and can’t imagine Easter brunch without them.
Thanks for sharimg the recipe. It looks delicious. I think you maybe made a mistake above in that the Saxons would have been in the 8th century, not the 18th.
I was wondering why I kept coming across all of these hot cross buns – I never realized that they were an Easter tradition.
I love the savory and sweet combination here, and especially your use of cardamom.
Thanks for sharing!
I used your recipe, and just baked these wonderful buns. I used dried cranberries, because they were the only fruit I had available, and they were fabulous! Thank you for posting this just when I went searching for a recipe!
Your Hot Cross Buns turned out gorgeous! I haven’t had one of these for years, but I do remember my grandmother made them every single Easter when I was a kid!
These look delish!! I’ve actually never had a hot crossed bun, but I want to put one of these in a bowl and pour some coffee over it!
How fun; I never knew all the superstitions related to these little buns! I’ve never made them myself either so I’m bookmarking your recipe. They look delicious!
Hello to the Brown Eyed Baker! A friend of mine found you and turned me on to your site. Just a quick note to let you know how much I enjoy not just your recipes, but the little stories that go with the food. Thanks.
I’ve never heard of hot cross buns before. They look delicious! Thanks for the sharing the history behind these cute little buns. :-)
Love hot cross buns, these are gorgeous!
These look fantastic! As always, you never disappoint! :)
Thank you for the history and story about the superstitious beliefs surrounding the hot cross buns. I’ll never look at a hot cross bun in the same way. You’ve made perfect ones. How lovely your kitchen must have smelled while you were baking them.
I love Hot Cross Buns! Yours look scrumptious!
We had these every Easter Sunday morning when I was growing up and for some reason I stopped the tradition. This post makes me want to start it up again. Happy Easter!
Cannot tell you how excited I am to make these today! Besides all the other amazing things these little buns do – I wonder if they bring on Spring? Here in Calgary AB we still have a ton of snow so I’m hoping besides ensuring future bread don’t burn, these buns will bring on the sun and while we are at it could we add “help a toddler sleep past 5:30am” to the list………..oh well at least they will taste good! Thanks for posting – super excited!!!
I’ve always wanted to make hot cross buns, but have never really taken the time… Maybe I’ll find some time this weekend. They really do look delicious!
OK so when I started reading this post I wasn’t so interested in hot cross buns, “meh” I thought. but then I got to the history part and I’m like, “wow that is so cool!” and now I want one? What is that called? – the Power of suggestion, persuasion? Or does it mean that I’m weak minded and will do anything that you tell me to? :)
Thanks so much for giving the background to these buns! I guess I could have looked it up, but I enjoyed reading your post :)
I’ve never had Hot Cross Buns, don’t know how this is possible since I love any and all bread! But these look wonderful and definitely make my to-do list!