Hot cross buns are traditionally eaten on Good Friday in many countries around the world. These spiced sweet buns with sticky glaze and raisins inside are simply irresistible.
A favorite Easter bake recipe that can be made ahead and it’s freezer-friendly!
How to make hot cross buns at home
Ingredients:
- Flour
- Milk
- Sugar
- Salt
- Butter
- Mixed spice
- Yeast
- Egg
- Raisins/sultanas or dehydrated mixed fruits – dried cranberries will also work.
Tools:
- Measuring spoons and cups or a kitchen scale
- Baking sheet & baking parchment paper
- Large bowl
- Fork
- Wooden spoon – for mixing
- Small bowl and pastry brush
- Piping bag or resealable plastic bag + scissors – to make the crosses
- Cookie cutter & rolling pin
- Stand mixer with dough attachment
This recipe can be done in a few different ways. The simplest is using a stand mixer and combining all the ingredients until nice dough forms that is not too sticky but nice soft.
If too dry, add a splash of liquid. At this stage, it can be water or use milk. When soft, add a tablespoon of flour and see if helps. If not, add a bit more.
If you don’t have a mixer, you can hand knead it. Sometimes, it works better than the mixer it just needs some elbow grease.
Cover the bowl and let it rise until it is doubled in size. This can take somewhere between 60 to 90 minutes.
Then, you roll it out and cut out about 16 circles. Roll each into a bowl and put onto a baking sheet. Cover with a kitchen towel and let it rise again. About 1 hour.
Now you can make crosses on top of each. Traditionally, flour mixed with water is used.
Baking takes 15 minutes. If not golden brown, leave them in longer.
To make the buns shiny, brush the apricot glaze over. You can omit this step if you want.
Note: A complete and printable recipe card is at the bottom of this post.
Serving suggestions
These spiced buns are delicious with butter and honey or preserves. Homemade strawberry jam is our favorite, but the options are endless.
Strawberry butter is also a tasty option.
You can also cut them in half and toast them first!
Frequently asked questions
Should hot cross buns be eaten hot?
No, not at all. They do taste best warm or toasted though!
How long will they keep fresh?
These homemade spiced buns are best enjoyed on the same day. They will still be soft on the following day but after that they turn hard.
Can I freeze them?
Yes, you can. Put them in a freezer-friendly resealable bag and freeze!
Then, take out as many as you like to eat – they will defrost in an hour or two. Throw them in a microwave or toast in a toaster and they’ll taste divine!
What is the cross on hot cross buns made of?
Originally, it would be a mixture of flour and water. This you pipe over the buns before baking.
I like using a mixture of powdered sugar (confectioner’s/icing) and water – this is then applied over baked, cooled buns.
Why are hot cross buns sticky?
Traditionally, they are brushed with apricot jam after baking. This makes them nice and shiny but also sticky.
This glaze also adds an additional sweetness to them. Now, other alternatives are honey diluted in warm water or sugar syrup. Maple syrup is also an alternative.
Expert tips
The quantity of dried fruit and also its type is totally up to you. No matter how much fruit you add they will turn out yummy! The amount I stated in the recipe is the amount that works well for me. I like dried fruits but to a certain point – not too much! Feel free to add more, if you wish.
If you don’t have mixed spice, use a combination of cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg instead! Or, use cinnamon only.
Using cookie cutters is a great way to achieve they all are the same size which is important for baking. So, while you don’t have to use them, it is a better option.
Size: Don’t use very large cookie cutters – bear in mind you will let them rise again afterward and they will also rise in the oven! You can also weigh the first one and cut out similar ones – or just roll them by hand (somewhere around 2 ounces/60 grams per bun is a good weight).
What yeast to use?
You have the option to choose from 3 types of yeast:
Instant yeast – It is also called rapid rise yeast. It is very easy to use because it does not need to be activated in liquid. You simply mix it with flour and the rest of the ingredients.
Active dry yeast – This type needs to be activated in a lukewarm liquid before you add it to flour.
Fresh yeast – This must be kept refrigerated and comes in small cubes. It also needs liquid, and sugar for activating. When using this type, you will need 3 times more than instant/active.
This is an old post that has been updated recently (2024) with new text and a more detailed recipe card.
Watch how to make it
More tasty Easter recipes you might like:
Hot Cross Buns
Ingredients
- 4¼ cups all-purpose flour (620 grams), see note 1
- 3 teaspoons instant dried yeast (7 grams), see note 2
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground mixed spice , see note 3
- ½ cup sugar (100 grams), see note 4
- 1 cup lukewarm milk (250 milliliters)
- 2 tablespoons butter (30 grams), melted
- 1 egg
- 4 ounces raisins (120 grams), see note 5
Instructions
- To the bowl of a stand mixer, add flour, yeast, salt, mixed spice and sugar. Stir. In a separate bowl or large cup whisk together milk, melted butter and egg. Pour this into the mixer and stir well. Add raisins.
- Mix with dough attachment on low speed for about 4 minutes or until the dough comes off of the walls of the mixer. It should be soft and should spring back when you poke it. If it is sticky, you might need to add more flour. If too dry, add a splash of milk or water.
- Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let it rise in a warm place for 1 hour (or more if needed – it should double in size).
- Once the dough has risen, transfer it onto the floured worktop and using your fist, knock it down. Knead into a ball and roll out with rolling pin.
- Use a cookie cutter to cut out equally sized buns. With your hands roll them into balls (each 2-2.5 ounces/60-70 grams in weight). If you end up with cut offs simply form balls out of them.
- Place them on a baking sheet lined with baking paper and cover with a kitchen towel. Let them rise for 1 hour.
- For the crosses: Mix flour & water. Put in a piping or resealable bag and pipe over uncooked buns. OR mix powdered (icing) sugar & water, put in a resealable bag and pipe over cooked and cooled buns (after they have been glazed). In both cases the mixtures should be quite thick but still easy to pipe.
- Bake them in a preheated oven at 400°Fahrenheit/200°Celsius for 15 minutes or until baked through.
- When still warm, brush each with apricot jam diluted in hot water.
- Serve warm, cold, or toasted with honey, butter or jam.
Notes
- All-purpose flour (US)=Plain flour (UK).
- Instant yeast does not need to be activated in liquid. You can use the same quantity of active dry yeast but you need to activate it in lukewarm liquid first (in this case it is milk) for 5-10 minutes. It should create a foam. If using fresh yeast, you will need 20 grams of it. This has to be also activated in lukewarm milk and about a tablespoon of sugar.
- Or, you can substitute with 2 teaspoons cinnamon or with a mixture of spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom (again 2 teaspoons total).
- If you can, use superfine sugar (caster sugar in the UK). It is sugar with fine crystals like table salt. It is not confectioner’s/powdered sugar. This quantity makes the buns extra sweet. You can use less. Try with 2 tablespoons less and see if that is to your liking. Don’ add more than the recipe card says. Don’t use heaped cup. Measure out exactly or use slightly less!
- You can use raisins/sultanas/dried cranberries or mixed candied citrus fruit or a combination of these. I use about 4 ounces (120 grams). ½ cup heaped of raisins weights about 3 ounces (90 grams).
Vivian says
These look really good! I love the dried fruits you put inside.
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
They are divine! I haven’t managed to save any for today they were so good! Happy Easter!