How to make homemade Hot Cross Buns
In case you want a homemade version for Easter this year!
Until recently, I'd never eaten a hot cross bun. If you live in England, I know that's probably unthinkable, but here in the United States, hot cross buns aren't terribly common.
But a recent grocery store ad had them on the front page, and I suddenly got the urge to make a batch.
If you're interested in the history of hot cross buns, you can read this article from The Guardian, but if you just want to know how to make them, read on!
I poked around in several of my cookbooks to find a recipe and settled on one from my 1970s Better Homes and Gardens bread cookbook. I seriously adore that book, people. You should totally go buy a used copy on eBay!
Ok!
The dough starts with flour, yeast, salt, and some spices. I opted to put cardamom and cinnamon in, but a lot of other recipes I saw called for things like saffron, ginger, and nutmeg.
Do whatever floats your boat, I say.
Next, combine the milk, oil, sugar, and salt, and heat to 125° F. You can do this on the stovetop or in the microwave.
Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients, add the eggs, and beat for 3 minutes. If you don't have a stand mixer, just stir the dough really well by hand.
Stir in raisins and enough additional flour to make a soft, kneadable dough.
Incidentally, the recipe called for currants, but I had none and figured raisins would be an acceptable substitute.
(They were.)
Turn the dough out onto a floured counter and knead until smooth and elastic. The length of time this takes will depend on how much mixing you did previously.
Properly kneaded dough will bounce back when you poke it with your finger, though.
Place the dough back into the mixing bowl (I don't even bother to wash mine), cover with a wet tea towel, and let rise for an hour, or until doubled in size.
Punch the dough down and divide into 18 pieces. Form each into a ball, and place on greased baking sheets.
To make my dough into balls, I just kind of pull the edges inward until the ball is smooth and neat.
Cover the dough balls with a wet tea towel, and let them rise until they're doubled, about 35-45 minutes.
Or you can cover them with plastic wrap.
Or you can place them in your oven (turned off, of course!) with a pan of warm water on the bottom of the oven (that will keep the air warm and humid, which helps the rolls to rise.)
Once the rolls have risen, use a really sharp knife to cut a cross in the top of the rolls. I'm not gonna lie, this was a difficult task. I tried a lot of different knives and even a pair of kitchen scissors, and didn't manage to turn out super beautiful slashes.
I had the best luck with a knife that had lots of shallow serrations on the blade.
Beat an egg white until it's a bit foamy, and then use a pastry brush to brush the egg white over the rolls. Save the extra egg white because it's going into the frosting later.
Bake in a preheated 400° F oven for 12 minutes, or until the rolls are nice and brown.
To make the frosting, add powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk to the reserved egg white.
Pipe an X on top of the rolls, using a pastry bag or a plastic bag with a corner snipped off.
And then enjoy your soft, fluffy hot cross bun.
The printable recipe is at the end of this post; keep scrolling!
I'm curious...am I the only one here who'd never had a hot cross bun until recently?
Homemade Hot Cross Buns
Hot cross buns are a fun baking project, and they're not any more complicated than regular yeast rolls. Plus, they're way cheaper than bakery buns!
Ingredients
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour (possibly up to four)
- 2 packages active dry yeast (2 ¼ teaspoons each)
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¾ cup milk
- ½ cup butter, melted
- ⅓ cup sugar
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 3 eggs
- ⅔ cup dried currants or raisins
- 1 slightly beaten egg white
Frosting
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- reserved egg white
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla
- dash of salt
Instructions
In a mixer bowl, combine 2 cups of the flour, the yeast, cinnamon, and cardamom.
In a separate bowl, combine milk, butter, sugar, and salt, and heat to 120 ° F. Add to dry ingredients along with eggs, and beat at low speed until combined. Beat at medium speed for 3 minutes, then add raisins and enough remaining flour to make a soft dough.
Turn out onto a floured surface, and knead for 3-5 minutes, or until smooth and elastic. Cover and let rise 1 hour, or til doubled.
Punch dough down; divide into 18 pieces. Shape each piece into a ball; place on greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise till double (30-45 minutes).
Brush rolls with egg white (reserve extra for frosting), then bake in a preheated 400 ° oven for 12-15 minutes (12 was good for mine). Remove from baking sheet and cool completely on a wire rack.
When cool, pipe an X shape on top of each bun with frosting (see below).
Frosting
Combine 1 ½ cups powdered sugar, reserved egg white, ¼ teaspoon vanilla, and a dash of salt. Add enough milk to make of piping consistency.
Notes
You can use a non-dairy milk in this dough; I often use oat milk in my yeast breads. You can also sub oil or another non-dairy fat for the butter.
Nutrition Information
Yield 18 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 227Total Fat 6gSaturated Fat 4gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 2gCholesterol 45mgSodium 162mgCarbohydrates 38gFiber 1gSugar 18gProtein 5g
Kristen - I really love reading all your recipes. Your baked goods look so very delicious. But, I have a confession. I am the worlds WORST baker!!!! I ruin nearly everything I try!
Of all your wonderful breads and pastries, is there one recipe you would have somebody like me start with? I really want to get better, but am growing tired of having to toss so many bad batches!
If you're looking to try a yeast bread, maybe give the French bread a try....a lot of beginning bakers have had success with that. https://www.thefrugalgirl.com/2009/03/wednesday-baking-cheap-cheap-breadfrench-bread/
Any of the quick bread recipes I've shared should be fairly simple too. It's harder to mess those up, and as long as you measure properly and don't stir the batter too much, your quick breads should turn out well (quick breads are those made without yeast). Here are all the quick bread recipes: https://www.thefrugalgirl.com/?cat=78
I have been reading your blog for a few years and searched high and low for a copy of the BH&G Bread Cookbook based on your recommendation. I finally found it in a used bookstore for a few dollars about a year ago. I tried a few recipes in it, but need to look through it again. I tend to make some of the densest bread imaginable, though. 🙁 Anyways-- these look very tasty! I might try to make them next weekend.
The likeliest culprit there is too much flour...if your dough is stiff, the yeast won't be strong enough to raise it up. Proper yeast dough should feel fairly soft and squishy. I hope that helps!
I always have had Hot crossed buns for Ash Wednesday, it's a family tradition. Last year, I taught myself how to make them, for pennies compared to what the local grocer was getting. Here's my recipe, from my blog, with photos and a cost comparison:
http://ctonabudget.blogspot.com/2011/03/hot-cross-buns-recipe.html
Looks fantastic! Love your choice of spices,also - cardamom is underappreciated. I do want to caution anyone who uses the icing recipe to use raw, unpasturized egg whites with caution; uncooked eggs can contain samonella and/ or camplobacter. The icing will also be wonderful with a sub of corn syrup (a little) for the egg whites.
Ack, I was going to mention that and totally forgot. Thank you.
I'm with AngieK. I have tried making bread and I'm awful...would love to hear your suggestion for a beginner 🙂
These hot cross buns look wonderful!
My husband claims he's not a big fan of hot cross buns, so I've never made them. But these look SO delicious that an impromptu batch may be called for today! (Unfortunately, I think I used the last of my cardamom a couple days ago. Do you think a pinch of cloves would taste good? Didn't see them mentioned in the other spice variants above).
I have often mixed-and-matched the following: cinnamon, cloves, cardamon, nutmeg, mace. Each combo tastes a bit different but they're complementary and it's always turned out well for me.
For something more Middle-Eastern tasting, try adding some corriander to the above list.
I think any sweet spice would work just fine.
Ha! WilliamB and I posted at exactly the same time.
Oops - didn't mean to steal your thunder.
Easter is almost here!!! These would be great to take to church for our breakfast. Thanks for posting!
Kristen,
These look fantastic and very fun to make. I may have to add them to my Easter brunch program!! Thank you.
Yay!
I've been waiting with baited breath for the recipe!
I do have a Hot Cross Buns recipe that I used last year but I'm going to try this one this year
Thanks for sharing, as always.
Just want to pass this on:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/bate?s=t
Idiom
4.
with bated breath, with breath drawn in or held because of anticipation or suspense: We watched with bated breath as the runners approached the finish line.
ok, so bated breath, not baited breath.
Simple misspelling (which I was actually going to check before posting but didn't as I was busy multi-tasking)
Ho hum
Don't give it a second thought, Tracey! I've done similar things in my blog posts...I can't remember any examples off the top of my head, but I know there's been at least one instance where it was a synonym situation like this one.
Now, if you think it's "Viola!" instead of, "Voila!", then we'll have to have some words. Hee.
My mom has made these every Easter for years and they are so good! Instead of the icing across the top, we cut the buns in half and spread maple icing on both pieces. When I was kid, my mom was trying to entertain me by getting me to mix up the icing (butter, little milk, icing sugar, and maple flavoring) and I decided it would be fun to add some food coloring...and then mix all kinds of colors to make the most tacky, horrid color possible just to get a rise out of my oldest sister - and it worked. From that day on, all maple icing HAD to be a fun color, and we all call it "goop"! Now we're all in our 30's and 40's and are teaching our kids to continue the family tradition. 🙂
They're not a food that I eat very often, but maybe I should make some this weekend to go with the butter lamb (assuming I can actually find a butter lamb this year).
I have never had one in my life. But since you posted your photo a few weeks ago, I've been dying to try. Panera is selling them right now, and you can get a box of 12 for $6.99. These HAVE to be cheaper than that 😉
And they won't be hot from the oven at Panera. 😉
I had never had them until last Easter, when my mother-in-law, who is a very good baker and something of an Anglophile, made them for my one-year-old son. I brought some to church on Easter Sunday in hopes he would make it through the whole service (he almost did . . .) and she said she nearly had a fit trying to contain her laughter after seeing him in the pews hopping on my lap, waving at her in the choir loft and munching on a bun.
I must confess I ate most of them, though. I'm a sucker for bread of any kind.
These look so yum! The pictures just make the post - and makes us want to bake them! I would definitely try these. Perhaps my wife will make them for me one day . . . hmmm.
Could a person snip the X on top with kitchen shears, do you think?
I have never had hot cross buns, for the record. 🙂
I tried that and wasn't hugely successful. The knife with shallow serrations worked the best for me.
I have now made hot cross buns -- Saturday -- and they were lovely. Thanks for the inspiration.
Traditionally the cross is made with 2 strips of plain pastry
I was introduced to Hot Cross Buns when I got married. My mom-in-law made them for a lot of get-togethers. She always put raisins in them...and her sons demanded the whole top be frosted. The little X was just not enough!
She doesn't make them anymore, so once in a while I treat the guys and make a batch...They're still not like mom's, but since they haven't had hers for so long, mine seem good to them! I should keep practicing!
I agree with Kristen... a serrated knife works best for slashing dough. I use my sturdy bread knife. I've tried the kitchen shears... they don't work so well.
Another thing to try (with caution, and adults only) is a razor blade. Like the flat kind you buy for a utility knife. Obviously, you would want a fresh clean one. If you want to reuse it, definitely use caution when cleaning!
P.S. - They do indeed look delicious. But I need to keep focused! All extra cooking energy is currently being devoted to making casseroles for my deep freezer since I am 34 weeks pregnant at the moment.
Well, you might need some hot cross buns to go WITH a casserole. Right???
I am sure I would thoroughly enjoy some hot cross buns... WITH or WITHOUT the casseroles!
I have never eaten a Hot Cross Bun but have heard of them for many years. I started learning to play the flute in 4th grade and the first song I ever learned was "Hot Cross Buns". It is a simply little diddy, barely even qualifies as a song, but to this day if I hear someone say HCB I get it stuck in my head! "Hot Cross Buns, Hot Cross Buns, One for a penny, Two for a penny, Hot Cross Buns". Thanks for the trip down memory lane today 🙂
! Chris! I was just talking to my husband this weekend about this. When I was in 4th grade and learning the clarinet, this was one of the first songs I learned too ;p
@Chris, oh Man! That was my first song in the flute too!!! And now that song is in my head! Lol
Well being in England, we eat TONS of them! The shops start to sell them right after Christmas (or so it seems) and they're around until after Easter. I love them and so does my nearly 2 yr old daughter but my husband doesn't because they usual have orange peel in them which he loathes. They're best eaten fresh, or split in half with butter on (non of that margarine rubbish!) but if you have still got some a couple of days later, cut them half and pop them in the toaster, then slather with butter - even more yummy!
I was going to say something similar. It does annoy me when the hot cross buns are in the shope while they are still selling off the Christmas stuff reduced. They are gorgeous and I've just realised that I have some in the bread bin and I haven't had breakfast yet. Guess what . . . ;0)
Oh my goodness! Hot cross buns have been a huge part of my life and around Easter! When my sister and I were in college we would fight over taking the hot cross buns back to school with us! 🙂
we always had them at easter when I was a child (in canada...maybe because of my family's/country's english history/background?) but it's been a few years. you've inspired me to buy some again for easter ths year. i love baking but have never been successful baking with yeast...so i will buy. 🙂
Kristen - I think I love you! 😉
This post came up just as I arrived home with some hot-cross buns. Yes In England - they are a staple item throughout April. They remind me so much of this time of year.
I meant to comment last night but ran out of time. As I returned home with my shop-bought ones a thought ran through my mind - 'I really should be making these!' - then within seconds voila!
Going to give them a go...
p.s - didn't notice any mention of it but you may have. Over here we tend to cut them in half and spread with butter to serve.
I would love to see that video! All my dough balls end up looking more like dough amoebas.
Okay, so I made these yesterday. Half the batch is gone already, and it's just me, my husband, and our toddler. (Well, and a baby, but he can't eat solids yet!) And they. Are. DELICIOUS. Super soft and fluffy, a little sweet, and easy to make. Do note that if your house is humid, the icing will probably melt a little after a day or so (mine did, at least).
Oh, and I used 1/2 tsp cinnamon + about 1/4 tsp ground cloves. Tasted great.
Yeah, my first batch was gone in only a few hours! They are quite addicting.
We can get these all year round now in the UK, although they're more advertised at Easter. We don't cut or ice the top, we put the cross on with a kind of thick batter, which kind of contracts as it cooks and makes an indentation in the top. The BBC food website says it's just flour and water paste, in a plastic bag, snip off the corner and pipe on before baking. The buns are lightly glazed when cool. Might be easier.
nope, never had one. I'm hopefully going to make these for our Easter Sunday breakfast! I'm excited to try.
Off to waitrose now, to buy a supply for the easter weekend...mmmmm 🙂
Hey Kristen,
I just made these this morning, and they are delicious! Thanks for the recipe. I made them for some family, one of whom has her own little bun in the oven, so I used milk instead of egg-white with powdered sugar for the frosting. It came out pretty darn close to royal icing. 🙂
Tiffany
i am going to make these today (Good Friday) and maybe repeat recipe for Sunday's Easter feast at my in-laws. I think that my boys (the girls are visiting my folks for the weekend) will have fun with these!! Thank you for the recipe and all of your cheerful wisdom. Many blessings to you and yours as you celebrate our RISEN SAVIOR!!
Made these today. Totally Awesome!
Thanks for another terrific recipe!
Blessings,
Deb
I'm wondering about the origin of the frosting cross on the top of the buns. Sounds like it'd be tasty but I've never heard of it before. Hot cross buns are really common here in Australia, come out in the shops about 2 months before Easter (so just after Christmas!). Here the crosses are always made out of a paste of flour and water. Interesting.
I have been making hot cross buns every year since moving to Mauritius from Australia, using various recipes. They have all tasted good, but were very dense. Yours look fluffy and light, so I'll be making those this year. In Australia, they're traditionally made with Mixed Spice (don't know which spices are in it - you buy the ready-mixed blend), pipe a slightly sweetened flour/water paste cross on top, and glaze them with sugar syrup after baking. I like adding dried apricots as I love them. Roll on Easter!
Hi Kristen - I want to make these for an afternoon tea I'm hosting next week - is it possible to make the dough the day before and leave it in the fridge overnight? If so, how do I go about it? (When I've made them previously, they were a bit stale the next day). Thanks in advance.
Yes, I think that would work. I'd make the dough, put it in the fridge overnight, take it out the next day, let it warm up a bit, then shape the rolls, and let them rise. They'll probably take a bit longer to rise since the dough will be chilly.
Hi again Kristen - I followed your advice, and made mini buns with half the dough - they were delicious and fluffy - just perfect. I froze the rest of the dough, thawed it out yesterday, and the buns were just as good as the first time. What a great recipe - thank you so much!
Oh, that's lovely to hear. Yay!
i hope i like this recipe it sound very simple and nice
lm in the northeast of England l adore hot X buns with mixed spices and mixed fruits ,,but for me they have to be moist and fluffy ,you can buy them every day of the week all year round,,l am in the process of making those light and fluffy burger buns my dough is almost to its full volume ,,soon be rolling into balls,,only problem l find is having to convert USA cups into imperial weights and measurement ,its all imperial over here ,,
thanks,,for your resip,,
Ray
This link might help you figure all of that out! http://www.jsward.com/cooking/conversion.shtml
I made these yesterday for Easter! They were soooo good. My family loved them. I plan to make these again!
Thanks for the recipe!
Oh, I am so glad to hear that. Yay!
What an enjoyable read! A bun with ancestry!
I've never had hot cross bums although I have read about them in recipe books from the UK.
I might give it a try and make some with cardamom, one of my favorites, and some with aniseed.
Buns, of course. I sometimes hate autocorrect.
What you had never had hot X buns! they are so popular in this part of the UK that the local baker makes them every Saturday throughout the year and if you are not there before 9am he has sold out. I must go and get some next Saturday.
I feel the US is deprived.
My mom made them throughout the 70s. Her favorite recipe involves spice, candied peel, and lemon glaze for the cross.
I always make them. They remind me of my childhood. (And I'm American.)
if anyone wants Mom's recipe, hit me up.
And yes, you have to candy your own peel. But it's ridiculously easy.
I look forward to enjoying them every year. However I must confess my absolute favorites are made by Entenmann's, a regional bakery in the Northeast. Even my mother, who made the best bread I have ever had, admitted that she preferred them to her own, and her own were delicious. I know it's more frugal to make them, but I have a tiny kitchen and my mom passed a few years ago, so I am okay with spending a bit for a few boxes each year when they come out. I wrap each one carefully and freeze them to enjoy on Good Friday, then Easter morning, and for few more weeks until they are gone. Then it's back to waiting patiently for them to be in season again.
Maybe it's a regional thing, because hot-crossed buns are quite common in my neck of the woods (north of Boston). There is a large Italian-American population here, typically Catholic; I don't know if that has anything to do with it. They also often have citron in them rather than raisins or currants, so I tend to avoid them as a person who intensely dislikes citron.
I don't know if I have ever had citron!
My mother always made them. In addition to currants, Mom (and I) use chopped candied peel and we added lemon juice to the cross icing.
Got a tin of 1 day past sell date of these yummy buns in animal feed box......what people at food pantry don't need. Well, simply delicious with lemon flavor, dried cranberries and raisins. Mmmm.
Hot cross buns are really popular here in Ireland, and of course in the U.K. Although they were traditionally only eaten on Good Friday, they're sold pretty much all year round now, with lots of different varieties like bramley apple, blueberry, chocolate, salted caramel and even Marmite (yuk!)