Hot Cross Buns are wonderfully spiced yeast bread rolls studded with raisins and drizzled with cream cheese glaze in the form of a cross. Such a classic Easter recipe.
What are Hot Cross Buns?
They are yeast rolls that are slightly sweet and flavored with a few spices and either raisins, currants, or dried fruit. A cross, usually made from icing, decorates them and makes them easily recognizable. They are a traditional Good Friday treat.
If you haven’t eaten a Hot Cross Bun before, they are a little like a slightly sweet and spiced dinner roll with a soft, but somewhat dense texture.
These rolls are flavored with cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. A delicious combination.
How to Make Hot Cross Buns:
- Mix together the yeast dough. You’ll need an electric mixer with a paddle attachment.
- Knead the dough. Either by hand or with your stand mixer.
- First Rise. Place the dough in a bowl and let rise until doubled.
- Second Rise. Shape into 15 balls and let rise a second time until doubled.
- Bake. They should take 20 to 25 minutes.
- Brush with sugar syrup when you take them out of the oven.
- Let cool and then pipe on the glaze.
Recipe Tips:
I prefer currants instead of raisins but sometimes they are hard to find.
Best eaten fresh out of the oven.
How to Make Ahead: Follow all the steps through shaping the dough into balls. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Remove from the oven about 2 hours before you are ready to bake them.
More Easter Recipes:
- Celebration Coconut Cake
- Hummingbird Cake
- Mama Dip’s Carrot Cake
- Resurrection Rolls
- Easter Egg Bread
Hot Cross Buns
Equipment
Ingredients
Dough
- 3/4 cup whole milk, warmed to 110 degrees
- 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast, (1 standard packet)
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 5 tablespoons salted butter, softened and cut into 5 pieces
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup raisins
Syrup
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
Glaze
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar
- 3 tablespoons cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1-3 teaspoons whole milk
Instructions
- Combine the milk, yeast, and 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar in a small bowl. Let sit 5 minutes.
- Place yeast mixture in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add brown sugar, butter, vanilla, eggs, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and 1 cup flour.Beat on LOW speed for 30 seconds. (You can use either the dough hook or the paddle attachment.) Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add the rest of the flour and raisins. Beat on Medium speed for 2 minutes.Dough should be sticky, but it should pull away from the sides of the bowl. If it doesn't add more flour 1 tablespoon of a time.
- Knead the dough by hand on a lightly floured surface for 2 minutes. OR you can beat it at medium speed in the electric mixer for 2 more minutes.
- Lightly grease a large bowl with oil. Place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat it with oil. Cover and let rise for 1 to 2 hours or until doubled in size.
- Grease a 9x13-inch pan. Divide the dough into 15 equal pieces and shape each one into a ball. Place in the prepared pan.Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake rolls for 20 to 25 minutes.
- Bring the water and granulated sugar to a boil in a small saucepan. Let boil for a few minutes to thicken.Brush the tops of the rolls with syrup.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, cream cheese, butter, and vanilla.Whisk in enough milk to get it a good piping consistency.
- Place cream cheese glaze in a plastic zip top bag. Snip the corner and pipe a cross on each roll.
Nutrition
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Recipe adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
Can you make hot cross buns if you do t have a mixer with attachments?