Hot Cross Buns for Easter!
Hot cross buns, hot cross buns, everybody loves hot cross buns! are the words to the children’s song, and they hold true even now. These little buns are traditionally served at Easter time: A sweet dough that is spiced, studded with dried (sometimes candied) fruit and decorated with a cross made of icing. I made them after many requests and my kids devoured them within minutes; they were nervous about the raisins, but the cream cheese crosses and scent of cinnamon and nutmeg drew them in.
As I researched these delicious buns I realized that there are just as many ways to make them as there are families who bake them. Some people slash the dough to make the cross, others use a flour and water paste to create the symbol and others use the sweet icing. Tell me how you make your buns, and if you don’t have a family tradition yet, you can start with these!
If you follow along on Breadin5’s Instagram, you can watch the bun-making in an Instagram story. The recipe comes from the latest book, Holiday and Celebration Bread in Five Minutes a Day, which also has a whole chapter on Easter bread recipes.
Hot Cross Buns
From Holiday and Celebration Bread in Five Minutes a Day
Follow along in our Instagram stories to see how we make the buns!
Dough (yields 5.7 pounds, about 25 buns)
1 ½ cups (340g) lukewarm water (100F or below)
1 tablespoon (10g) Granulated Yeast
1 tablespoon (17g) kosher salt
8 large eggs (455g), lightly beaten
½ cup (170g) honey
1 ½ cup (3 sticks | 340g) unsalted butter, melted
7 ½ cups (1065g) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground allspice
2 teaspoons orange zest, grated
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 ½ cups (200g) currants or raisins
Egg wash (1 yolk with 1 tablespoon water), for brushing buns
Icing
4 ounces (113g) cream cheese, room temperature
4 tablespoons (57g) unsalted butter, room temperature
½ cup (57g) confectioners’ sugar
¼ cup (85g) maple syrup
Mixing and storing the dough: Mix the water, yeast, salt, eggs, honey, and melted butter in a 6-quart bowl, lidded (not airtight) food container, or the bowl of a stand mixer.
Mix in the flour, spices, zest, vanilla, and raisins without kneading, using a spoon or heavy-duty stand mixer (with paddle). If you’re not using a machine, you may need to use wet hands to incorporate the last bit of flour. The dough will be loose but will firm up when chilled; don’t try to work with it before chilling.
Cover (not airtight), and allow to rest at room temperature for 2 hours, then refrigerate.
The dough can be used as soon as it’s thoroughly chilled, at least 3 hours. Refrigerate the container and use over the next 5 days.
On baking day: dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a 2-pound (cantaloupe-sized) piece. Divide the dough into 8 or 9 equal pieces and quickly shape into balls.
Place 2 inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silicone mat, cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rest at room temperature for about 45 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350F, with a rack placed in the center of the oven.
Brush the tops with the egg wash and place the baking sheet in the oven. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until richly browned.
Allow to cool completely. Pipe the icing in a cross over the top of each bun. There will be some extra icing for spreading on the buns.
Note: Red Star Yeast sponsored this post, and provided free samples of Red Star and Platinum yeast for testing. BreadIn5.com is reader supported–when you buy through links on the site, BreadIn5 LLC earns commissions.
Wow, the buns are gorgeous! Great job and thanks for sharing the recipe!
Thank you so much! I was just searching this your magnificent site today looking for a recipe! I am very excited to have some hot out of the oven.
Hi,
Wonderful idea, I didn’t know that this sugar bread is traditional in Easter time, very pretty.
In Portugal the traditional in Easter (Páscoa) is the “Folar” (https://paobolosecia.blogspot.com/2009/04/folar-de-pascoa.html), with eggs on top.
I had bought your book, arrived yesterday. I read the first 40 pages, and I’m loving it.
Today I’d made the first bread from it. The dough was a little wet, because the bread spreads sideways. I had enough flour when shaping. Next time I’ll add a little more flour when mixing the dough.
The top was very crispy, the crumb was very soft and elastic, but the base of the bread was thin and humidly. I baked on a silicone sheet 🙁 I don’t have a baking stone, yet.
Thanks
Would honey work as a sub for the golden syrup? Or perhaps Karo syrup?
Thanks!! I was searching for a way to do this the other day – I ended up making some hot choc buns using plain white bread dough.
I *finally* got your book! I’m so excited to try your recipes. Thanks for writing something that a working mom might be able to do!
your book has changed my life. i’m baking a loaf of *whole wheat sandwich bread* right now. when I say the next thing i may sound like a fool or homemaker, neither of which i am: my 2 year old son literally [his word] asks for it by name.
I just got your book this week, and I was just thinking today, “I wonder if they’ve got a recipe in the book for hot cross buns?”
Very timely. Thanks!
Thanks so much….HCB’s are next on my list for this week’s baking. Will try these tomorrow!
Hi Renato,
Your Easter bread sounds wonderful. You may want to watch one of the videos we’ve done to see what the bread dough should look like. This may help you when mixing up your next batch. https://artisanbreadinfive.com/?page_id=63
Hi Liz C,
Yes, I would use honey if you don’t have Lyle’s golden syrup.
Thank you all and Happy Easter!
Zoë
Was just reading your book last night looking for a hot crossed buns recipe! And here you are, perfect as usual. I will give this a go. Hoppy Easter!
Hello! I did not quite understand the meaning of the flour paste. Have never seen it before. Is it just to mark the place where the icing goes or?.. What if I do not use flour paste at all, just icing?
Dana: Hoppy Easter to you too!
TiV: Looks like the flour paste raises and defines the cross– sure, you can skip it and just use icing but it won’t be quite so dramatic.
Hi TIV,
Honestly, I had the same question, which is why I tried it. In England mostly, they use this flour paste instead of the icing. So I was really gilding the lily, as they say. You can skip the paste for sure!
I added a picture so you can see that the paste bakes on in a cross pattern.
Have a great holiday! Zoë
WOW – thanks – Just was looking in your book for the recipe, last night and Viola – went to your blog and here it is! Happy Easter.
How long do you bake these for? They look delicious!
Hi Stephanie,
Thanks for catching that for me! I added the baking time to the post.
Happy Easter, Zoë
Jeff, I have made a few of your breads already and each time I make it, I get so excited that I actually created it!
I’ve taken the basic recipe, made cheese bread, cinnamon swirl bread, made it into biscuits!!
These hot cross buns look amazing!! Thanks so much!!
Thanks! I’ve just recently discovered your website and will be buying your book soon. Thanks for sharing this great recipe.
I have been spending some quality time with your book. I borrowed it from the library but I think I need to own it. I just love it! I made another bread from the dough cottage cheese and dill bread. You and Jeff produced an amazing book with some seriously good ideas!
Heh! We made a batch of hot cross buns earlier this week using the challah recipe as a base (substituting milk for water and a cup of plain flour for wholemeal), but with exactly the same combination of fruit and spices.
We used a glaze of 4 tbsp milk and 3 tbsp sugar; boil, simmer a minute or so til syrupy, brush over the buns as soon as they come out of the oven. They were fantastic!
Will try this brioche version today – just need to find a store that’s open on Good Friday so I can get more eggs…
Thank you all and have a wonderful Easter!
Matt, I will give your glaze a try, it sounds great!
Zoë
This looks great! I made some HCBs this week and just used the basic bread mix, threw in a handful of caster sugar, some mixed spice and a cup of mixed dried fruit. They turned out great!
For the glaze I used 3 tablespoons of caster sugar, 1 tsp of mixed spice and about 1/3 cup of water, heated on the stove while the buns are cooking and then brushed on the hot buns. In Australia we don’t have the icing on our buns, just the flour paste cross.
I LOVE your book!
Oh those look absolutely delicious. Damnit tho I am on a diet.
Looks yummy!
These look AMAZING! I’m just getting started with your bread baking method and your book and am LOVING it!! Thank you for the wonderful blog sites and I look forward to your next book.
Made the hot cross buns as a treat for my fellow choir members after the church service today. They were very easy to maek and came out not only looking good, but tasted quite well
Well, just made this brioche version, and it leaves the challah version I made earlier for dead. So light, but so rich – and so easy! Think we’ll stick with the milk / sugar glaze instead of golden syrup, though. Might experiment with doubling the fruit quantity, too.
These turned out fabulous! My only slight issues was that I might cut back a bit on the currants next time. Mine were pretty dry, so they really filled up a cup measure and then once they rehydrated in the dough — there were currants everywhere. Live and learn — choose your currants carefully. 😉 I used honey since I couldn’t find my jar of Lyle’s and served them with Trader Joe’s Lemon Curd. Absolutely delicious! I just love this brioche dough. It bakes up so tender and soft. It makes AMAZING Sticky Rolls, too.
Rock on, Zoe!
Sweet roll question. For these HCB or the pecan caramel rolls in the book (p 187), is there any way they could be partially made the day before? I’d love hot, fresh buns for Easter morning breakfast, but don’t want to get up before dawn to shape/rest them, or have the family wait too long to eat. Could the pecan rolls be rolled, cut and in the pan – then rest in the fridge overnight? If so, how long would you suggest for the rest in the morning before baking? Similar question for the HCB — could they be formed and rest? Or for either or both, would it be best to actually parbake them and the reheat/finish in the morning? If that’s the case, any suggestion of timing and would they have to be in the fridge overnight once parbaked? Sorry for so many questions. I love your book and I want to have the BEST use of these recipes for a holiday breakfast!
Hi Elizabeth,
I did this last year at Easter. I did all the shaping the night before and let them rise in the fridge. Took them out, went to church, and then baked them. Excellent!!! Happy Springtime to all. Jody, forget the diet for the day. I always thing about all those passengers on the Titanic who passed on the dessert cart. That’s my philosophy and I am sticking to it!!! 🙂
Hi Zoe,
I am an expat Aussie and hotcross buns are available in Australian supermarkets and bakeries (of which there are thousands!) from January through to April every year. Since moving here I really missed them so I have been making them myself for the last five years since the ones I found here are too sweet! You would never find frosted crosses on them in Australia or the UK like you do here but that is the American penchant for all things sweet! I always just use a flour and water paste flavored with a little Grand Marnier for the crosses before baking and then brush with a simple water and sugar glaze after they have come out of the oven-but I do like the idea of using the golden syrup (treacle)for the glaze and will do that next time. The only thing that I never liked about the hotcross buns at home was the peel (orange and lemon), yuk, yuk! Now that I make them myself I never have to worry about that!
Thanks for the recipe. I had our Sunday School class make these using Jeff’s suggestions a couple of weeks ago. I used the Challah recipe. The kids made a batch and while the dough was resting, I had them ice a couple of dozen of the buns that I had made the day before. Lots of fun and only a little messy. We then served them to our small congregation with soup. They were all eaten within minutes!
Hi Elizabeth,
So sorry to get back to you so late. I hope you saw Rosemary’s note and went ahead and formed your buns tonight! You can just let them rise on the counter tomorrow morning while your oven is preheating.
Happy Easter! Zoë
Happy Easter Everyone,
Thank you for sharing your favorite HCB ideas with us! Have a wonderful day!
Happy Baking!
Zoë
Zoe,
No reason to apologize. I’m amazed at how responsive you and Jeff are to our comments and suggestions here!
I did see Rosemary’s suggestion. I did the Challah dough for both pastries.
For the HCB, I shaped the buns, placed them on the silpat, covered with plastic wrap, and put the whole sheet pan in the fridge overnight. They were wonderful! I don’t know how to post an image without a Web site.
The caramel rolls (no pecans for my kids) were wonderful too. They looked so small in the pan last night though. I did every step up to the baking last night. So they too were in the pan (on the caramel topping) in the fridge overnight. They rose and filled the pan beautifully even in the fridge. This morning I took them out as soon as I was up, and they were in the oven before the kids had even finished finding the eggs!
I made a loaf of the remaining HCB dough and a turban-style cinnamon bread and we’re bringing both to the family dinner (along with some light wheat bread).
Happy Easter to all!
Is there a way to half the recipe for the dough?
Elizabeth: Congrats on all your successful experiments!
Theron: Yes, just go ahead and half it.
Hi,
I just have a question about the recipe above.
The brioche recipe says that it makes 4 loaves. When you add all the spices, etc to make the HCBs, do you add them to the whole lot of the brioche dough, or do you take out the 1 pound piece of dough and add everything to that?
Thanks 🙂
Hi Madelaine,
Great question! I was making enough to feed a generation of relatives and mixed up a whole batch of brioche. Our recipes can be divided and then you would want to divide the amount of spices and currants as well.
Thank you! Zoë
I made some hot cross buns using the challah recipe. I pulled off a 1 pound piece, worked in some spices and shaped and let rise. They baked up beautifully and then I made the challah for Easter dinner. It just isn’t Good Friday without Hot Cross buns and they were fabulous!
Fantastic!
This made me laugh, I have had the book for a hile and have been willing to share what I make with some friends. They brought me soem hot cross hockey pucks on Easter. That was their words! And they were hockey pucks for sure, she said it was a huge event to make. I am going to have to make this version and share with them soon! I love the Brioche.
Let us know how they come out— I promise they won’t be hockey pucks!
Is it possible to reduce the amount of yeast in the bread? It’s just that when I make kneaded bread, I use an eighth of a teaspoon of yeast for 1 1/2 pounds of dough. I’m going to try your recipe that I found on the Mother Earth News website. Thank you.
I should add that I am probably going to get the book, I just have to wait until I have the money. It’ll be awhile. Thank you for allowing the main recipe to be printed in that magazine.
Tammy: Yeast can definitely be reduced, but the resting times increase. Check out: https://artisanbreadinfive.com/?p=85
Hi Everyone, This is a wonderful recipe but I’m not a huge nutmeg fan so I improvised. Here’s a great tip if you’re going to change the seasoning in a bread dough recipe…break off a small (about 1 oz.) piece of dough and microwave it on high for about 30 seconds or until firm to the touch. I know some cooks taste their raw dough and I don’t advocate cooking bread, or pretty much anything else, in the microwave. But this is a really good way to know if you need a little more of this or that in the dough. The texture will not represent the final product but the taste will.
I saw on tv that in NY City they used 00 flour. I can get this and would like to make pizza with it. Can I make it using the recipes in your book with this flour?
Shannon
00 flour is very low in protein, and makes a very tender (not stretchy) Italian-style pizza crust. It doesn’t work will for loaves, again because of the low protein.
But it makes great pizza!