Learn how to make the best homemade traditional hot cross buns for Easter weekend with this easy recipe. The bread dough is flavoured with raisins, candied citrus peel, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. This dough is kneaded in the mixer making this hot cross buns recipe easy because you don't have to knead the dough by hand.
I always spend Easter weekend with my family, and we always have hot cross buns and tea in the afternoons. I try to make these hot cross buns from scratch every spring because they are a favourite. As they bake, the scent of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves fills the house.
Hot cross buns are a sweet, spiced fruit bread made from an enriched yeast dough. That means the bread dough is enhanced with rich ingredients like eggs, milk, sugar, and butter. You will also find in this bread category, brioche, maple brioche buns, stollen bread, stollen buns, chocolate babka bread, chocolate babka buns, and even Turkish coffee cardamom buns).
Apparently hot cross buns are an old Anglican tradition. The buns have a cross piped onto them in reference to Good Friday. Hot cross buns are served to mark the end of Lent, specifically on Good Friday, though these days, they are enjoyed Easter weekend, and in some parts of the world, bakeries sell them at other holidays, like Christmas.
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Ingredients
Traditional hot cross buns are made from an enriched dough, meaning higher in fat and sugar than a typical bread dough. Here's what you need to make these Easter buns:
- flour—regular bleached all-purpose flour works great in this recipe. Unbleached will also work but may absorb less water so adjust the liquid accordingly (add less to start with and slowly add more to achieve the consistency of dough in the photos below)
- sugar—I used regular white granulated sugar for the dough and cross
- salt—I bake with Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If using regular table salt, add half the amount or the buns may be too salty
- yeast—instant yeast (also called rapid rise yeast) works great in this recipe because you don't have to pre-dissolve it in liquids. Add the fine yeast along with the dry ingredients and mix it in before adding the liquids. So fast and easy! Rise times are also shorter with this type of yeast
- milk—I prefer to use whole milk (3.25 %) or 2 % milk, though low fat or skim will also work
- butter—this recipe works with salted or unsalted butter. I generally bake with unsalted
- eggs—use whole large eggs for these Easter buns. If you use smaller eggs, the dough may be dryer
- dried fruit like raisins and/or candied citrus peel. I prefer to combine sultana raisins, golden raisins, currants, candied orange peel, candied lemon peel, or citron peel. These add-ins are mixed into the dough before the first rise
- sweet spices, like cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger. Hot cross buns would taste great with cardamom too!
- neutral oil like canola oil, which is flavourless to create the cross paste
- maple syrup for glazing—I prefer medium or dark maple syrup which is more flavourful
Please see the recipe card for the exact ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions and Variations
The combination of candied citrus peel and raisins, alongside the mixture of spices, is what makes hot cross buns so special. I truly believe that these are better than any bun that you buy in a store. Trust me. Here are a few ways to modify this recipe:
- without raisins: if you want to make hot cross buns without raisins, replace the raisins with chocolate chips, cup for cup. I recommend dark chocolate chips in this recipe.
- cranberry or cherry: you can also replace the raisins with dried cranberries or dried cherries for a delicious variation of the classic.
- ginger: replace the candied peel with chopped crystallized ginger for a spicy change.
- active yeast: if you prefer to use active dry yeast in place of the instant/rapid-rise yeast, you can. You will have to modify the method, dissolving it in the warm milk before adding it to the mixer. Otherwise you may end up with lumps of dry yeast in the dough in patches.
- glaze: instead of glazing with maple syrup, you can try a few other things:
- Donna Hay uses a gelatin glaze (a mixture of powdered gelatin hydrated in cold water) brushed onto the hot buns which melts the gelatin. This works extremely well, but it's bland and doesn't do anything for the buns except making them shine
- Neutral glaze is what bakeries would use. It's a flavourless sweet commercial glaze that comes in a tub
- Melted apricot jam or apple jelly will also work here, but again, the finish will be a little sticky
- Simple syrup is another great glaze option for you to try and a traditional glaze for babka, actually!
- cross alternative: you can add the cross after baking by making a sweet white glaze from icing sugar and water and piping it on AFTER baking the hot cross buns, when they have cooled. Royal icing would also work.
How To Make Homemade Hot Cross Buns
The secret to stress-free bread baking is to use the dough hook of your stand mixer. This is what I do for the easy brioche bread recipe too. This hot cross buns recipe is easy because I made the dough with a KitchenAid mixer (the big 6-quart pro model or the smaller Artisan mixer works too—I've tested this recipe in both!). Sure, you could knead hot cross buns dough by hand. Works like a charm! I guess I'm a little lazy, but I've had a lot of success kneading dough with a mixer, so I don't do that by hand anymore.
Step 1: Combine the dry ingredients in the stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (image 1) and mix them until evenly dispersed (image 2). Add the warm wet ingredients (warm milk, melted butter, and room temperature egg) (image 3) and stir them in to form a sticky dough (image 4).
Step 2: Add the raisins and candied peel (image 5) and stir them in (image 6) then switch to the dough hook to knead the dough until smooth (image 7).
Step 3: Transfer the dough to a greased container or clear bowl (image 8). Then cover it and let it rise in a warm place until doubled (image 9).
Step 4: Portion out the dough into 12 pieces using a scale (image 10). Roll them into balls (image 11). Make sure the buns are smooth and tight at this stage (image 12) before setting them on parchment paper-lined half-sheet pans.
Note: You can fit all twelve buns on one half sheet pan or divide them between two pans. It all depends on if you want to make smooth, neat round buns or pull-apart buns that bake together.
Step 5: Combine the ingredients for the paste in a small bowl (image 12). Whisk them until smooth (image 13).
Step 6: Transfer the paste to a piping bag fitted with a 6 mm round tip and pipe crosses on the proofed buns (image 14).
Step 7: Bake the buns until golden brown. The internal temperature should be at least 88 °C (190 °F). Then immediately brush the surface of the buns with maple syrup as soon as they come out of the oven (image 17) to glaze them and soften the crust.
Tip: a digital instant-read thermometer like a Thermapen to check the internal temperature of the buns to verify they are baked properly
How To Store Homemade Hot Cross Buns
This recipe makes 12 hot cross buns which can seem like a lot or even too much for some families. Personally, I live alone, so I use my freezer to store these when I make this recipe and if I don't have the opportunity to share them with others:
- slice open the buns once they have cooled
- freeze them in a single layer on a parchment-lined sheet pan
- transfer to a freezer bag to store long-term
If you follow these steps, you should be able to store your hot cross buns for several months. When you want to have a bun, take one out of the freezer and toast it in a toaster, a toaster oven, or in a preheated oven. Slathered with lots of salted butter, nobody will realize the buns were frozen!
Serving Suggestions
Serve hot cross buns split in half, with salted butter, orange marmalade, or even maple butter or dulce de leche.
Toast leftovers in a toaster oven or in a regular oven to warm them up.
Tips for Best Hot Cross Buns
Check the consistency of your dough halfway through kneading. If your dough seems too sticky, wet, or clinging to the bowl, it needs more flour.
Add 30 grams more flour and continue kneading the dough to see if the dough comes together in a ball that is smooth and tacky, clinging to the dough hook but not the sides of the bowl.
To pipe the cross, you can use a 6 mm round piping tip or even smaller to create a thinner, more discrete cross. You can also cut a very tiny opening in the tip of a piping bag (or the corner of a ziploc bag) and avoid piping tips altogether.
More Easter Baking Recipes
The Easter baking season is short but sweet. It's a great opportunity to explore baking with carrots and also leftover Easter chocolate, incorporating Mini Eggs into Easter brownies and blondies!
Hot Cross Bun Baking FAQs
Add more flour and knead it in. Add up to 60 grams (½ cup) at a time to avoid adding too much flour. Too much flour will lead to dense, tough buns.
Your best bet for determining if your buns are properly baked is to use a digital instant-read thermometer. For buns made with eggs, milk, and butter, meaning enriched bread, the internal temperature should be 180–190°F (82–88°C) when baked.
The buns will be golden brown, but not dark when baked. The glaze is brushed on when the buns come out of the oven and it will make the colour pop and make the buns shine.
If you tried this recipe for the best hot cross buns (or any other recipe on my website), please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
📖 Recipe
Easter Hot Cross Buns
Ingredients
Bun dough
- 530 grams bleached all-purpose flour you may need 60 grams (½ cup) extra flour if the dough is too sticky so have it ready!
- 100 grams granulated sugar
- 13.75 mL ground cinnamon
- 8 grams instant yeast 1 small packet
- 2.5 mL ground nutmeg
- 2.5 mL ground ginger
- 2.5 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
- 1.25 mL ground cloves
- 375 mL milk (2 %) warmed to ~95°F
- 58 grams unsalted butter melted
- 1 large egg(s) room temperature
- 240 grams sultana raisins or a mixture of golden raisins and sultanas (or whatever I have in the cupboard)
- 55 grams candied mixed peel (orange, lemon, citron)
Cross paste
- 65 grams bleached all-purpose flour
- 80 mL water
- 5 mL canola oil
- 2.5 mL granulated sugar
Glaze
- 60 mL pure maple syrup
Instructions
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the flour, yeast, sugar, spices, and salt. Stir on low to evenly disperse everything together.
- Add the milk, melted butter, and egg. Mix on low for a minute until the ingredients are well mixed. Then add the raisins and candied peel, and mix again to combine everything. Cover the bowl with a towel and let sit for 10 minutes.
- Switch to the dough hook attachment and knead the dough in the mixer on low speed (speed 2) for 5 minutes.
- Check the texture of the dough. The dough should not stick too much to the sides of the bowl and should have formed a ball in the bowl, wrapped around the hook. It should feel slightly tacky when you press it with your fingers. If it’s too wet and not forming a cohesive ball of dough at this point, you may add up to 60 grams (½ cup) of extra flour. Start by working in 30 grams, then add another 30 grams if necessary. Continue kneading for another 5 minutes (this is essential to get a good bun texture).
- Form the dough into a ball and place it in a greased, large bowl (rolling it in the bowl to grease the dough). Cover the bowl with saran wrap.
- Let rise until the dough has doubled in size, in a warm, draft-free location, like in the oven with just the light turned on. This takes about 45 minutes to an hour depending on how warm your kitchen is.
- Line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Portion out the dough into 12 equal pieces (about 120 grams dough per bun). Roll each piece into a ball and place on the prepared pans, staggered. You can place all twelve buns on one sheet pan to create pull-apart buns or split them between two pans to create perfectly rounded buns.
- Cover the pans with saran wrap and let the buns rise until they have doubled (about 30 minutes to 1 hour at room temperature).
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F (175 °C).
- Prepare the cross paste: mix the flour, water, oil, and sugar. Using a piping bag fitted with a round piping tip (6 mm tip), pipe thinly onto the top of each bun just before baking. The dough should be thin enough to pipe, but thick enough not to spread too much.
- Bake the buns on the middle racks for 25–30 minutes, or until the buns are deep golden colour. If you are unsure, use a thermometer to check the middle: for buns made with eggs, milk, and butter, meaning enriched breads, the internal temperature should be at least 190 °F (88 °C) when baked. I've gone as high as 212 ºF or 100 ºC without problems.
- Remove the buns from the oven and brush with maple syrup a couple of times as they cool (note that as the buns cool, the maple syrup will form a sweet sticky glaze on the buns). Serve the buns when they are slightly warm, with salted butter. You can reheat them in the oven the next day.
Notes
- salt: I bake with Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If using regular table salt, add half the amount to avoid the bread being too salty
- without raisins: if you want to make hot cross buns without raisins, replace the raisins with chocolate chips, cup for cup. I recommend dark chocolate chips in this recipe
- cranberry or cherry: you can also replace the raisins with dried cranberries or dried cherries for a delicious variation of the classic
- ginger: replace the candied peel with chopped crystallized ginger for a spicy change
- active yeast: if you prefer to use active dry yeast in place of the instant/rapid-rise yeast, you can. You will have to modify the method, dissolving it in the warm milk before adding it to the mixer. Otherwise you may end up with lumps of dry yeast in the dough in patches.
- glaze options: instead of glazing with maple syrup, you can try a few other things:
- Donna Hay uses a gelatin glaze (a mixture of powdered gelatin hydrated in cold water) brushed onto the hot buns which melts the gelatin. This works extremely well, but it's bland and doesn't do anything for the buns except making them shine
- Neutral glaze is what bakeries would use. It's a flavourless sweet commercial glaze that comes in a tub
- Melted apricot jam or apple jelly will also work here, but again, the finish will be a little sticky
- Simple syrup is another great glaze option for you to try and a traditional glaze for babka, actually!
Andrew says
Great recipe! I cut down on the fruit but maybe that’s my British tastes.
I found that the cross came out slightly tough - could it be because I used unbleached flour?
Cooking Rookie says
What a wonderful breakfast recipe!
Love the photos :-). I am looking for the "follow" button.
Thanks for stopping by my blog.
Jan says
Thanks and Happy Easter everyone!
Tiffany says
Gorgeous! Happy Easter!
baking.serendipity says
Your buns look fantastic! I love you Easter traditions and that you incorporated baking into them this year 🙂 PS: I have a fun giveaway going on right now...stop by and check it out!
Cake Duchess says
Hi Jan-Thank you for stopping by my blog:)These buns look delicious and are wonderful for Easter. I wish you a very Happy Easter:)