Hot cross buns

Hot cross buns

Make the most of the long Easter weekend and fill the house with the smell of spiced buns baking

Difficulty and servings

Moderately easy

Makes 12

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 45 mins

Cook time

Cook 15 mins

Plus rising and proving
Freezable

Low-fat

Method

  1. Put the flour, yeast, caster sugar and 1 tsp salt into a large mixing bowl with the spices and dried fruit and mix well. Make a well in the centre and pour in the warm milk, 50ml warm water, the beaten egg and the melted butter. Mix everything together to form a dough - start with a wooden spoon and finish with your hands. If the dough is too dry, add a little more warm water; if it's too wet, add more flour.
  2. Knead in the bowl or on a floured surface until the dough becomes smooth and springy. Transfer to a clean, lightly greased bowl and cover loosely with a clean, damp tea towel. Leave in a warm place to rise until roughly doubled in size - this will take about 1 hr depending on how warm the room is.
  3. Tip the risen dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for a few secs, then divide into 12 even portions - I roll my dough into a long sausage shape, then quarter and divide each quarter into 3 pieces. Shape each portion into a smooth round and place on a baking sheet greased with butter, leaving some room between each bun for it to rise.
  4. Use a small, sharp knife to score a cross on the top of each bun, then cover with the damp tea towel again and leave in a warm place to prove for 20 mins until almost doubled in size again. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
  5. When the buns are ready to bake, mix the plain flour with just enough water to give you a thick paste. Spoon into a piping bag (or into a plastic food bag and snip the corner off) and pipe a white cross into the crosses you cut earlier. Bake for 12-15 mins until the buns are golden and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. While still warm, melt the granulated sugar with 1 tbsp water in a small pan, then brush over the buns.
Try

More Easter baking

Once you've mastered these simple buns, you can use the same dough to make James's teatime Chelsea buns and delicious fruit loaf (see 'Goes well with') - just mix up the spices a bit and swap the currants for other dried fruits and nuts.

PER BUN

242 kcalories, protein 6.0g, carbohydrate 44.0g, fat 6.0 g, saturated fat 3.0g, fibre 1.0g, sugar 14.0g, salt 0.46 g

Recipe from Good Food magazine, April 2010.

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Latest comments and suggestions

Results 1-20

  • Binder photo bex82

    10 March 2010

    bex82 rated this recipe

    5 stars

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  • Binder photo Beth

    28 March 2010

    Beth rated this recipe

    4 stars

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  • Binder photo Ricarda

    30 March 2010

    Ricarda rated this recipe

    3 stars

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  • Binder photo notdutch

    01 April 2010

    notdutch commented on this recipe

    As I live in Holland there are no Hot Cross Buns at Easter unless I make them. My daughter and I made this recipe yesterday and it is the best we've used. Absolutely delicious!

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  • Binder photo notdutch

    01 April 2010

    notdutch rated this recipe

    5 stars

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  • Binder photo Fluffy

    01 April 2010

    Fluffy rated this recipe

    4 stars

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  • Binder photo Damson

    02 April 2010

    Damson rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    These came out really well. I didn't have currants so I used mixed fruit instead & it worked fine. I was a bit concerned because the mixture seemed very sticky after the initial kneading however it didn't seem to affect the buns. Nice recipe

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  • Binder photo Sue

    02 April 2010

    Sue rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I made these today for easter. What can I say there lovely, especially hot from the oven. Light and Yummy. Easy recipe to do.

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  • Binder photo Ali

    02 April 2010

    Ali rated and commented on this recipe

    3 stars

    I made these today, they were OK, but will try another recipe next year, to me they were more like rolls than buns! You no what they say 'you never no I until you try'

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  • Binder photo Alissa

    03 April 2010

    Alissa rated and commented on this recipe

    1 stars

    These were easy to make, but mine have a very strong yeasty taste, so I was wondering whether 2 sachets is too much? They were nice, but wouldnt make again.

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  • Binder photo Abi

    03 April 2010

    Abi rated and commented on this recipe

    3 stars

    This was my first ever attempt at hot cross buns. I was very pleased with the results and got great feedback from everyone who tried them. I did have to make a couple of changes though (my own fault for not checking the cupboards!) - I used granulated sugar instead of caster and sultanas instead of currants. On the day I made them they were soft and springy but the next day they had become rather dry and compact and therefore only good for toasting - is that to be expected? Am I just too used to the supermarket stuff?!

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  • Binder photo beth82

    03 April 2010

    beth82 rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I made these this morning and they turned out perfectly!!!! I haven't ever bothered to do Hot Cross Buns before but will definitely be making these again. The 4 clean plates were a giveaway that the kids wouldn't mind eating these again too!

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  • Binder photo MaryW, Finland

    03 April 2010

    MaryW, Finland rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    Living in Finland where you can't get hot cross buns I've tried a few recipes over the last couple of years was keen to try these. The buns have turned out lovely and soft, without being stodgy and the fruit content seems just right to me. But they don't seem to be spicy enough to me, which is why I only gave them 4 stars. Now it could just be my memory playing tricks on me, but I'll just have to keep tweeking the seasoning a bit until I get the result I want!

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  • Binder photo Ferial

    03 April 2010

    Ferial commented on this recipe

    These were fantastic - the best I've ever made - light and with a lovely texture and colour. I followed a tip from Elizabeth David as well and added 1/4 tspn of ground cumin to the spice mix. You can't taste it but it definitely adds that little something!

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  • Binder photo Ferial

    03 April 2010

    Ferial rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Forgot to give it the 5 stars it deserves!

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  • Binder photo Ferial

    03 April 2010

    Ferial commented on this recipe

    Only used 1 sachet of yeast as well

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  • Binder photo French Sonya

    03 April 2010

    French Sonya commented on this recipe

    Has anyone tried using this recipe in a bread machine??

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  • Binder photo nickki

    04 April 2010

    nickki rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I followed the recipe exactly and they were perfect! I've tried a few hot cross bun recipes in the past without success. I'm really pleased I've found a recipe that has worked for me!

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  • Binder photo KerryFr

    04 April 2010

    KerryFr rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Great hot cross buns, made these with my three year old and we had a lot of fun. I've made a few different hot cross bun recipes in the past and these are definitely the best. My husband has been asking me to make some more...and I will be! I also plan to try the alternatives suggested

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  • Binder photo lindad

    06 April 2010

    lindad rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    great recipe, I was impressed how well the buns turned out and had many compliments about the taste of the buns. Definetely will do this recipe again next Easter!!

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Difficulty and servings

Moderately easy

Makes 12

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 45 mins

Cook time

Cook 15 mins

Plus rising and proving
Freezable

Low-fat

Ingredients

FOR THE DOUGH

  • 450g strong white flour , plus extra for dusting
  • 2 x 7g sachets easy-blend yeast
  • 50g caster sugar
  • 150ml warm milk
  • 1 egg , beaten
  • 50g unsalted butter , melted, plus extra for greasing
  • oil , for greasing

THE SPICES AND DRIED FRUIT

  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp mixed spice
  • ¼ tsp grated nutmeg
  • 100g currants

TO DECORATE

  • 4 tbsp plain flour
  • 2 tbsp granulated sugar
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PER BUN

242 kcalories, protein 6.0g, carbohydrate 44.0g, fat 6.0 g, saturated fat 3.0g, fibre 1.0g, sugar 14.0g, salt 0.46 g

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