Paul Hollywood’s top 7 baking tips for perfect hot cross buns every time

Easter is approaching this week, and if there’s one bake that defines the season, it’s the humble hot cross bun. Every year, thousands of you turn to us for our tried-and-tested recipes, but getting that perfect balance of soft, fluffy dough and fragrant spice can still be a challenge when baking from scratch.

So, who better to guide you than Paul Hollywood? The baker behind our ever-popular classic hot cross buns shares his top tips and techniques to help you master this Easter essential, so you can turn out beautifully risen, bakery-worthy buns every time. So why not check out his recipe and then use the below advice to take your buns to the next level.

Looking for more inspiration? Explore our favourite Easter bakes, fun recipes to make with kids and easy ways to use up leftovers, plus ideas for hosting the ultimate Easter celebration.

Paul's quickfire hacks for better flavour and texture in your hot cross buns:

• Knead the dough until smooth and elastic, resting it if needed to help the gluten develop properly.
• Use the “windowpane” test to check if the dough is ready - it should stretch thinly enough to let light through, with visible webbing.
• Let the dough prove fully until doubled in size to ensure a light, soft texture.
• Build flavour with spices, citrus zest and even fresh fruit, as well as dried, for better taste and moisture.
• Finish with a classic flour and water cross or experiment with decorative toppings like sweet paste or marzipan for a twist.

Origin of hot cross buns

The history of the hot cross bun dates back to the 14th century, with the monk Thomas Rocliffe believed to have created the very first ones which he distributed to the poor on Good Friday. It went down so well that word spread and by the 19th century, hot cross buns were widely eaten across the country to mark the end of Lent.

Paul's seven expert tricks for making perfect hot cross buns

1. Knead the dough to increase elasticity

"The first thing you do is make your base dough. You knead it until you can pull a bit off and you can see it’s quite elastic. It needs to stretch. One trick is, if you get tired of kneading it, leave it in a bowl for a bit to rise for 20 minutes. That'll help the process along."

2. Check the dough texture is right

"The best thing to do is hold your stretched dough towards the light – you should be able to read the newspaper through it. You also need to look for the webbing – that’s the gluten strands bonding together. If you’ve got webbing in the dough you know it’s right. The thinner you can get that the better."

3. Either mix by hand or a bread machine

"A dough hook on a mixer will be quicker, but mixing the dough by hand will give you a good feel for what the dough’s like. Then, if you’re ever caught short and you haven’t got a mixer, you’ll still be able to make them. Plus, if you mix it by hand, you’ll get to remember what the dough should feel like when it's ready."

4. Add spices for extra flavour

"Cinnamon works really well, and a bit of nutmeg to an extent. I always use fresh fruit in mine. The original recipes used fresh fruit, it’s only quite recently we’ve started using dried fruit. Apples, oranges, tangerines, zest of lemon and orange and cinnamon works really well together."

Try our chocolate & spice hot cross buns, spiced hot cross buns and hot cross bun ring with spiced honey butter.

5. Try non-traditional flavours

"Morello cherries and chocolate is a great combination for a non-traditional twist."

For more unusual flavour variations, try our chilli cheese hot cross buns, lemon & marzipan hot cross buns, chocolate & tropical fruit hot cross buns and triple chocolate hot cross buns. We've even created the perfect hybrid bakes with our hot cross cinnamon buns and banana bread hot cross buns.

6. Use leftovers to make a pudding

"You can make a great summer pudding with hot cross buns. Alternatively, you can bake with them and make a delicious bread and butter pudding. What I’d do is put some white chocolate chips in there as well, then slice up some hot cross buns and add the zest of an orange."

Try our bun & butter pudding and then our chocolate hot cross bun bread & butter pudding or our hot cross bun lemon pudding. Also check out more of our Easter leftover ideas.

7. Choose your topping

"Marzipan makes a nice cross for a bit of decoration, or you can use sweet paste or just the traditional flour and water." You could also experiment with adding mix-ins for extra flavour such as apricot jam used in our cranberry and orange hot cross buns.

Discover more hot cross bun topping ideas.

More Easter recipes and tips...

Paul's tips for decorating Easter bakes
25 unusual desserts and cakes you need to try in the lead up to Easter
The ultimate Easter Sunday lunch
13 no-bake Easter treats
30 best Easter dinner ideas
Visit our Easter page

Do you have any handy hot cross bun hints that never fail? Let us know in the comments section below...