Hot Cross Buns
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
These hot cross buns are soft, lightly spiced and filled with raisins. Traditionally, they are marked with flour crosses, but I usually finish mine with simple icing because I prefer it to thick flour crosses that can sometimes taste a little floury.
The flour version is included as well, so you can choose the one you like best. Serve them warm with butter or jam, or toast one the next day if you have leftovers.
How to make hot cross buns from scratch
Ingredients:
- Flour: Use either all-purpose (plain) or bread flour (this will make them fluffier).
- Milk: Any milk will work here.
- Sugar: Granulated white sugar, preferably superfine/caster sugar.
- Salt.
- Butter: Use salted or unsalted.
- Mixed spice: This is similar to pumpkin pie spice. A good substitution is a combo of cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger, or just cinnamon.
- Yeast.
- Egg.
- Raisins: Or sultanas, cranberries or other dried fruit.
- Powdered sugar: For the icing crosses. If you want flour crosses instead, you can skip it.
Tools:
- Measuring spoons and cups or a kitchen scale.
- Baking sheet and baking parchment paper.
- Large bowl.
- Fork.
- Wooden spoon – for mixing.
- Small bowl and pastry brush.
- Piping bag or resealable plastic bag and scissors – to make the crosses.
- Cookie cutter and rolling pin.
- Stand mixer with dough attachment.
This recipe can be made in a few different ways. The simplest is to use a stand mixer and combine everything until you get a dough that is soft and not too sticky.
If the dough feels too dry, add a splash of liquid. At this stage, it can be water or milk. If it feels too wet or sticky, add a tablespoon of flour and see if that helps. If not, add a little more.
If you don’t have a mixer, you can knead the dough by hand. It works just as well, but it takes a bit more effort.
Cover the bowl and let it rise until it is doubled in size. This can take somewhere between 60 to 90 minutes.
Then roll it out and cut out about 16 circles. Roll each into a ball and place them on a baking sheet. Cover with a kitchen towel and let them rise again for about 1 hour.
Now make the crosses. Traditionally, they are made with flour mixed with water. Bake for about 15 minutes. If the buns are not golden brown yet, leave them in a little longer.
Baking takes 15 minutes. If not golden brown, leave them in longer.
To make the buns shiny, brush the warm buns with the honey glaze. You can skip this step if you like.
Note: A complete and printable recipe card is at the bottom of this post.
Serving suggestions
These soft, spiced buns are delicious with butter and a drizzle of honey or your favorite jam. We love them with homemade strawberry jam, but any favorite will do. Homemade butter or strawberry butter are also tasty options.
Frequently asked questions
No, not at all. They do taste best warm or toasted, though!
These homemade spiced buns are best enjoyed on the same day. They will still be soft on the following day, but after that, they turn hard.
Yes, you can. Put them in a freezer-friendly resealable bag and freeze. Take out as many as you need and let them thaw for an hour or two. Warm them in the microwave or toast them before serving.
Hot cross buns are often brushed with a glaze after baking, which gives them their shine and can make them a little sticky. In this recipe, I use honey mixed with water, but apricot jam or a light sugar syrup can also be used. Maple syrup is also an alternative.
Useful tips
You can swap the dried fruit to suit your taste. Raisins, sultanas, dried cranberries or mixed dried fruit all work well here. The amount in the recipe is what works well for me.
A cookie cutter helps keep the buns a similar size, which makes the baking more even. You can shape them by hand, but the cutter makes things easier.
Size: Smaller cookie cutters work better here because the buns will rise again before baking and expand more in the oven. You can weigh the first bun to use as a guide, or simply shape them by hand. About 2 ounces (60 grams) per bun works well.
What yeast to use?
You have the option to choose from 3 types of yeast:
- Instant yeast: It is also called rapid rise yeast. It is very easy to use because it does not need to be activated in liquid. You simply mix it with flour and the rest of the ingredients.
- Active dry yeast: This type needs to be activated in a lukewarm liquid before you add it to the flour.
- Fresh yeast: This must be kept refrigerated and comes in small cubes. It also needs liquid and sugar for activation. When using this type, you will need 3 times more than instant/active.
Watch how to make hot cross buns
More Easter recipes to try
If you’re planning a bigger Easter menu, here are a few more ideas you might like:
- Easter Bread: a soft braided loaf that fits right in at Easter brunch.
- Guacamole Deviled Eggs: a creamy savory bite to balance the sweeter bakes.
- Chocolate Easter Cake: a rich chocolate cake to make if dessert is part of the plan.
- Easter Bunny Cupcakes: a fun Easter treat that is especially nice if kids are joining.
Need more ideas? Browse this collection of Easter brunch recipes for more sweet and savory options.
Hot Cross Buns Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour see note 1
- 3 teaspoons instant dried yeast see note 2
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground mixed spice (see note 3)
- ½ cup granulated sugar see note 4
- 1 cup milk lukewarm
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
- 1 large egg
- 4 ounces raisins see note 5
For the crosses:
- ½ cup powdered sugar or 6 tablespoons of flour
- ¾ teaspoon water
For the glaze:
- 2 tablespoons honey mixed with 1 tablespoon hot water
Instructions
- To the bowl of a stand mixer, add flour, yeast, salt, mixed spice and sugar. Stir. In a separate bowl or large cup, whisk together milk, melted butter and egg. Pour this into the mixer and stir well. Add raisins.
- Mix with the dough attachment on low speed for about 4minutes, or until the dough comes away from the sides of the mixer. It should be soft and spring back when you poke it. If it feels sticky, add a little more flour. If it feels too dry, add a splash of milk or water.
- Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let it rise in a warm place for 1 hour (or more if needed – it should double in size).
- Once the dough has risen, transfer it onto the floured worktop and using your fist, knock it down. Knead into a ball and roll out with a rolling pin.
- Use a 2.5-inch (6-centimeter) round cookie cutter to cutout equally sized buns. Roll them into balls with your hands, aiming for about2 to 2.5 ounces (60 to 70 grams) each. If you have dough scraps left, simply shape them into balls as well.
- Place them on a baking sheet lined with baking paper and cover with a kitchen towel. Let them rise for 1 hour.
- For the crosses, you have 2 options. Option 1: mix flour with water to make a thick paste, then pipe it over the uncooked buns. Option 2: mix powdered sugar with ¾ teaspoon water, then pipe it over the baked and glazed buns once they have cooled. In both cases, the mixture should be thick but still easy to pipe.
- Bake them in a preheated oven at 400°F (200°C) for 15 minutes or until baked through.
- While still warm, brush each bun with honey mixed with hot water.
- Serve warm, cold, or toasted with honey, butter or jam.
Video
Notes
- All-purpose flour (US) = Plain flour (UK).
- Instant yeast does not need to be activated in liquid. You can use the same quantity of active dry yeast, but you need to activate it in lukewarm liquid first (in this case, it is milk) for 5-10 minutes. It should create a foam. If using fresh yeast, you will need 20 grams of it. This has to be also activated in lukewarm milk and about a tablespoon of sugar.
- Or, you can substitute with 2 teaspoons cinnamon or with a mixture of spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom (again 2 teaspoons total).
- If you can, use superfine sugar (caster sugar in the UK). It has finer crystals than regular granulated sugar. This amount makes the buns fairly sweet, so you can reduce it slightly if you prefer.
- You can use raisins, sultanas, dried cranberries or mixed candied citrus fruit or a combination of these. I use about 4 ounces (120 grams). ½ cup heaped of raisins weighs about 3 ounces (90 grams).
Nutrition
Nutrition information is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and may vary based on ingredient brands, substitutions, and portion sizes.
These look really good! I love the dried fruits you put inside.
They are divine! I haven’t managed to save any for today they were so good! Happy Easter!