This soft, buttery hot cross buns recipe is perfectly spiced with orange zest and allspice. The sweet vanilla dough cross adds extra flavor, making these buns irresistible.
This hot cross buns recipe is unmatched in flavor and texture. They are perfectly flavored with orange zest, allspice, and currants and topped with a vanilla cross. Made with butter, sugar, eggs, and milk, the bread is fluffy and has a tender texture.
This traditional Easter treat will surely be a family favorite. Be sure to make these Easter pancakes and this phyllo egg brunch casserole for Easter brunch! And let me show you how to make easter eggs, three ways!
Table of contents
Why You Will Love This Hot Cross Buns Recipe
- Perfectly spiced buns! Using the perfect amount of allspice and orange zest gives these buns unmatched flavor!
- Better than a bakery. I have tried many hot cross buns and I can attest that these are far superior to any you can find in a bakery.
- Fluffy and tender texture. This dough is enriched, which gives these buns a soft and tender texture. The added fat from the milk, butter, and eggs gives the dough a finer crumb structure and richer flavor.
Professional Tips for Making Hot Cross Buns
- Heat the milk before measuring. Heat more milk than needed. If the milk gets too hot, you can always add cold milk to get it to the right temperature. Then, once it’s at 95-100°F, measure and place it in the bowl.
- Check your yeast. Yeast is a living organism. If it isn’t kept in the proper conditions, it can die. Before you start mixing your dough, make sure the yeast bubbles in the milk.
- Don’t skimp on the proofing. It is tempting to skip or shorten the bulk proof (the first proofing), but resist the urge because that time is essential for developing the flavor and structure of the dough. Underproofed dough can taste bland, slightly doughy, and have a slight yeast flavor. Plus, you can end up with dense bread.
Ingredients & Substitutions
The dough:
- Active dry yeast: Active dry yeast requires hydration, but it activates quickly and is easy to control.
- Whole milk: I use whole milk in yeasted breads for the added flavor and fat. It has a lower water content, and the extra fat helps keep the rolls tender and moist. You can substitute other milk alternatives. The dough will be less fluffy but still delicious.
- Granulated sugar: There is a little bit of sugar here for flavor, caramelization of the crust, and also to give the yeast an easy, readily accessible food supply to get the party started! You can substitute light or dark brown sugar.
- Orange zest: Zest the orange right into the sugar for this and my easter bread recipe. Doing so will allow the sugar to catch the oils the oranges release when zested, giving you more flavor.
- All-purpose flour: I prefer to use all-purpose flour in the majority of my bread recipes because it has the perfect amount of gluten for developing a strong network but remaining tender and soft. The exception is when I want a chewy texture, like with these everything bagels.
- Kosher salt
- Unsalted butter
- Egg: The egg adds fat, moisture, and flavor. The fat from the yolk adds richness and helps keep the rolls moist.
- Ground allspice
- Currants or Raisins: You can use either currants or black raisins. Golden raisins can also be used.
The Crosses:
- Unsalted butter
- Whole milk: I bake with whole milk for the added flavor and fat. It has a lower water content and extra fat. You may substitute with your preferred milk alternative.
- Vanilla extract
- Granulated sugar: Granulated sugar adds sweetness and stability to the cross.
- Egg: Like choux, the egg keeps everything emulsified and keeps it from separating when baking.
- All-purpose flour: All-purpose flour adds the perfect amount of gluten structure without the cross becoming tough.
The Simple Syrup:
- Granulated sugar
- Water
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations
- Change the spice. You can use cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, or cardamom like in this braided cardamom bread. Spices like nutmeg or cloves are stronger in flavor, so start small and add as desired. You can also use the spice mix from my chai-spiced crescent cookies.
- Experiment with your mix-ins. Switch out the currants for dried cranberries, cherries, chopped apples, or pears. These buns can also be made with milk, white, or dark chocolate chips.
- Swap the baked cross with a thick glaze. You can bake these buns without the cross on top. Some like to score the top of the bread in a cross and then pipe a glaze into the groves when cooled. Use the glaze from my hot cross cinnamon rolls, or the vanilla glaze from these vanilla glazed rhubarb oatmeal scones.
- Make one large loaf. Instead of making individual rolls, bake in a standard loaf pan. Use the cross dough to pipe on a large cross or criss-cross multiply lines down the loaf.
How to Make Homemade Hot Cross Buns
Use these instructions to make these perfectly spiced hot cross buns! Further details and measurements can be found in the recipe card below.
Mix the Dough:
Step 1: Heat the milk to around 95-100°F in a pot or in a small bowl in the microwave.
Step 2: In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the active dry yeast and the warmed milk and let sit till the yeast starts to bloom.
Step 3: In a large bowl, zest the orange into the sugar and mix together with your fingertips or with the back of a spoon. On top of the sugar, add the flour, salt, butter, and allspice.
Step 4: Make a little well (away from the sugar and salt) and place the egg in it. Now, you have everything ready for mixing when the yeast has bloomed.
Step 5: Dump the flour mixture into the mixer bowl with the yeast. Mix on low speed with the paddle attachment until combined. Scrape down the sides with a stiff rubber spatula or bowl scraper.
Step 6: Switch to the dough hook attachment and mix on medium speed until a rough window pane can be pulled.
This means the dough will not look perfectly smooth but will have pulled together and made one cohesive dough around the hook. Pinch off a piece, gently pull the sides apart, and rotate and pull again, creating a square shape. The dough should not tear; you should be able to see through some of the dough like a window pane, but then there will be pieces of dough that look rough. This is what you want.
Step 7: Add the currants and mix in on low until well dispersed throughout the dough. Scrape the dough into a well-oiled bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and allow it to be proofed for an hour in a warm place.
Step 8: Fold the dough by grabbing one side, pulling it upwards out of the bowl, and then fold it over 1/3 of the dough. Rotate the bowl 180 degrees and repeat with the opposite side. Rotate a quarter turn and repeat the same folding technique. Rotate the bowl 180 degrees and make the final fold. You should have a nice tight square packet of dough.
Step 9: Marvel at your skills. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to double. Mine took about an additional hour.
Find a warm spot or place in your oven on the proof setting.
Step 10: While the dough is finishing its bulk proof, grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray or butter. I used butter because why not?!
Step 11: When the dough has doubled and feels light and airy when touched, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. It barely needs any flour!
Step 12: Divide into 12 equal portions. You can eyeball this or weigh them. They should be about 87g each. Fold each of the 4 corners into the center flip over. Roll into a tight ball. Place each about equidistant apart in the prepared dish seam side down.
Step 13: Cover with plastic wrap and return to the warm spot to double. This took about 30 minutes for mine. While the dough final proofs, make the cross top and the simple syrup.
Make the Simple syrup:
Step 14: Combine sugar and water in a small sauce pot, stirring to combine. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it reaches a rolling boil. Remove from heat and cool.
This can be made weeks in advance if you wish. This makes more than you need for the recipe, so save it and use it in cocktails or coffee. Making a smaller batch of simple syrup can be difficult because it will boil before the sugar has dissolved.
Make the Cross Topping:
Step 15: In a sauce pot, melt the butter. Add the sugar and cook until bubbly and smooth.
Step 16: Add remaining ingredients and stir together well. You will get a paste that looks like choux dough. Allow to cool slightly, then transfer to a piping bag fitted with a ¼ inch round tip.
When you add the rest of the ingredients, turn the heat down to low and mix it with a wooden spoon. If you turn the heat off, the mixture won’t emulsify properly and will start to separate when piping.
Bake the Buns:
Step 17: Preheat the oven to 440°F (no fan).
Step 18: When the buns are ready to bake, pipe the crosses on the dough. Pipe all the lines in one direction, letting the cross dough settle between the buns. Cut the cross dough with scissors when you reach the end of a row. Rotate 90 degrees (a quarter turn) and repeat in the other direction.
Use the scissors to cut the cross dough between each bun so each has its own cross.
Step 19: Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, rotate, and then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. Continue baking for an additional 10-15 minutes until golden brown or until an instant-read thermometer reads 185°F when inserted into the center of one of the middle buns. If you don’t have a thermometer, you can insert a cake tester or toothpick into the center, and it should come out with clinging crumbs but no streaks of dough!
Step 20: Brush the hot buns with simple syrup. Technically, they should cool, but who has the patience? I say dig right on in. Or cool them on a wire rack.
Frequently Asked Questions
The hot cross buns are best served the day they are made. Store at room temperature well wrapped or in an airtight container for up to three days or in the freezer for up to two months. To reheat the buns, defrost from the freezer overnight on the counter or in the fridge. Then preheat the oven to 350°F and place them in the oven until the center is warm.
If you don’t have dry active yeast, you can substitute double the weight of fresh yeast or half the weight of instant yeast. If using either fresh or instant yeast, you can add them straight to the batter, but mixing them into the sponge will still kickstart the fermentation and gluten development!
They aren’t just from a nursery rhyme. Hot cross buns represent the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The cross baked into the buns represents the crucifix, and the spices are said to represent the spices that were used to embalm Christ after his death. They are generally served on Good Friday.
Yes, use a wooden spoon to mix the dough together through step 5. Then, turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead it until it passes a window pane test. Then fold in the dried currants.
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a star rating and let me know how it goes in the comments below! I love hearing from you and your comments make my day!
hot cross buns
Ingredients
For the Buns:
- 1 package active dry yeast, (2 ¼ teaspoons)
- 1 cup whole milk, warmed between 95°F-100°F
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 orange zested
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- ½ cup currants, or raisins
For the Crosses:
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 ½ tablespoons whole milk
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ large egg, beaten
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
Simple Syrup
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup water
Instructions
Mix the Dough:
- Heat the milk to around 95-100°F in a pot or in a small bowl in the microwave.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the active dry yeast and the warmed milk and let sit till the yeast starts to bloom.
- In a large bowl, zest the orange into the sugar and mix together with your fingertips or with the back of a spoon. On top of the sugar, add the flour, salt, butter, and allspice.
- Make a little well (away from the sugar and salt) and place the egg in it. Now, you have everything ready for mixing when the yeast has bloomed.
- Dump the flour mixture into the mixer bowl with the yeast. Mix on low speed with the paddle attachment until combined. Scrape down the sides with a stiff rubber spatula or bowl scraper.
- Switch to the dough hook attachment and mix on medium speed until a rough window pane can be pulled.
- Add the currants and mix in on low until well dispersed throughout the dough. Scrape the dough into a well-oiled bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and allow it to be proofed for an hour in a warm place.
- Fold the dough by grabbing one side, pulling it upwards out of the bowl, and then fold it over 1/3 of the dough. Rotate the bowl 180 degrees and repeat with the opposite side. Rotate a quarter turn and repeat the same folding technique. Rotate the bowl 180 degrees and make the final fold. You should have a nice tight square packet of dough.
- Marvel at your skills. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to double. Mine took about an additional hour.
- While the dough is finishing its bulk proof, grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray or butter. I used butter because why not?!
- When the dough has doubled and feels light and airy when touched, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. It barely needs any flour!
- Divide into 12 equal portions. You can eyeball this or weigh them. They should be about 87g each. Fold each of the 4 corners into the center flip over. Roll into a tight ball. Place each about equidistant apart in the prepared dish seam side down.
- Cover with plastic wrap and return to the warm spot to double. This took about 30 minutes for mine. While the dough final proofs, make the cross top and the simple syrup.
Make the Simple syrup:
- Combine sugar and water in a small sauce pot, stirring to combine. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it reaches a rolling boil. Remove from heat and cool.
Make the Cross Topping:
- In a sauce pot, melt the butter. Add the sugar and cook until bubbly and smooth.
- Add remaining ingredients and stir together well. You will get a paste that looks like choux dough. Allow to cool slightly, then transfer to a piping bag fitted with a ¼ inch round tip.
Bake the Buns:
- Preheat the oven to 440°F (no fan).
- When the buns are ready to bake, pipe the crosses on the dough. Pipe all the lines in one direction, letting the cross dough settle between the buns. Cut the cross dough with scissors when you reach the end of a row. Rotate 90 degrees (a quarter turn) and repeat in the other direction.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, rotate, and then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. Continue baking for an additional 10-15 minutes until golden brown or until an instant-read thermometer reads 185°F when inserted into the center of one of the middle buns. If you don’t have a thermometer, you can insert a cake tester or toothpick into the center, and it should come out with clinging crumbs but no streaks of dough!
- Brush the hot buns with simple syrup. Technically, they should cool, but who has the patience? I say dig right on in. Or cool them on a wire rack.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!Before You Go
I hope you enjoyed this hot cross buns recipe. Check out our other delicious yeast bread recipes like these sweet cereal milk cinnamon rolls or this pecan sticky buns recipe!
