Hot Cross.. Your Buns

Easter Baking Classic... best made at home!

There is probably no baked good good as iconic as the humble Hot Cross Bun coming up to the Easter holiday.

If you’ve never experienced this deliciousness… hot cross buns are a slightly sweetened, enriched bread dough, studded with dried fruit, formed into buns and then piped on top with a paste in the shape of a cross, and glazed right before finishing.

Hot cross buns are much more common in European countries and became a mainstay in 12th century England as a celebratory food for Easter… but I’m on a mission this year to spread the gospel of these delicious sweet buns and you’ll want to eat them year round.

Around Easter it’s common for bakeries to bake off batches of hot cross buns daily and some supermarkets get pre-packaged versions.

What I can promise you is that this recipe will knock the socks off any of the above options. Plus if you’re looking for a fun baking activity with kids or even a date, this is a fun bake-off.

These are truly indulgent and I love that they are not your typical over-sweetened, Western, pop-tart, twinkie crap that most people pass as a baked sweet treat 🙌 😇

Enjoy hot cross buns with a side of citrus marmalade and butter, flanked with a cup of tea, or after a nice lunch for a mild dessert, or a sweet snack anytime you get the craving.

Finally, these freeze well so if you’re worried about having 12 buns calling to you at all hours you can freeze what you won’t use and can defrost later.

Notes:

You will need:

-kitchen scale (recipe is in ounces)

-standing mixer (KitchenAid, etc)

-if you don’t have a piping bag, just use a ziploc bag with a corner cut off to pipe the crosses. (that’s what I did for this batch 😂)

Ingredients

10 oz whole milk room temp

2 large eggs room temp, whisked

3 oz light brown sugar

1/4 tsp ground allspice

1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 oz sea salt

22 oz bread flour (King Arthur works well)

1/4 oz instant yeast

3 oz cold butter, cut into 1/2inch cubes

3 oz dried currants

2 oz candied orange peel

rum (or sub apple/orange juice)

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Egg Wash

1 large egg

2 oz water warm

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Cross Paste

5 oz whole milk

4 1/2 oz AP flour (or use bread flour if you don’t have AP)

1/4 tsp baking powder

pinch powdered sugar

pinch sea salt

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Simple Syrup

4 oz sugar

6 oz water

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METHOD

1. Day before: Soak the dried and candied fruits in rum (to cover) overnight.
   

2. Combine the milk, eggs, sugar, spices, and salt together in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a hook attachment.
   

3. Add the flour and yeast and mix at low speed for 2 minutes then medium low for 4 minutes.
   

4. Add the butter and mix another 4 minutes at medium low speed or until it's fully absorbed and even in the dough.
   

5. Drain the fruits (if neccesary), add to the dough and mix just until even distributed throughout the dough, no more than a minute with the machine - mix by hand if it's taking longer.
   

6. Transfer the dough to another bowl that has been lightly buttered (use a butter wrapper) to keep dough from sticking, and cover. Allow to rise 60-90mins at room temperature; the dough should rise by about 50%.
   

7. Remove the dough from the bowl and onto a clean work surface. Lightly press down on the dough, portion into 12 even dough masses; recommend weighing the dough, divide by 12, and then portioning.

8. Round into buns: With your thumb and pinky flush against the counter, place your palm over a dough mass and roll clockwise into a bun; using your thumb and pinky to tuck the dough under itself providing surface tension. (If you’re completely new to dough shaping, here’s a good video showing. Once you get the hang of it you can do in your sleep without needing to tuck under like they show on the video but it’s a pretty foolproof method)
   

9. Place buns on parchment lined baking tray (9x13 jelly roll pan works too), lightly cover, and allow to fully proof at room temp. (plan on 30-60mins)
   

10. Preheat oven to 350F.
    

11. Cross Paste: Prepare the cross paste by whisking everything together until completely smooth and pipable; no lumps. Transfer to a piping bag with a plain tip.
    

12. Egg Wash: Prepare the egg wash by blending with a fork (or whisk) until completely smooth.
    

13. Before the dough bakes, brush it evenly but gently with egg wash and pipe crosses of paste over the dough.
    

14. Bake at 350F until completely cooked through and brown.
    

15. While the buns bake, make the simple syrup by boiling the sugar and water together, allow to cool to room temperature before buns are done baking.
    

16. Remove the buns from the oven and brush liberally with syrup, return to the oven and bake a few additional minutes to glaze the buns.

    

17. Remove the buns again and allow to cool completely.

These look so yummy 🤤

From my kitchen to yours… have a wonderful and tasty Easter weekend! 🐣 🐇 🥚