Classic Hot Cross Buns
A classic Hot Cross Buns recipe with soft, spiced dough and plenty of dried fruit. An easy Easter bake, perfect served warm with butter.
Brighter days are coming! The weather is (somewhat) improving, the nights are lighter, and the new leaves are starting to appear on the trees. All the signs that Spring is on the way. Another sure sign that Easter is near is the yearly influx of Hot Cross Buns.
Doughy little spiced buns, bursting with dried fruit, and adorned with that familiar cross on top. Not to mention the iconic song that goes along with them! But why do we only eat Hot Cross Buns at this time of year?
Well, it’s actually just a coincidence that they’re associated with Spring, due to the fact that it’s when Easter falls. And much like most commercialised holidays these days, Easter is no longer just a weekend but something that creeps into our kitchens for weeks beforehand.
Centuries ago, Hot Cross Buns were baked with a cross on top as a way to honour the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and were traditionally eaten on Good Friday. In 1592, Queen Elizabeth I had had quite enough of them and placed a ban on them being baked, sold or eaten, unless it was within the Easter period. Of course, that ban didn’t stand the test of time and was lifted by the 1700s. While we can now enjoy them year-round, they’ve remained firmly tied to Easter ever since.
Being a bake with such a long history, there’s no shortage of Hot Cross Bun recipes out there – from chocolate chip versions to all sorts of modern twists. So what makes this recipe different?
This is your go-to, fuss-free Hot Cross Buns recipe. Traditional in flavour and made with ingredients you’ll likely already have to hand. No overly fancy dried fruits, no enriched or artisan doughs, and no icing crosses. Just soft, doughy buns, gently spiced, packed with dried fruit, and finished with that classic cross on top.
If you’ve tried my Belgian Buns or Bara Brith, you’ll already be familiar with those warming flavours. And if you’re new to working with yeast, don’t worry – this is a great place to start, much like my Easy White Bread, with a simple, reliable dough that gives consistently soft, fluffy results.
Top Tips for Traditional Tiffin:
• Don’t Rush the Rise: Yeasted dough needs time to develop properly. If your kitchen is on the cooler side (very likely here in Scotland!), your dough will take longer to rise. Try to be guided by the dough doubling in size, not the clock.
• Soft Dough is Key: This dough should be soft and slightly tacky, not dry. It might feel a little sticky when you first bring it together, but that’s what gives you those soft, fluffy buns once baked.
• Knead Until Smooth: Take the time to knead your dough properly. You’re looking for a smooth, elastic texture – this helps create that soft, light, airy inside to your buns.
• Mix up the Flavour: The hot cross buns recipe keeps it traditional with some orange zest and sultanas, but you can use lemon zest if you prefer, and whatever dried fruit is your favourite – or even a combo.
• Evenly Sized Buns: Try to divide your dough into equal portions so your buns bake evenly. If some are much bigger than others, you’ll end up with a mix of over- and under-baked buns. I usually weigh my total dough before portioning, then divide that number by 12 to weigh out each bun for accuracy.
• Pipe the Cross Neatly: Your flour paste for the cross should be thick enough to hold its shape but soft enough to pipe. If it’s too runny, it’ll disappear into the dough as it bakes, too thick and it will over-bake and become quite crunchy!
• Don’t Overbake: Hot Cross Buns should be lightly golden on top but still soft. Overbaking will dry them out quickly, so keep a close eye on them towards the end of baking.
• Glaze While Warm: Brush your apricot jam glaze on while the buns are still warm from the oven. This helps give them that classic sticky, shiny finish.
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Hot Cross Buns
INGREDIENTS
- 300 ml Milk
- 50 g Butter or Block Margarine
- 500 g Strong White Flour (Bread Flour) (plus extra for dusting)
- 50 g Caster Sugar (Superfine Sugar)
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 1 tsp Mixed Spice (Pumpkin Spice)
- 7 g Fast-action Yeast (one sachet)
- 1 tbsp Sunflower Oil
- 100 g Sultanas
- 1 Zest of 1 Orange
For the Crosses
- 3 tbsp Plain Flour (All-purpose Flour)
- 3 tbsp Water
For the Glaze
- 2 tbsp Apricot Jam (Apricot Jelly)
- Dash of Boiling Water
EQUIPMENT
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a small milk pan, gently warm the milk and butter/margarine until the butter/margarine has just melted. Do not let it get too hot or boil.
- Meanwhile, sift the bread flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon and spices into a large bowl. Add the yeast and gently stir together until combined. Create a well in the middle and pour in the sunflower oil, before pouring in the milk and butter/margarine mixture too.
- Use a wooden spoon to bring the ingredients together and create a slightly sticky dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.
- Place the dough in an oiled bowl and cover with a piece of oiled cling film, or a damp tea towel. Allow the dough to rise for at least 1 hour, or until it has doubled in size.
- Line a baking sheet with some greaseproof paper and set aside. Knock back the dough (by gently punching the air out of it and pulling it back on itself) before adding the sultanas and orange zest. Turn the dough back out on a lightly floured surface and knead again until the sultanas and orange zest are evenly distributed through.
- Divide the dough evenly into 12 (see notes for tips) and shape into small balls. Place each bun onto the baking tray, leaving a bit of space between to allow them to rise.
- Cover the buns with the greased clingfilm and leave to rise in a draft-free place again for 1 hour.
- Preheat your oven to 180°c (160°c for fan-assisted ovens, Gas Mark 4 or 350°F).
- In a cup, mix the flour for your cross with a few tablespoons of water until it becomes a smooth paste consistency. Transfer to a piping bag and cut a small hole in the end. Pipe a line on top of the buns, down each row both vertically and horizontally, to create the crosses.
- Bake in your pre-heated oven for 13-15 minutes, until golden brown.
- Mix the apricot jam with a dash of boiling water to create your glaze. Brush onto the top of your buns while they are still hot.
- Once cool enough to touch, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, or enjoy whilst still warm.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
All my recipes are developed using a digital scale and the metric system (grams and millilitres). Cup measurements are available as a conversion but these, unfortunately, won’t always be as accurate. For best results, I always recommend baking with a digital scale.
NOTES:
Storage:
Store your Hot Cross Buns in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days. As with most homemade buns and breads, they are best enjoyed fresh on the day they are baked.Freezing:
Hot Cross Buns freeze well. Allow them to cool completely, then store in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature and warm slightly before serving.Reheating & Serving:
For best results, warm your buns slightly before serving – either in the microwave for a few seconds or in a low oven. Slice and serve with a good slather of butter.Substitutions:
- Dried Fruit: You can use a mix of dried fruit depending on what you have to hand. Raisins, sultanas, currants, or mixed peel all work well in this recipe.
- Orange Zest: You can swap this for lemon, or simply leave it out and up the spices, if you prefer.
- Spice: Adjust the spice to your taste. If you prefer a stronger flavour, you can increase the mixed spice slightly or add an extra pinch of cinnamon.
Hot Cross Buns are soft, lightly spiced sweet buns made with yeast and filled with dried fruit. They’re traditionally marked with a cross on top and are most commonly eaten around Easter, historically on Good Friday.
Hot Cross Buns get their name from the cross traditionally marked on top of each bun, which represents the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The “hot” part comes from how they were originally sold – fresh and warm, often by street vendors calling out “Hot cross buns!” (like the song) to attract customers. Over time, the name has stuck.
Hot Cross Buns are made by creating a soft, enriched dough with flour, milk, sugar, margarine/butter, yeast, along with dried fruit, orange zest and spices. The dough is kneaded until smooth, then left to rise until doubled in size. Once risen, it’s divided and shaped into buns, with a simple flour paste piped on top to create the cross before baking. The buns are finished with an apricot jam glaze while still warm for that classic shiny finish.
Yes, Hot Cross Buns are easier to make than you might think. While they do take a bit of time due to the rising stages, the method itself is simple and straightforward. As long as you allow the dough enough time to rise and avoid adding too much flour, you’ll end up with soft, fluffy buns.
This is usually down to the yeast or temperature. Make sure your yeast is in date and that your milk isn’t too hot, as this can kill the yeast. If your kitchen is cool, the dough will simply take longer to rise – give it time until it has doubled in size.
Dense buns are often the result of adding too much flour or not kneading the dough enough. The dough should be soft and slightly tacky, and kneaded until smooth and elastic.
The traditional cross is made from a simple flour and water paste, piped onto the buns before baking. Some modern versions use icing, but this recipe keeps it traditional.
Free-from & Vegan:
Gluten-free: I have not tried using a gluten-free flour in this recipe, so I cannot confirm if it would work as a straight swap. However, The Loopy Whisk has a fantastic tried-and-tested recipe for Gluten-free Hot Cross Buns.
Nut-free: This is a nut-free hot cross buns recipe. Just be sure to double-check your ingredients individually for any allergy info.
Egg-free: This is an egg-free hot cross bun recipe. Just be sure to double-check your ingredients individually for any allergy info.
Dairy-free: To make this a dairy-free hot cross bun recipe, simply use a dairy-free milk (soya works great) and a dairy-free margarine.
Vegan: To make this a vegan hot cross bun recipe, simply use dairy-free milk and dairy-free margarine.
N.B. Any advice or suggestions to make recipes “free-from” or vegan are purely that – suggestions. Please be careful to double-check all ingredients individually, taking extra caution when serving to those with allergies & intolerances.
For more info on common food allergies, please see food.gov.uk | For more info on coeliac disease, please see coeliac.org.uk | For more info on a vegan diet, please see vegansociety.com
Excellent recipe, thanks for this. I’ve made three batches so far (using soya milk and non-dairy ‘butter’) and they’ve all turned out wonderfully – a proper soft and tasty hot cross bun. For the last batch I chopped up half a Bramley apple and added it along with the sultanas in an attempt to replicate some apple hot cross buns we got from the Co-op some years ago and the resulting buns turned out well tasting very similar to what we remember. I left off the cross as we’ve not got a piping bag (not cross buns…).
I was thinking of using this as an ‘any time bun’ recipe without the pastry cross. Then I read the nut free blurb and (perversely perhaps) wondered if there is a type of nut you think would work as an addition and if so the approximate quantity? Or is better left nutless (oh err missus)?
Hi, just wanted to thank you for your lovely recipes, I live in Madeira Portugal so have difficulty with finding ingredients, but I live in the middle of a banana plantation so banana bread is no problem , cheers , Barrie.
What a super recipe. I live in the Netherlands where HCBs are nowhere to be found. I made these on a whim this afternoon using normal flour and they still turned out perfectly. Thank you.
Lovely light hot cross buns. Definitely worth having a go! I upped the spices by adding ground cloves. Have followed Delia’s recipe for years but think this will be my go-to recipe from now on.