Description
These classic Hot Cross Buns are soft, fluffy, and warmly spiced with cinnamon and allspice, studded with juicy sultanas and bright orange zest. Perfectly risen and baked to a golden brown, they are topped with traditional flour crosses and glazed with apricot jam for a shiny finish. Ideal for Easter or an indulgent breakfast treat, these buns offer a wonderful balance of sweet, spicy, and fruity flavors.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 3 teaspoons instant or rapid rise yeast (9 grams)
- 1/2 cup (110g) caster sugar (superfine sugar)
- 4 1/4 cups (640g) bread flour (or plain/all purpose flour)
- 2 tsp cinnamon powder
- 2 tsp allspice or mixed spice
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups (210g) sultanas
- 1/4 cup (35g) extra bread flour
- 1/2 cup (75g) white flour (any white flour)
Wet Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups (375ml) warm milk (full fat or low fat)
- 50g (3.5 tbsp) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- Zest of 1–2 oranges
- 5 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp apricot jam
- 2 tsp water (for glazing)
Instructions
- Mix dry ingredients: In a large bowl, place the bread flour, instant yeast, caster sugar, allspice, cinnamon powder, and salt. Use a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook to briefly combine these dry ingredients evenly.
- Add wet ingredients: Add the melted butter, warm milk, egg, sultanas, and orange zest to the dry mix. Continue mixing.
- Mix dough: Using the stand mixer on speed 2, combine the ingredients until combined, then increase to speed 4 and mix for about 5 minutes until a smooth elastic dough forms. Add extra flour as needed until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and is not overly sticky.
- Knead by hand (optional): Alternatively, dust a work surface with flour and knead the dough by hand for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic, confirming it doesn’t break when stretched.
- First rise: Place the kneaded dough back in the bowl, cover with cling wrap and place in a warm, draft-free environment to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes to 1.5 hours depending on temperature.
- Shape buns: Line a 31.5 x 23.5 cm (9 x 13 inch) tray with baking paper. Turn dough onto a floured surface, shape into a log to deflate, then cut into 12 equal pieces. Form each piece into a smooth ball by pressing down and gathering edges under, rolling briefly to smooth the surface. Place balls smooth side up on the tray in a 3 by 4 arrangement.
- Second rise: Lightly oil a piece of cling wrap and loosely cover the dough balls. Place back in a warm spot for 30–45 minutes until risen about 75% (less than double). Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
- Prepare crosses: Mix the 1/2 cup flour and 5 tbsp water into a thick, runny paste appropriate for piping. Fill a piping bag or small ziplock bag with this mixture and cut a small corner.
- Pipe crosses: Remove cling wrap and pipe crosses slowly on each bun, hugging the curves carefully for neat flour crosses.
- Bake buns: Bake the buns in the preheated oven for about 22 minutes until the tops are a deep golden brown, which indicates they are done.
- Glaze: While baking, heat apricot jam with 2 tsp water in a microwave for 30 seconds and stir. When buns come out, transfer to a cooling rack using the baking paper overhang and brush warm glaze over the buns. Allow to cool to warm before serving.
Notes
- Ensure yeast is fresh and active for proper rising.
- Milk can be full fat or low fat depending on preference.
- Bread flour yields the best texture but plain/all-purpose flour works too.
- Allspice, mixed spice, orange zest and sultanas add traditional flavors.
- Adjust flour quantity during mixing to get correct dough consistency.
- Rising time varies with ambient temperature — warmer means faster rising.
- Apricot jam glaze adds shine and sweetness to finished buns.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 22 minutes
- Category: Breakfast/Bakery
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: British
Keywords: Hot Cross Buns, Easter buns, spiced buns, sweet buns, bakery recipe, sultana buns, cinnamon buns, traditional British
