Traditional Hot Cross Buns
These traditional Hot Cross Buns are packed with flavor and all the charm of their long, rich history!
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup dried currants or raisins
- 1/4 cup diced candied orange and lemon peel (click link for recipe, **homemade STRONGLY recommended for the BEST ever flavor!)
- 1/4 cup hot black tea , can substitute apple juice
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 2 teaspoons mixed spice
- or Homemade Mixed Spice (click link for recipe, **homemade recommended for the best flavor!)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- zest of one lemon
- 1 1/4 cups milk , room temperature
- 1/4 cup butter , room temperature
- 1 egg , room temperature
- 1 egg yolk , room temperature
Instructions
- Pour the hot tea or apple juice over the dried fruits, cover with plastic wrap, and let sit for about an hour until the fruit has absorbed the juices. This can be done well in advance such as the day ahead or overnight.
- Place the flour, sugar, yeast, spices, salt and lemon zest in the bowl of a stand mixer and stir to combine. Add the eggs, butter, and milk. Use the dough hook to knead the mixture into a smooth and elastic dough, about 5 minutes. Add the dried fruit and continue to knead the dough another 2 minutes or until the fruit is incorporated.Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover loosely with plastic wrap and place it in a warm place to rise until doubled in size. I like to briefly heat the oven to 80-90 degrees F (not any hotter!), place the dough inside the oven, and close the door to rise. Rising time will vary depending on the temperature. Give it at least one hour but it might take closer to 2 hours.
- Punch down the dough and divide it into 12 equal pieces.For each piece into a ball and place it on a lined baking sheet. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let them rise in a warm place for up to another hour until they're puffy and nearly doubled in size.Halfway into the rise preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.Baking Options:You can either place the buns closer together on the baking sheet so that once they're baked you'll need to pull them apart to separate them from each other and they will be more square-shaped. This is how they often come packaged in the store. Or you can space them farther apart so that you have distinctly separate and round buns (my personal preference).
- The next step is to pipe or place crosses on top of each bun.Piping Options: You have a few options for making the cross symbol on top: 1) Make a small batch of shortcrust pastry (follow this recipe for the shortcrust pastry), form it into thin strips and lay them in a cross pattern on top of the buns before baking. 2) Make a paste out of flour and water and pipe crosses on the buns (combine 1/4 cup flour with about 3 tablespoons of water to make a thick, gluey paste. Use more or less water as needed. Place the paste in a sandwich bag and cut off a corner of the bag to squeeze the paste into a cross shape onto the buns, or use a pastry bag.). 3) Make a sugar icing and pipe crosses on the buns after they're baked and cooled (combine 1 cup powdered/confectioner's sugar with 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract and 3 teaspoons milk, give or take, to form a thick "pipeable" icing).Bake the buns on the middle shelf for 15-20 minutes until they're a deep golden brown and they sound hollow when you tap them on the bottom.
- Next glaze the buns as soon as they come out of the oven while they're hot.Glazing Options:You have a few options for the glaze: 1) Make a glaze with 1/4 cup water and 1/4 sugar by placing the ingredients in a small saucepan, bring it to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 3 minutes, and brush it over the hot buns when they come out of the oven. 2) Heat 3 tablespoons of golden syrup in a small bowl in the microwave and brush it over the hot buns. 3) Gently melt some apricot jam in the microwave and brush it over the hot buns.After glazing the buns let them cool.Serve the buns while they still slightly warm or cooled. Slice the buns and spread with butter, clotted cream, jam, or honey.These will keep in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Leftover buns are best eaten sliced and toasted.
Nutrition
Calories: 272kcalCarbohydrates: 48gProtein: 7gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.5gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 43mgSodium: 248mgPotassium: 191mgFiber: 2gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 203IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 50mgIron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!