Hot Cross Buns
It’s taken me a while to perfect a hot cross bun recipe – and boy, it was worth the wait! They’re not at all hard to make but like all good bread recipes, they take a little time. To get the buns super light and soft, you make a yeast ‘super booster’ at the start to get it all going. It adds a smidgeon more time to the process, but it’s so worth it. And you probably only make hot cross buns once a year, so what’s your rush? Just enjoy the magic of breadmaking and then stuff yourself with the spiced buttered deliciousness. (And yes, you can add chopped up dark chocolate instead of fruit, you naughty people!)
VEGAN VERSION: Use 1 tbsp ground flaxseed (linseed) soaked in 3 tbsp water instead of the egg, and firm coconut oil (chopped up finely) instead of butter.
GLUTEN-FREE: Sorry, but you can’t use GF flour for this one, it just won’t work. Try my gluten-free hot cross bun cakes instead.
Makes 16 buns
Prep time – 30 minutes, plus 3-4 hours rising time
Cooking time – 17-20 minutes
Ingredients
Super Booster
1 ¼ cups high grade white flour (or strong flour)
1 ½ cups milk
2 tbsp sugar
3 tsp active dried yeast (check expiry date)
Fruit
1 ½ cups raisins, sultanas, chopped apricots or a mixture
Zest and juice of 2 oranges (I like to strip the peel off with a peeler then chop finely)
Dough
3 cups high grade white flour (or strong flour)
3 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp mixed spice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp salt
50g chilled butter
‘Super Booster’ (see recipe above)
1 free-range egg, lightly beaten
Glaze
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup reserved fruit liquid from above (make up with water if need be)
Crosses
½ cup flour
1 tbsp sugar
3-4 tbsp water
½ tsp baking powder
Method
Fruit
Heat the orange juice and zest in a small saucepan until hot. Add the fruit to a bowl or a resealable bag and pour the orange liquid in. Seal/cover and leave for an hour or so, or overnight. Drain the fruit in a sieve before using and reserve the liquid.
Super Booster
Add the first measure of flour to a large mixing bowl.
Add the milk to a heatproof bowl and microwave in 20 second increments until it reaches skin temperature – about 32c is ideal. If it gets too warm, just let it cool down to skin temp before using.
Add the sugar and yeast and whisk gently for 20 seconds or so.
Make a well in the flour and pour in the milk mixture, stirring to combine evenly. Cover with a clean damp cloth or a plastic bag, and leave somewhere draft-free* for about 45 minutes. It should be bubbling away nicely and puff up.
Dough
Once the superbooster has risen, add the second measure of flour, sugar, spices and salt to a large metal or plastic mixing bowl and stir. The bowl needs to be big enough for the dough to double in size in later.
Finely chop the chilled butter and add to the flour mixture along with the Super Booster mixture and egg. Stir with a wooden spoon to bring it all together into a rough dough.
Tip it out a clean benchtop you’ve cleared some space on. Start to knead – it will feel very wet and sticky at first and your hands will feel caked in dough. You can rub your hands in a little more flour to clean them, adding the crumbs back to the dough. Keep kneading and eventually, the dough will stop sticking to your hands and the bench so much. Don’t be tempted to add heaps of flour – a little bit at the start is OK, but a sticky dough will produce much better buns than a dry dough. My tip is to invest in a dough scraper to clean the bench as you go – it’s a lifesaver.
Knead firmly for 10 minutes – it needs to be very smooth and stretchy (see tips below). You should be puffed with a mild sheen of sweat by the time you’re done (it’s good fitness). I literally stand one leg and throw all my weight into it. Once it’s ready, leave to sit for 5-10 minutes to relax before adding the fruit.
Drain the fruit well in a sieve and tip on to the benchtop. Squash the dough out on top and knead it all together for another minute or so. It will feel slippery and weird to start with – just persist with gentle kneading and it will all come back together into a cohesive, very sticky dough eventually.
Add the dough back to the mixing bowl, pop a plastic bag on top and leave in a draft-free place* (see tips below) until it’s doubled in size – usually an hour or two – it depends on the temperature of the surroundings, among other things. It’s a visual clue, not a timed one.
[At this point, you can punch the dough right back down in the bowl so all the air is gone, then cover and refrigerate overnight. Then continue to the next step].
Tip the dough out on a clean benchtop and divide into 15-16 even pieces (you can weigh them if you have electric scales). Firmly roll (and I mean firmly – I use the bench and really roll it around hard with one hand) each portion until you have a fairly smooth ball.
Place the balls nearly touching on a baking tray/metal roasting pan/enamel roasting dish lined with baking paper (mine was about 30 x 20cm). My buns were pretty much touching start with, so all the buns joined up nicely as they rose. If you use a thin metal roasting pan with sides to support the buns as they rise, they will look more like mine in the photo.
Cover with lightly oiled clingfilm (or I prefer uncovered in the turned-off oven with the bowl of boiled water) and leave to rise again for another hour or so until puffed up into proper bun size – they don’t rise any more when cooking, like cakes do.
Preheat the oven to 180c regular bake.
Crosses
Only do this just before you pipe the buns, or the mixture goes claggy. Stir the flour, baking powder, water and sugar together with a fork to form a smooth paste. Add to a piping bag with a small round nozzle (or a snaplock bag with a tiny corner cut off). Pipe thin crosses on top of each bun.
Bake immediately in the middle of the oven for about 20 minutes – or until dark golden brown all over. You can turn the oven up to 200c for a couple of minutes if they aren’t browning.
Glaze
Use the reserved fruit liquid and any water needed to make up 1/3 cup of liquid total. Add this to a heatproof bowl with the sugar. Microwave on high for 1 minute then whisk to dissolve the sugar. Brush on top of the buns as soon as they come out of the oven.
You did it! Homemade hot cross buns! They won’t look perfect because it’s home baking and you can’t produce buns like the bought ones – nor should you want to. No matter what they look like, you’re an absolute legend and they will taste better to you that anything you’ve bought a shop.
If eating them more than half a day later, I’d toast them.
*Dough rising
There’s no set time for dough to rise, room temperature is usually OK in the warmer months. It will rise slowest in cold conditions and faster in warm humid conditions (ideal temperature is about 32c). Try placing a bowl or tray of just-boiled water in a turned-off oven and pop the covered dough in there with it. Shut the door and there will be enough warmth trapped in there to help it rise nicely. It’s worth noting that yeast dies at temperatures above 50c, so don’t be tempted to warm it up too much.
Tips
Kneading
Proper kneading at the start means a lighter bun at the end. Knead by pushing the dough away – literally stretching it out – downward and away from you with the heel of your hand, then grabbing it and bringing it and repeating. You’re stretching out the gluten strands in the flour so the dough can rise properly. At the end, try to stretch and coax a piece of the dough out into a ‘window’ with your fingers – when the dough is ready, it should stretch enough you can see light through a thin pane of ‘glass’. If it’s not ready, it will just tear. You’ll get there – just keep going until you do. It’s a good workout!
Using a machine
I prefer not to use a machine – it actually ends up taking longer to achieve the result you want. However, if you must, you can use the dough hook on the machine to start the kneading process. Use a low speed for 5 minutes. You’ll need to finish the kneading by hand for another 5-10 minutes to get the ‘window-pane’ result I’ve mentioned above, which is critical.
Hi,
Can I use instant yeast instead of active yeast? Will it still work in the same super booster?
Thanks,
How would you make an eggless version of this?
I’ve trialled different Hot Cross Bun recipes, including Perfect Hot Cross Buns by Felicity Cloake in The Guardian. But hand on heart, the best recipe of all (IMO) is Chelsea Winter’s Hot Cross Buns. I followed her recipe exactly. I didn’t add any extra flour at the kneading stage (yes the dough is sticky and it is meant to be – just work with it) or when later adding the sultanas (when the dough becomes very sticky – again, just work with it). I kneaded the dough by hand and it took about 17-18 minutes to get the dough stretchy enough to get the ‘window-pane’ effect (explained in the recipe notes). I did all proving in the hot water cupboard (it’s draught-free and has a gentle warmth). The only thing I may do next time I make them is add a quarter of a cup of candied peel just because I like a tang of citrus in baking. Truly though, these hot cross buns have a fabulous taste, texture, look and feel without candied peel! 5-stars plus.
Thank you, Elisabetta!
Chelsea I don’t have a microwave, so when making the super booster. could I use hot water in my sink & check for temp with my hand for room temp or a thermometer?
yes you can just check it is skin temp with your hand x
How can I make this recipe and then cook in the morning for breakfast? Can I leave overnight in a warm cupboard?
I made this last year and love it. This year however I have to make 200!! How long do they last? Could i make half of them the night before? We in my ate fresh last year
Hi Chelsea
With Easter approaching again, is there any way to make these gluten free for my father in law?
Thanks
Cathy
These are sooo good and super easy!! I have made them twice now. My dough never makes a window pane but it didn’t matter, I just knead til soft and stretchy. For the second batch I replaced some of the milk with the juice drained out of the fruit and they were really yum and orangey.
Tip: make the hole in the piping bag REALLY small, my crosses were ridiculously big lol.
Hi, I can’t get my dough to make a window at all have been kneading for 25mins, wondering if my dough is somehow too dry?
Hi Chelsea
All I have is instant yeast to use, will this work okay instead of the yeast you recommended?
Many thanks!
PS I just made your date loaf … soooo good! Any chance of a ginger loaf in your next cookbook? Would love to make one for a friend who gets bad morning sickness.
Yup!
Can you tell my why my hot cross buns are doughy……I felt I followed the instructions carefully…..
Hi Chelsea – what’s the best way to store these after being cooked? Do you think they would be ok to freeze?? I find most homemade breads don’t tend to keep well after a day.
This is the third year in a row I have made these each batch of buns are great. Many thank, on my second batch this week.
I have a gluten free bread mix and xanthan gum I use for my bread. Wonder how these would go using that??
Active dried yeast – can I use surebake yeast instead? Not sure what is the difference!
Ive never used yeast successfully before? Can you recommend a good brand of yeast here in NZ?
Would I be correct in assuming that this would be a fail if I swapped high-grade flour for gluten-free???
I’m interested in making these this year. Chelsea, do you think it would work doing the crosses made from custard?
Is it possible to refrigerate the dough overnight? If so, at what point in the recipe is best?
Do you rub the chilled butter into the flour, or just leave it in chunks and then knead everything together? I’m a little confused at this step.
so sorry for posting twice! I couldn’t see my previous comment :(
Love these! How come the brought ones are so brown and have no nice spice flavour like these ones???
Just wondering how long it took you for the super booster and dough to rise using the oven technique? Thanks
Hey how come we can’t add the drained fruit to the dough after adding the super booster?
Mmmm yum! Made the buns today. Perfect! How do I make the crosses more pronounced. They turned yellow.
Thanks :)
For anyone who is interested – I have used my breadmaker to knead the dough up to the second rising, before shaping and baking, works fine. I added the fruit after the second rising and kneaded briefly in the machine to incorporate.
An absolute winner!!! So therapeutic to make too – good for the soul!Thanks Chelsea!
And as an added bonus when rising the dough in an oven with a tray of water (such a good tip!), the steam makes for a chemical-free oven cleaner! The steam loosens fats and gunk, which can be wiped off easily.
My buns were looking so beautiful and has risen properly, but after 20mins baking had deflated to about 3cm high.. still fluffy, but they look like cookies!! Why would this have happened? Perhaps the tray I put them on was too large?
Oh dear! They may have been over-proved when you put them in, so too much air and not enough structure left to hold them up – perhaps you banged some air out when you shut the oven door?
Hi Chelsea
First time making these, any chace you can make the suoerboister and leave it over night? Then make the dough in the morning so they are ready for morning tea?
Made these today – time consuming but very successful. I am gluten free but couldn’t resist one, because they looked and smelled delicious – and tasted so as well. I think I’ll need to leave the remaining ones for the rest of the family to enjoy though. Wish you had a GF version!
Going to make these, but wanted to know, can I make the dough the night before, keep in fridge and then raise and bake in the morning, or do I have to get up with the birds and do it all in the morning? Thanks for all your fabulous recipes.
Hiya Chelsea :)
Hey I was just wondering if it is possible to make the mixture the night before to cook the next morning and if that is possible to what stage can i do that to…???
Thanks
Hi Chelsea, how long approx do you need to leave the super booster to rise? – trying to figure out if I can knock these out in one evening.
I’m a bit confused about the step where you add chilled butter to the flour and superbooster, and then knead. I’m not sure how the butter is incorporated. Is it supposed to stay as butter lumps in the dough?
Yes, the butter eventually blends in as you knead :)
Hi hey can u grate the butter im making this in the murning they sound delish my orange and fruit in fridge waiting
Yum – the best. Made for Good Friday this year and I’d like to make them again for Easter morning. Can I leave them in the fridge overnight after the final proofing stage (when shaped in buns).
Hi Chelsea, can you please tell me what “skin temperature” is and how I will know once it’s reached this temperature (assuming I don’t have a thermometer)?
Also, I assume it’s OK to do this in a pot?
Cheers,
I made them last year & they were amazing. This year I’m going to experiment using my sourdough starter as a component of the super booster (adjusting accordingly). Wish me luck!
Please let us know how it went with ur sour dough starter and how much u used
Hi Chelsea,
My partner is GF – just wondering if there is a chance they’ll work with GF flour. Thought it was best to check incase I’m setting my self up for failure!
Hi Chelsea, can i leave buns to rise overnight so they are freshly baked for morning tea or is this too long to leave?
Hi Chelsea. If I wanted to make these on a Friday but bake fresh for Saturday brunch, would it be ok to proof in the fridge overnight in the ball shape in the pan? Then would I need to bring back to room temp the next morning before baking?
Hello Chelsea, I’d love to prepare these the night before and rise them overnight in the fridge so we can just pull them out and put them in the oven to bake them fresh first thing in the morning, do you have any tips on what we’d need to change to achieve this?
Hi Chelsea. When I made these last year I found that the fruit went quite mushy when I added it to the dough and kneaded it through. Any tips?
I am overseas and cant find mixed spice. Is there a combination of spices I can combine myself?
Hi Chelsea can you use Surebake yeast for this recipe?
Hi chelsea could you leave the dough overnight and bake it in the morning?
Hi Chelsea – just wondering do u know if these would freeze ok?
Can I use Edmonds gluten free flour?
Hi Chelsea
How would I convert to Gluten free?
What flour would you suggest. He can’t eat almond flour either.
Thanks
Di
Hi Chelsea, I was wondering if it’s possible to knead this using the dough hook in a stand mixer? I love all your recipes, by the way! I have not had a failed attempt yet.
Yes, but just a gentle speed and not too long. I find it easier to do it by hand and it’s less sticky!
Hi Chelsea, Is the fruit proportions 1 1/2 cups of each, raisins, sultanas, & apricots.
Thank You
Linda
It is one and a half cups total of fruit. You can use one type or a mixture x
Has anyone tried making these gluten free?
Chelsea could I make these gluten free? I’m struggling with missing out after only being diagnosed four months ago.
Hi,
Just wondering how these lil babies freeze?
Made them last year and they were fantastic! Getting ready to have another go. Thanks Chelsea
Lengthy process but well worth every minute!!! These are delish ??
Thank you Chelsea for a great recipe and a very Happy Easter to you ?
This recipe looks amazing…. But, I am gluten free so is there anything you can recommend as a substitute for the flour Chelsea? Do you think that Buckwheat flour would work? Love all your recipes i have tried; just delicious.
Hi Chelsea,
can you make the dough a day before and bake the following morning?
Thanks
My kids love hot cross buns without the fruit, would yr recipe work without the fruit?
Yes it would.
Chelsea, do you think a good Gluten free flour and xath Gum would work?
Hi Chelsea,
I have the buns proofing in the tray. Can I cook them tomorrow morning?
Many thanks for sharing the recipe.