These Classic Hot Cross Buns are soft, fluffy, and warmly spiced with cinnamon, orange zest, and plump sultanas. Each bun is finished with the traditional flour cross and brushed while warm with a simple apricot glaze for that glossy bakery-style finish.
These soft, spiced hot cross buns make the whole kitchen smell like a bakery while they bake. Cinnamon, warm spice, orange zest, butter, and sweet sultanas give every bun plenty of flavor.
The dough is soft and lightly enriched with milk, egg, and butter. After the first rise, the buns are shaped, proofed until puffy, piped with their classic crosses, and baked until beautifully golden. A quick apricot glaze brushed over the warm buns gives them that glossy bakery-style finish.
If soft homemade breads are your thing, my Soft Homemade Brioche Bread has the same pull-apart, bakery-style appeal. For another cinnamon-heavy breakfast bake, try these Soft Cinnamon Rolls with cream cheese frosting.
For a more traditional tea-time bake, my English Scones are perfect with jam, and a warm hot cross bun beside Homemade Hot Chocolate is an especially good cold-weather breakfast situation.
Table of contents
Ingredients
How to Make Hot Cross Bun Crosses
- Mix the dry ingredients
- Mix the bread flour, yeast, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and mixed spice in a large bowl.
- Stir in the wet ingredients + sultanas
- Stir in warm milk, egg, melted butter and orange zest. Combine until they form a sticky dough, then stir in the sultanas.
- Knead and first rise
- Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic. Place it in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let it rise until doubled in size.
- Divide and shape
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Divide it into 12 equal portions and shape each piece into a smooth ball.
- Arrange in the pan
- Put the balls of dough in a parchment-lined baking dish, leaving some room between them.
- Cover and proof until puffy.
- Pipe the crosses
- Combine cross flour and water until you have a thick, pipeable paste. Pipe lines in one direction across the buns, then pipe them in the opposite direction to form crosses.
- Bake
- Bake until the buns are deeply golden and cooked through.
- Glaze
- Heat the apricot jam with water and brush over the hot buns for a glossy shine.
What Are Hot Cross Buns?
Hot cross buns are soft, lightly sweetened yeast buns flavored with warm spices and dried fruit and marked with a cross on top.
This version uses sultanas, cinnamon, orange zest, a baked flour-paste cross, and apricot glaze.
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Use warm milk, not hot milk, when making yeast dough. Very hot liquid can damage the yeast, while lukewarm liquid helps the dough rise properly and gives the buns a soft, fluffy texture.
- Not letting the dough rise long enough.
- Adding too much flour, which can make the buns dry and heavy.
- Skipping the spices, which give hot cross buns their classic flavor.
- Adding dried fruit without mixing it evenly through the dough.
- Making the flour paste crosses too thick or too runny.
- Overbaking the buns, which can make them less soft and fluffy.
What to Serve With Hot Cross Buns
Hot cross buns are best served warm with softened butter, jam, or orange marmalade. I also like them with hot coffee or tea for breakfast or an afternoon snack. They fit especially well on an Easter brunch table alongside fresh fruit and eggs.
FAQs
Yes. All-purpose flour can be used, although the buns may be slightly softer and less chewy than when made with bread flour.
The milk may have been too hot, the yeast may no longer be active, or the dough may have been left somewhere too cool. Use warm—not hot—milk and let the dough rise in a warm place.
The buns should be deeply golden on top and feel set. When gently tapped, they should sound slightly hollow.
Yes. After the first rise, cover the dough and refrigerate it overnight. Let it come closer to room temperature before shaping, proofing, and baking.
Pumpkin pie spice works well as a substitute. You can also use a mixture of cinnamon and allspice.
No. The glaze is optional, but it gives the buns their glossy bakery-style finish. You can leave them plain if you prefer.
More Recipes You Will Like :
Classic Hot Cross Buns Recipe
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- In a large bowl, whisk together bread flour, yeast, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and mixed spice.
- Add warm milk, egg, melted butter, and orange zest. Mix to form a dough, then stir in the sultanas.
- Knead until smooth and elastic. Place in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled.
- Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 12 equal pieces. Shape into smooth balls.
- Arrange dough balls in a parchment-lined baking pan. Cover and proof until puffy.
- Mix cross flour with water into a thick paste. Pipe lines across the buns, then pipe lines the other way to form crosses.
- Bake until golden brown and cooked through.
- Warm apricot jam with water and brush over hot buns. Cool slightly, then serve.
Nutrition
Video
Notes
- If the cross paste spreads too much, add a little extra flour; if it won’t pipe, add a few drops of water.
- Swap sultanas with raisins, golden raisins, or dried cranberries.
- Pumpkin pie spice works well if you don’t have mixed spice.
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
