Nothing says Easter time quite like a warm homemade hot cross buns. These deliciously spiced buns are a hybrid of a dinner and cinnamon roll. They’re soft, yet a little dense with a swirl of raisins that carries through the bun. You can play with the spices, even adding a little cardamom too.
These homemade hot cross buns are sweetened mostly with brown sugar, and I add a dash of orange juice to the cross to give them a slight citrus undertone. So yum they’ll make you wish it was Easter every day.
Ingredients:
Buns:
- 180ml milk
- 9g instant yeast
- 135g brown sugar
- 70g butter, room temperature and cut into cubes
- 5ml vanilla essence
- 15ml orange juice
- 3 eggs (keep 1 back for eggwash)
- 10g salt
- 15g cinnamon
- 15g mixed spice
- 435g all-purpose flour
- 140g raisins
Flour Cross:
- 100g all-purpose flour
- +/- 80ml water
- +/- 20ml orange juice
Instructions:
- Warm the milk in a pot, then whisk the warm milk, 15ml orange juice, yeast, and 1 teaspoon of the sugar together in the bowl. Cover and allow to sit for 5 minutes.
- Add the brown sugar, butter, vanilla extract, 2 eggs, salt, cinnamon, mixed spice, and 125g flour and mix well.
- Add the remaining flour and the raisins and mix for about 2 minutes, until the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. The dough should be a little sticky and soft. Knead the dough by hand on a lightly floured surface for 2 minutes.
- Lightly grease a pan with oil and place the dough into the pan. Cover with cling wrap and allow the dough to rise in a warm place for 1 hour until doubled in size.
- When the dough is ready, punch it down to release the air. Divide the dough into +/-12 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a smooth ball, pinching it on the bottom to seal.
- Cover with cling wrap and allow the dough to rise in a warm place for another hour until doubled in size again.
- Heat your oven to 180C.
- For the cross, whisk the cross ingredients together into a thick paste that will pipe easily. Add more water if needed. Spoon the paste into a piping bag or zipped-top bag.
- Snip off a small piece at the corner. Pipe a line down the centre of each row of buns, then repeat in the other direction to create crosses.
- In a bowl beat the remaining egg and lightly brush the tops of the buns before baking.
- Bake the rolls: Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown on top.
- Serve warm and enjoy your homemade hot cross buns.
