Hot Cross Bun is a very traditional bun eaten during Easter. Its a sweet spiced bun that’s studded with dry fruits like raisins and currants. A cross is marked on the bun. The cross can either be a piped sweet icing marked after the bun is baked or a cross that’s drawn on the bun before it goes into the oven using a simple flour water mixture.
My Husband loves sweet buns. I have been making hot cross buns every year for sometime now. We used to get these buns at a nearby local bakery during Easter time when we lived in the USA. I would just go to the bakery and stand there looking at them shaping Challah loaves or load the bread dough in the oven. The smell of fresh baked bread would waft in the air. It was a traditional Jewish bakery but they made amazing hot cross buns. They etched the cross on the buns with a flour mixture that would bake into this nice white lines on the bun. They were soft, moist and loaded with fruits. Here is the recipe for awesome Hot Cross Buns.
Dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup of warm water and a pinch of sugar. Set aside for 5 minutes. Let it foam. If it doesn’t foam, discard and start again.
In the mean time, measure and add all the ingredients listed under main ingredients to a bowl. Both wet and dry. Add in the yeast mixture. Knead the dough for 10 minutes. If using a stand mixer, knead for 5 minutes on medium speed. Don’t add additional flour while kneading. The dough will be slightly sticky. Knead for a GOOD 10 minutes by hand. Scrape the dough from the bench with a help of a metal scraper and continue kneading. Scraper is a very essential tool for kneading sticky dough. Repeat till completely kneaded. The dough will slowly come together. Remember NOT to add extra flour while kneading.
After kneading, when the dough feels smooth, just tuck the dough tight and place it on a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with a plastic wrap or a shower cap (cool idea) and leave to rise until at least doubled in size . About 1.5 to 2 hours.
Remove the dough onto a flat surface and mix in the dry fruits. Knead it gently until evenly incorporated.
Cover and leave to rise for one more hour.
After the rise, remove the dough and fold it twice or thrice gently to release the air bubbles.
Roll the dough into a log, divide the dough into 12 pieces and roll into round balls. Place them fairly close together on an oiled sheet pan. Cover the pan with a plastic sheet or a tea towel and let it rise for another hour or until doubled in size. Preheat the oven to 200°C
For the cross
Mix the flour and water to a paste. Fill up a piping bag with the paste. Make a cross on the buns and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown.
For the glaze
Mix the apricot jam and water and microwave for 15 seconds. Brush over the top of the buns when still warm. Cool the buns on a wire rack.
Enjoy!
- 2 teaspoon Active dry yeast
- ¼ cup Water
- a pinch of Sugar
- 500 grams All purpose flour – Maida
- 100 grams Whole wheat flour – Atta
- 50 grams Sugar
- 25 grams Butter
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 2 teaspoon Cinnamon
- 160 ml Milk (2/3 cup)
- 160 ml water (2/3 cup)
- 50 grams Sultanas
- 50 grams Raisins
- 50 grams Currants
- 80 grams Flour
- 80 grams Water (1/3 cup)
- 3 tablespoon Apricot Jam
- 2 tablespoon Water
- Dissolve the yeast in ¼ cup of warm water and a pinch of sugar. Set aside for 5 minutes.
- In the mean time, measure and add all the ingredients listed under main ingredients to a bowl. Add the yeast mixture. Knead the dough for 10 minutes. If using a stand mixer, knead for 5 minutes on medium speed. Don’t add additional flour while kneading. The dough will be slightly sticky.
- Just tuck the dough tight and place it on a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with a plastic wrap or a shower cap (cool idea) and leave to rise until at least doubled in size . About 1.5 to 2 hours.
- Remove the dough onto a flat surface and mix in the dry fruits. Knead in until evenly incorporated.
- Cover and leave to rise for one more hour.
- After the rise, remove the dough and fold it twice or thrice gently to release the air bubbles.
- Roll the dough into a log, divide the dough into 12 pieces and roll into round balls. Place them fairly close together on an oiled sheet pan. Cover the pan with a plastic sheet or a tea towel and let it rise for another hour or until doubled in size. Preheat the oven to 200°C
- For the cross – Mix the flour and water to a paste. Fill up a piping bag with the paste. Make a cross on the buns and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown.
- For the glaze – Mix the apricot jam and water and microwave for 15 seconds. Brush over the top of the buns when still warm. Cool the buns on a wire rack.