Published: · Modified: by Sandhya Ramakrishnan · This post may contain affiliate links
Hot cross buns are very famous yeast Easter buns with raisins or currants in them.Hot cross buns are eaten on Good Friday in many countries including England, Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, South Africa, and some parts of America.
The cross on the bun symbolizes the crucifixion of Christ. There are many stories about the buns and some are dated as far back as the 12th century.
TheHot cross buns were sold only during the week of Easter. As they became popular, they are being sold and made year around. I relate to theHot cross buns or Easter Buns with the popular Nursery rhyme that I learned in elementary school. Since this bun is popular in many countries, I chose England as the country that I am going to label it under.
When researching for recipes, I found many different Easter Buns with minor changes. Some were heavily spiced and some were just basic ones. Also, the cross was made with either a flour mixture or using icing sugar. I worked with the recipes and made something that my family would like and yet kept it as traditional as I could.
It feels very good to be posting this recipe right around Easter time. I also chose to make it eggless and used sour cream as my egg alternative. The dough is very basic and I used some spiced milk to make the dough.
Ingredients needed
To make the Dough
- Milk - 75 ml
- Butter - 25 g (2 tbsp)
- Clove - 2
- Cardamom - 2
- All Purpose flour - 1 ¾ - 2 cups
- Instant yeast - 1 ½ tsp
- Cinnamon powder - ½ tsp
- Nutmeg - ¼ tsp
- Ginger powder - ¼ tsp
- Salt - ½ tsp
- Sugar - 3 tbsp
- Sour cream - 1 tbsp
- Raisin - ½ cup
- Cream plus milk - 1 tablespoon + 1 tablespoon (to brush on the rolls)
To make the cross
- All-purpose flour - 2 tbsp
- Confectionery sugar - 1 tbsp
- Water - 1 tbsp
Step-by-step process
Make the Dough
- In a saucepan, add the milk, butter, cloves, and cardamom and heat it until the butter melts. Let it cool down to a lukewarm temperature. Strain the milk and use it in the dough.
- I made the dough in my food processor. Add the flour, salt, sugar, instant yeast, raisins, and spices to the bowl of the food processor.
- Add the sour cream and give it a mix.
- Now add the lukewarm milk to the flour mixture and form a soft dough. If needed add a little more flour or milk.
- Knead the dough until it is very soft and then place it in a greased bowl. Cover it with plastic wrap and then a kitchen towel and place it in a warm, draft-free place until it doubles in volume.
Shape the dough
- Once the dough has risen, punch it down gently and then divide it into 8 equal pieces.
- Roll each piece of dough into a taut ball and place it on a parchment-lined baking dish.
- Using a butter knife, make a deep cut in the shape of a cross on each ball.
- Cover the dough with a kitchen towel and let it proof again until they are puffy. About 45 minutes to an hour.
- In the meantime, mix all the ingredients mentioned to make the cross. Transfer the paste to a Ziploc bag and seal it.
- Preheat the oven to 400 F.
- Once the dough balls have puffed up, use a pastry brush and liberally brush the top of the hot cross buns with the cream and milk mixture.
- Now make a small hole in one corner of the Ziploc bag with the flour paste and draw the cross over the buns right where we made a cut.
Bake the buns
- Place the buns in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until the top of the buns is golden brown and shiny. Keep an eye on starting from about 15 minutes as the cooking times vary by the oven.
- Remove the hot cross buns on a cooling rack and serve warm with butter.
Expert Tips
- Use fresh yeast as with any baking. Expired yeast might not be active and will result in the dough not rising.
- I have used sour cream as an egg replacement for this hot cross bun and it works well. Feel free to use any other alternative that works for you.
- Making the deep cut over the buns before placing the cross is important. Otherwise, the cross-design that we draw can slide off when baking.
Frequently asked questions
How long can we store the hot cross bun?
Hot cross buns taste best when eaten fresh. They can remain at room temperature for a couple of days in an air-tight container. The hot cross buns freeze well and can be frozen for a couple of months.
Can I make the hot cross buns with eggs?
Absolutely, just skip the sour cream and add one large egg to the dough.
What else can we add instead of raisins in the hot cross buns?
Hot cross buns are traditionally made with raisins or sultanas or currants. But we can use any other dry fruits. I like to use cranberries or Christmas fruit mix at times.
More Similar Bun Recipes
- Gai Mei Bao – Chinese co*cktail Buns – Chinese Coconut Buns
- Pull-Apart Sweet Buns | Bakery Style Sweet Buns
- Kofieebroodje – Dutch Coffee Buns
- Honeycomb Bun or Bee’s Hive Bun | Khaliat Nahal
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Recipe
Hot Cross Buns
Eggless Spiced Yeast Buns with raisins to make during the Easter Weekend. A fun bun to bake with kids to celebrate Easter.
5 from 44 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Baking, Breakfast
Cuisine: American, British
Diet: Vegetarian
Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
Dough resting time: 3 hours hours
Total Time: 3 hours hours 35 minutes minutes
Servings: 8 Buns
Calories: 218kcal
Author: Sandhya Ramakrishnan
Ingredients
To make the Dough -
- 75 ml Milk
- 25 grams Butter - 25 g 2 tbsp
- 2 Clove
- 2 Cardamom
- 2 cups All Purpose flour Might need 1 ¾ to 2 cups
- 1 ½ teaspoon Instant yeast
- ½ teaspoon Cinnamon powder
- ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon Ginger powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 3 Tablespoon Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Sour cream
- ½ cup Raisin
- 2 Tablespoon Cream plus milk - 1 tablespoon + 1 tbsp 1 tablespoon + 1 tablespoon to brush on the rolls
To make the cross -
- 2 Tablespoon All purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon Confectionery sugar -
- 1 Tablespoon Water
Instructions
To Make the Dough -
In a sauce pan, add the milk, butter, cloves and cardamom and heat it until the butter melts. Let it cool down to lukewarm temperature. Strain the milk and use it in the dough.
I made the dough in my food processor. Add the flour, salt, sugar, instant yeast, raisins and spices to the bowl of the food processor.
Add the sour cream and give it a mix.
Now add the lukewarm milk to the flour mixture and form a soft dough. If needed add a little more flour or milk.
Knead the dough until it is very soft and then place it in a greased bowl. Cover it with a plastic wrap and then a kitchen towel and place it in a warm, draft-free place until it doubles in volume.
To shape the dough -
Once the dough is risen, punch it down gently and then divide it into 8 equal pieces.
Roll each piece of dough into a taut ball and place it on a parchment lined baking dish.
Using a butter knife, make a deep cut in the shape of a cross on each ball.
Cover the dough with a kitchen towel and let it proof again until they are puffy. About 45 minutes to an hour.
In the meantime, mix all the ingredients mentioned to make the cross. Transfer the paste to a Ziploc bag and seal it.
Preheat the oven to 400 F.
Once the dough balls have puffed up, use a pastry brush and liberally brush the top of the buns with the cream and milk mixture.
Now make a small hole in one corner of the Ziploc bag with the flour paste and draw the cross over the buns right where we made a cut.
Place the buns in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until the top of the buns are golden brown and shiny. Keep an eye starting from about 15 minutes as the cooking times vary by the oven.
Remove the buns on a cooling rack and serve warm with butter.
Notes
Expert tips
- Use fresh yeast as with any baking. Expired yeast might not be active and will result in the dough not rising.
- I have used sour cream as an egg replacement for this hot cross bun and it works well. Feel free to use any other alternate that works for you.
- Making the deep cut over the buns before placing the cross is important. Otherwise, the cross design that we draw can slide off when baking.
Nutrition
Calories: 218kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 13mg | Sodium: 175mg | Potassium: 160mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 158IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @Sandhya.Ramakrishnan or tag #MyCookingJourney!
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Reader Interactions
Comments
Liz says
My grandma used to make hot cross buns on a weekly basis, but I have never tried making them myself. Will have to give your recipe a try!Reply
Bernice says
These are great looking buns, especially since you left out the eggs. I expect the sour cream may have left a bit of a sour flavour, not unlike the flavour of my sourdough hot cross buns.
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Ruchi says
Wow , how cute looking Hot Cross Buns... Wonderful recipe. Very well illustrated . Brilliant captures.Reply
Sasmita says
so cute looking buns ! LOve the fact that these are eggless .
Yes it is perfect to bake with kids to celebrate Easter holidays 🙂Reply
Jayashree T.Rao says
Such lovely, golden hued freshly baked buns, wish I could taste one of them. Loved all the spices that you have used Sandhya.Reply
Jagruti's Cooking Odyssey says
Hot cross buns are favourite at home, a thick layer of butter on them and masala chai is just happiness. Love it your eggfee version.
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Padma Veeranki says
Those golden beauties look perfectly baked and the cross on the bun has come out really good...Yummy share dear 😋
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Mayuri Patel says
I baked Hot Cross buns this Easter and was really wondering why I hadn't baked them till now. So flavorful and a wonderful sweet bread. Next time will try your eggless version. They look so beautiful.Reply
Priya Srinivasan says
so beautifully done buns sandhya!! those crosses on top have come so perfect! A delicious snack indeed!Reply
Swati says
Beautiful buns and nicely explained tutorial.. love these buns and are a good snacking option for kids hunger cravings.Reply
pavani says
Beautifully made hot cross buns Sandhya. I love the idea of scoring the cross and then filling it with the flour mixture. The cross truly looks amazing.Reply
Lata Lala says
So perfect and good looking hot cross buns have beautiful golden brown colour on top. I wish I could grab them all.Reply
Shailender Sharma says
Buns are looking as amazing as I needed to scroll the screen 2 to 3 times up n down to look at them. Mind boggling .Reply
Shobana Vijay says
Bookmarked..Will try sometime and let your know.
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Pavani says
Wow Sandhya, those hot cross buns look amazing. Love how beautifully golden they got even without the eggs.
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Sapna says
I have always wanted to bake them since ages. You gave me the perfect recipe to try on.
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Molly Kumar says
These buns look so nicely baked and love that shine on top. I had so many of them during Easter but never tried making them yet. I'm bookmarking your recipe to try for next Easter 🙂
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Kylee from Kylee Cooks says
I'm from New Zealand and I can totally agree with you - they're a big deal back home! I haven't seen them in stores here, so am forced to make my own. I must give your version a try next year!
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valmg @ From Val's Kitchen says
I haven't had a hot cross bun in a long time. They look wonderful and I bet they smelled great when you were making them.
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Gillian Thompson says
I can almost smell these from the screen. They look fabulous. And love you you made the cross on the inside rather than the outside.
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Uma says
Even I remember that hot cross bun rhyme. That takes me several years back:) This buns looks very perfect and neat.
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Noel Lizotte says
Such pretty buns! I've always heard people talk about Hot Cross Buns, but I didn't know what they actually were. This is a recipe I can make, and probably will, soon!
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Traditionallymodernfood says
My son keep singing hot cross bun rhymes I guess he will enjoy if I bake this for him. Brown outset crust came out well
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Jennifer A Stewart says
These are so perfect for the Mother's Day brunch I am going to have to make:) I love a warm roll and these are so pretty with their perfect cross marks!
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Amy says
These look like perfect hot cross buns! I have never made them but I'm inspired to by this post!
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Marisa Franca @ All Our Way says
Your buns look so nice and fluffy! Removing the egg didn't seem to do the texture any harm. We've never made hot cross buns before. Yours certainly do look delicious!
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Adriana Lopez Martn says
wow you are an expert baker, I have always wanted to learn how to make criss cross buns for Easter thanks for sharing the recipe and the process.
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Pam says
Your hot cross buns look so nice! I see them in bakeries a lot but I have never actually tried them.
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peter @feedyoursoultoo says
I have seen hot cross buns a bunch but never made them. The design is so cool and you got the perfect browning on the rolls.
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Veena Azmanov says
These look so good. Sandhya you make everything look so easy.. Love the progress pictures.
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srividhya says
wow awesome.. Beautiful love the bright pictures Sandhya.. Hot cross and honey cakes are ruling the day.
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Priya Suresh says
How prefect and super cute this hot cross buns looks. Beautiful baked buns Sandhya, you got them prefectly.
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Sharmila - The Happie Friends Potpourri Corner says
Perfect shape and texture.. i wanted to make them soon!! Lovely share!!
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Sowmya says
The buns sound flavourful with all those spices! Perfectly crossed buns!
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Vaishali Sabnani says
Sandhya, I wish I could taste these beautiful golden beauties .the buns have come out super cool , I am all fida on them , their color and texture both are fantastic !
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Srivalli Jetti says
Ooops I think I didn't make those mark cuts on the bun..heheh..yours has turned out super Sandhya..good job there!
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harini says
Love the golden hue of the hot cross buns. i love the spices you have used in these buns.
Reply
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