Hot Cross Buns

When I think about Cross Buns, that song always pops in my head. You know the one that goes “one a penny, two a penny, hot cross buns”? No? Maybe it’s just me. I have such a love-hate relationship with making bread. You can’t just make 2 rolls and be done. All the work that goes into bread making, you have to at least come out with 2 dozen rolls for it to be worth your time. But that means you have to eat 2 dozen rolls, especially since I am the only bread addict in my house. My husband can take it or leave it but I will pair it with anything and everything.

This recipe here…I make it once a year and I highly anticipate that time to roll around so I can get a batch going. They are a sweet spice bread and it goes perfectly with some melted cheese or lightly toasted with a healthy swipe of butter and a hot cup of tea (or coffee for all you coffee lovers) in the morning.

Hot Cross Buns

Cross Buns are sweet, spiced bread with dried fruit and a cross on the top. The cross can be cut into the dough, added with a bit of extra dough, or drizzled on with a little icing.  You usually find these on Good Friday as they signify the end of lent. However, back home in Guyana, you can find them year-round where the cross on top is replaced with a sprinkle of sugar and they are called … wait for it… Sugar Tops.

Whatever you call these, they are undeniably delicious and worth every stinking calorie. My recipe yields a soft but slightly dense bun that reheats perfectly in the microwave with just a few seconds the next day (or the day after that if you have any left),

Let’s go over a few ingredients before we get started…

INGREDIENTS and substitutions:

Dried Fruit/ Rum-soaked Fruit – The fruit that you use can be tailored to your liking. You can use raisins, glace cherries, sultanas, currants, mixed peel, dried cranberries, or a combination of any dried fruit. You can chop them up or use them whole. I personally like to use rum-soaked fruit. This is typically the fruit used to make a traditional fruit cake at Christmas. It is a combination of dried fruit that is chopped and then soaked in some sweet alcohol, like sherry, wine, rum, or some combination, for a few weeks to even well over a year.

Scalded Milk –  Scalding the milk is done by heating it on the stovetop or in the microwave until it reaches a temperature of 180°F or 82°C. At this temperature, you deactivate the whey proteins in the milk that can weaken the gluten structure of the dough and affect how light and fluffy your final result will be. You can use unscalded milk if you choose but I hightly recommended that you don’t skip this step. It only takes a few minutes.

Instant Yeast – I like using this because it is easier to work with and has a longer shelf life but you are free to use active dry yeast if you choose. Just reduce the milk by a quarter of a cup and replace it with a quarter cup of warm water (110ºF) to proof the active dry yeast.

Nutmeg/Cinnamon/ Cardamom – These are the three spices I use but you can change them up to your liking. The cardamom adds such an incredible touch that that makes this sweet bread stand out from anything else you have ever tasted.

I also like to add my cross with drizzled icing right before serving. As for eating them, I like them warm, with a dollop of butter or some cheese and I am heaven. I hope you try this recipe and let me know what you think.

Print Recipe

Hot Cross Buns

Cuisine: English, Guyanese Courses: Breads

Difficulty: Intermediate Prep Time 30 min Cook Time 25 min Rest Time 1 hour Total Time 1 hr 55 mins Servings: 24 Best Season: Spring

Description

This Easter tradition will have you singing the cross buns song as you dive into a whole batch of these soft and delicious sweet pieces of bread that are laced with dried fruit and glisten with a sugar glaze.

Ingredients

Servings

• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 (0.25) ounce package instant yeast
• 2/3 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon cardamom
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 11/2 cups scalded milk
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1 large egg
• 3/4 cups raisins or rum soaked dried fruit
• 1/2 cup simple syrup (for glazing the tops)

Instructions

1. In a bowl, combine 4 cups of flour, yeast, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, and salt.

2. In a mixing bowl, combine, milk, butter, egg, and fruit.

3. In a stand mixer using the dough hook, add the wet mixture and then slowly add the flour mixture, 1 cup at a time. ( you can easily do this by hand if you don't have a mixer)

4. Add remaining cup of flour, a quarter of a cup at a time until dough is tacky but not sticky or wet. Keep in mind, you may not use all the remaining flour.

5. Form into a ball and place in a greased bowl, flipping the dough in the bowl to coat it with oil.

6. Place in a warm place to proof for 30 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.

7. Punch dough down, form into 24 even-sized balls, and place on a baking sheet and allow to proof for another 20 minutes.

8. Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until tops are golden (internal temperature of 190-200 degrees F).

9. Remove from oven when done and brush with simple syrup.

Note

• simple syrup is equal parts water and sugar. Just heat water 1/4 cup water in the microwave and add 1/4 cup sugar and stir until dissolved. This will add a beautiful shine to the tops.
•  Scalding the milk is done by heating it on the stovetop or in the microwave until it reaches a temperature of 180°F or 82°C.
• You can add cut a cross in on the top with a baking razor to add the cross after with a simple icing made of milk and powdered sugar.

Keywords: sweet bread, cross buns, crossbuns, Easter bread, raisin bread