Hot Cross Buns are made at the end of the long Lenten season where the 40 days of fasting ends. These buns are semi sweet, sticky and loaded with delicious dried fruit like Cranberries, Raisins and Citrus peel. This is a collab with the channel QaziInc – check them out!

I’m a big fan of fruit in these buns so loading them with cranberries, raisins and citrus peel, gives this a nice surprise in every bite on Easter morning.

Hot Cross Buns

3.48 from 46 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • ¾ cup warm Milk
  • 1 tsp Flour
  • 1 tsp Sugar
  • 2.5 tsps active Yeast
  • ½ cup 8 tbsps, 1 stick melted butter
  • ¼ cup Sugar
  • ½ tsp Cinnamon
  • ½ tsp Cardamom
  • ¼ tsp Clove powder
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 1 large Egg
  • 3 cups Flour
  • 1 tsp Baking powder
Egg wash
  • Flour & Water
  • 1/2 cup dried fruit soaked in 1/2 cup juice
  • 1 tbsp each Lemon & Orange rind

Method
 

  1. Add the sugar and flour to the warm milk and follow with the yeast and let it sit for 10 – 15 minutes
  2. Soak the dry fruit in the juice
  3. Once the yeast is frothy add the sugar, salt, butter, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg & egg and give it a quick mix
  4. Sift together the flour and baking powder
  5. Add the flour and baking powder in 1 tbsp at a time, scraping the sides at intervals
  6. Use as much flour as you need to get a soft sticky dough
  7. Turn this over on your work surface and knead adding more flour as you go till you get a nice soft supple dough
  8. Place this in an oiled bowl and cover with cling film and allow to rise in a warm oven
  9. Leave this for 30 mins to an hour till the dough doubles in size
  10. Remove the dough, add the drained fruit and knead again to spread the fruit evenly
  11. Divide the dough and form into balls and place them touching each other on a baking tray
  12. Cover and leave in a warm place for about 10 mins
  13. After 10 mins the dough will have doubled again, remove the cling film
  14. Brush with egg wash and allow to get tacky
  15. Make a paste with flour and water and pipe crosses on the buns
  16. Bake in a 350 degree oven at 350 degrees for 20 – 30 mins
  17. Rotate the pan if it’s getting too brown on one side