Homemade Hot Cross Buns

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Hot Cross Buns are an Easter tradition. Don’t spend money on premade buns at the store. Make these homemade buns and have the best Easter buns ever.

Homemade Hot Cross Buns

Homemade Hot Cross Buns

Hot Cross Buns are a combination of traditional rolls mixed together will the sweetness of a light dessert. These Easter Buns are filled with candied fruit and raisins and then topped with a sweet, but not too sweet, icing.

Ingredients

(Scroll down to get the complete printable recipe)

  • Raisins- While many of the fruits in Hot Cross Buns can vary depending on what kind of fruit you buy, raisins are almost always included.
  • Mixed candied fruit- You can find candied fruit in your local grocery store. While I like to grab a mixed fruit, if there is a certain flavor you prefer or do not want certain ones in the buns, you can choose something else.
  • Warm Milk – You want to use the warm milk because it will help activate the yeast. However, if the milk is too hot, it will kill the yeast.
  • White sugar
  • Unsalted butter – You always want to use unsalted butter because when you use salted butter you can not control the salt in the recipe, even though you will be adding salt to the recipe.
  • Salt
  • Quick Rise Yeast – Using quick rise yeast as opposed to regular yeast will cut the amount of rise time.
  • Eggs
  • All-purpose flour
  • Ground cinnamon
  • Ground nutmeg
  • Powdered sugar
  • Water
  • Powdered sugar – This is used as part of the icing
  • Milk- The milk, when it is added the powdered sugar thins the icing out.

ingredients

How to Make Homemade Hot Cross Buns

Whisk together 1 cup of flour with sugar, yeast, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg together in a medium bowl.

In a large bowl, beat the milk, butter, and eggs together.

Combine the flour and yeast mixture together with the milk mixture and beat for 3 minutes.bread dough with raisins and candied fruit

Add in the candied fruit and raisins.

Slowly stir in the remaining flour to make a soft dough. the start of Homemade Hot Cross Buns

Take the dough out of the bowl and place it on a floured surface. Knead the dough for 7 minutes until the dough becomes smooth.

Create a ball with the dough, cover and then let it rest for 15 minutes.

Grease a 9×13 inch baking dish. Set aside.

Take the dough out of the bowl and place it on a lightly floured surface and divide the dough into 12 equal sized pieces.

Roll each dough ball into a ball and then place it in the baking pan.dough balls in a baking dish

Cover the rolls with a clean tea towel and let it rise in a warm draft free area until it as doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.risen dough balls

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Mix together the cross ingredients, water, flour and powdered sugar. Place the mixture in a plastic bag, cut the corner off the bag and pipe the crosses on each bun.

how to make the crosses on the buns

Bake the buns for 30 – 35 minutes.

icing

When the buns are done baking and still hot, make the icing and then brush it over the buns.

Homemade Hot Cross Buns

What Do Hot Cross Buns Represent?

Hot Cross Buns were started in the 12th century. The story says that an Angelican Monk baked these buns and add the cross to the top in honor of Good Friday. Over the years, the buns have gained popularity and have since become a symbol of Easter Weekend.

Homemade Hot Cross Buns

What Fruits Go in Hot Cross Buns?

When you are making Hot Cross Buns, you want to use candied fruit. While you can use a specific fruit if you want, most people use a bag of candied fruit. This is usually a mixture of fruits.

Homemade Hot Cross Buns

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Homemade Hot Cross Buns
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Homemade Hot Cross Buns

Hot Cross Buns are an Easter tradition. Don't spend money on premade buns at the store. Make these homemade Hot Cross Buns and have the best Easter buns ever.
Servings: 12
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 35 minutes
Inactive time: 1 hour 35 minutes

Ingredients
  

  • ½ cup raisins
  • ½ cup mixed candied fruit
  • ¾ cup warm milk
  • cup white sugar
  • 4 tablespoon unsalted butter melted
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 ¼ teaspoon quick rise yeast
  • 2 large eggs
  • 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Crosses:

Icing:

Instructions

  • In a medium bowl whisk together 1 cup of flour with the sugar, yeast, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg.
  • In a large bowl beat together the milk, butter and eggs.
  • Add the flour/yeast mixture to the milk mixture and beat well, about 3 minutes.
  • Stir in the candied fruit and raisins.
  • Gradually stir in the remaining flour to make soft dough.
  • Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead for about 7 minutes, until dough is smooth.
  • Form the dough into a ball, cover and let rest for 15 minutes.
  • Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. Set aside.
  • Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and divide it into 12 equal sized pieces.
  • Roll each piece into a ball and place it in the prepared baking dish.
  • Cover with a clean tea towel and let stand in a warm draught free area until doubled in size, about 1 ½ hours.
  • Preheat oven to 350F.
  • In a small bowl mix together the water, flour and powdered sugar for the crosses. Put this mixture in a Ziploc bag, cut a corner off the bag and pipe a line down the length and width of the pan of buns to form crosses.
  • Bake for 30 - 35 minutes.
  • Mix together the powdered sugar and milk for the icing and brush it over the buns while they are hot from the oven.

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Homemade Hot Cross Buns

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