Hot cross buns are a traditional British treat, having been around since the 12th century. The dough is usually shaped like a ball or a bun, with a cross on the top. This symbolizes Christian faith, making the buns a popular treat during the Easter holiday.

Brief History and Origin

The hot cross bun is believed to have originated in the 12th century when a monk named Thomas Rocliffe baked sweet buns to mark Good Friday. The buns were stamped with a cross to represent the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The cross was said to bring good luck and ward off evil spirits.

Hot Cross Bun – The Recipe

• Preparation Time: 20 mins
• Cooking Time: 1 hr 45 mins
• Additional time: 35 mins
• Total time: 2 hrs 25 mins
• Servings: 15

Ingredients

• For the buns
• 300ml whole milk, plus 2 tbsp. more
• 50g softened butter
• 500g all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 75g white sugar
• 1 tbsp. sunflower oil
• 7g active dry yeast
• 1 beaten egg
• 75g sultanas
• 50g mixed peel
• 1 orange zest
• 1 peeled & cored apple, finely chopped
• 1 tsp. cinnamon, ground
• 1 tsp. mixed spice

For the cross

• 75g all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting

For the glaze

• 3tbsp. apricot jam

Instructions

1. Pour 300ml milk into a saucepan over medium heat, bring to a boil, then take off from heat and add butter. Leave to rest until room temperature.
2. In a bowl, add salt, yeast, 500g flour and sugar, mix well and make a well in the center; pour in butter and milk mixture, add egg and mix well using a wooden spatula. Then bring everything together using your hands until you get a sticky dough.
3. Transfer the dough to the lightly oiled surface and knead for 5 minutes until elastic and consistent, then transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place for 1 hour or until volume becomes double.
4. In a bowl, add mixed peel, orange zest, apple, sultanas and cinnamon, mix and add to the dough, and knead until everything is well distributed. Leave for another hour.
5. Prepare the oven and preheat it to 200 degrees C. Also, prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper.
6. When ready, divide the dough into 15 equal portions and roll each portion into a ball. Arrange each ball onto the prepared baking sheet while leaving enough space for expansion. Cover again with plastic wrap and leave for another hour.
7. Add 75g of flour in a separate bowl and gradually add 5 tbsp. of water, keep mixing to make a thick paste. Transfer the paste to the piping bag and pipe a cross on each bun.
8. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until the colour turns golden brown.  
9. When ready, remove from oven and apply warm apricot jam on top of buns using a brush, then leave to rest until completely cooled.      

Popular variations

Here are a few ways you can change this basic recipe to adjust it to your liking:

• Chocolate Hot Cross Buns: These hot cross buns have delicious chocolate flavor from Dutch cocoa powder, cinnamon, and allspice. Indeed, it is the best treat and dessert for the festive season.
• Hot cross cinnamon buns: This recipe combines the hot cross bun dough with swirls of cinnamon filling. We love how the texture of the hot cross bun complements the cinnamon filling and the cream cheese frosting.
• Carrot Cake Hot Cross Buns: This spiced carrot, walnut and pineapple hot cross buns are sandwiched with a layer of cream cheese icing. These are very different from the traditional and leave you with a bit of a surprise in every bite.
• Hot Cross Buns Recipe with Mango and Coconut: These hot cross buns are inspired by delicate African flavor. Thus, they have shredded coconut and mongo, making them deliciously exotic.
• Chocolate Hot Cross Buns with Ginger and Cranberry: The chocolate hot cross buns are made with the major festive flavors ginger and cranberry. These are sweet and spicy and have a little tartness, perfect for Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas.