Hot cross buns are traditional spiced sweet buns made with currants or raisins, marked with a cross on the top.
Traditionally eaten on Good Friday they’re just as tasty at any time of year. Make the most of the long Easter weekend and fill the house with the smell of this ultimate Easter treat. Packed with flavour, they’re wonderful warm or toasted with lashings of butter.

Hot Cross Buns Recipe

Recipe by microplane

Ingredients

  • 5/8 cupsbutter
  • 1 cupmilk
  • 2 cupsflour
  • 2 tspdried yeast
  • 1/2 cupsugar
  • 1egg
  • 1 teaspoongingerbread spice
  • 1/2 teaspoonsalt
  • t teaspoonvanilla paste
  • 1zest of lemon
  • 1zest of orange

Alternative filling

  • 1 cup of raisins or cranberries, chopped

Topping

  • Apple Jelly
  • 2-3 tablespoons flour and 2-3 tablespoons water

Cooking Directions

  1. Melt the butter and add milk. Let it cool until lukewarm.
  2. Put the flour, yeast, sugar, egg, spice, salt, vanilla paste and the lemon and orange zest in a mixing bowl. Add the butter-milk mixture and knead into a fine dough. Tip: It should break away from the bowl edge.
  3. Cover the dough for one hour.
  4. Finely chop the mixed peel and mix with the raisins.
  5. Knead the dough with the dried fruits and form 12 small balls (like bread rolls). Place on a baking tray lined with baking paper or place in a greased dish. Let them rest again for about 3060 minutes. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 170°C.
  6. For the topping: mix the flour and water into a paste. Put in a freezer bag. For piping, cut off a corner
  7. Just before baking: place the “cross” onto the rolls by piping through the cut corner.
  8. Bake in the oven for about 15-20 minutes until golden.
  9. Heat apple jelly (or other light jam like apricot) and glaze the hot cross buns after baking.
  10. Cool before eating.
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hot cross buns