Hot cross buns are a perfect blend between a dinner roll and a sweet roll. The yeasted dough is mixed with warm spices, dried fruits, and candied citrus with their signature cross on top. Traditionally baked and sold for Good Friday in many Christian countries, they have become synonymous with the Easter holiday.
Like king cake and panettone, hot cross buns are a traditional holiday sweet bread that has become popular worldwide and can often be found anytime of the year and not just for their original holiday origins. As with other recipes that are hundreds of years old, hot cross buns have an interesting history that’s often hard to piece together and know which parts are true or not.
What is true with hot cross buns, however, is that their recipes and fillings can vary quite a bit. Despite a lot of variations, they’re almost always warmly spiced and sticky sweet, without being overly sweetened to a full-on dessert status.
Origins of the Hot Cross Bun
So, the history of the hot cross buns can get a little muddled and confusing. There are definitely recipes that date back to the 1700s in England, but before that you can’t really find anything. A common theory also states that a monk named Thomas Rodcliffe at St Albans Abbey in England developed the, we’ll say “modern”, version of the bun most people are familiar with in 1361. He mixed the yeast with cinnamon and made a white cross on top of the buns and handed them out to the poor on Good Friday.
The modern version of the hot cross bun has become very popular with Christian faiths, especially Catholics, with the white cross symbolizing Jesus’ crucifixion. They also have a history of being baked on Good Friday for Easter weekend, along with a lot of superstitions.
As with several other Christian holidays and traditions, hot cross buns may also have a more pagan origin. Anglo-Saxons ate cross buns in honor of their Germanic goddess Ēostre, whom some attribute to us calling the holiday Easter. Ēostre was a goddess of spring and fertility, and the cross supposedly symbolized the rebirth of the world after winter, while the 4 quarters of the bun stood for the 4 phases of the moon and the 4 seasons. Other cross buns are believed to have been eaten as far back as ancient Egypt, as well as ancient Greece and Rome, for similar reasons.
Ingredients for Hot Cross Buns
As mentioned before, there’s a lot of variation in the ingredients for hot cross buns, and you should feel free to mix things up to your liking. At its core, the hot cross bun is an enriched, yeasted dough mixed with warming spices like cinnamon and nutmeg, filled with various dry fruits and/or candied citrus.
The Buns:
Flour – All-purpose or bread flour can be used for these, I use bread flour in this recipe.
Yeast – Instant yeast works well here so that you can mix everything together without proofing the yeast first.
Oranges – Optional, but I used the zest from one, made candied orange peels from a few more, and juiced them to soak the raisins in. Feel free to skip the candied peels and orange juice if you wish, or you can buy candied peels already made, but I would recommend at least doing the zest.
Dried Fruit – In this recipe I use a mixture of raisins and currants (labeled Zante currents in the US). You can also use golden raisins (Sultanas) or Craisins (dried cranberries). I would recommend sticking to a mixture of 2-3 at the most, counting candied citrus if you use it, and try to keep the total amount between 1-2 cups.
Candied Citrus Peels – I use a small amount (a ¼ cup) of diced up candied orange peels in this recipe, but you can omit that if you wish. As stated above, try to stick with 2-3 fillings and keep it between 1-2 cups total.
Sugar – I used granulated sugar here, but you can also use brown sugar instead.
Spices – Cinnamon, and usually nutmeg, are the most common inclusions in hot cross bun recipes, including mine. I also used a pinch of ground clove, but you can also substitute allspice or ground cardamom instead. Most recipes will use cinnamon, nutmeg, and one of those three for a 3rd spice, I wouldn’t recommend using them all in the same batch though.
Milk, Butter, Eggs – Unsalted butter and large eggs at room temperature, then milk heated to 110-115°F to activate the yeast. You can use most milks, but I would recommend whole milk for the best tasting buns.
The Cross:
Flour and Water – Mixed into a paste, a more traditional hot cross bun will have this piped on top and baked into the bun.
Icing – If you prefer icing instead, mix some powdered sugar with either orange juice or milk for a sweeter taste.
The Topping:
Apricot Jam – In this recipe I use apricot jam mixed with some of the reserved orange juice to brush on top of the buns after removing from the oven. This is also optional but adds a really nice taste. If you skipped the orange juice part, you could just add some water or simple syrup or corn syrup to the jam. You can also omit this and just do an egg wash before baking.
How to Make Hot Cross Buns
Start by setting out your butter and eggs to get to room temperature. Place your dried fruit and/or candied citrus in a heatproof bowl. If using orange juice, heat it up to just below boiling and pour it over the dried fruits. If you’re not using orange juice, use boiling water instead. Allow that to soak for 10-15 minutes while you gather the rest of your ingredients.
After soaking, strain the fruit and set aside. Reserve 1 tablespoon of orange juice, if used, or reserve ¼ cup if mixing with the apricot jam and making an orange flavored icing instead of the flour paste.
If you’re using instant yeast, you can simply combine all your dry ingredients except for the dried fruits together. If using a stand mixer, add all the dry ingredients to the bowl and mix on low speed until well combined, about 30 seconds, otherwise place in a mixing bowl and whisk together.
Add the warmed milk, eggs, and softened butter to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined and a dough starts to form. Now add in your dried fruits and/or candied citrus. If using a stand mixer, switch to a dough hook and continue mixing at low speed until the dough is slightly sticky but pulls away from the bowl, about 5-7 minutes. If the dough still seems too sticky and not pulling away, add more flour about 1 tablespoon at a time. If not using a stand mixer, mix everything together with a wooden spoon or spatula and knead by hand about 10 minutes.
Lightly grease a large bowl and place the dough inside, turning to coat with the oil. Cover and allow to rise in a warm area for about an hour or longer, until roughly doubled in size.
After the first rise, remove from the bowl and place on a lightly floured surface. Gently knead the dough and form into a log shape. Cut even amounts of dough into 12-15 individual pieces. Fold the dough into itself and form rounded balls of dough with your hands. Place the dough balls into a lightly greased 13x9 baking dish, cover, and set aside for a second rise for about 45-60 minutes.
During the second rise, preheat your oven to 350°F / 180°C. After the second rise, if you’re doing a flour cross, add that now. Mix the flour and water until it makes a paste that’s not too thin and runny, but not so thick it can’t be piped easily. Using a pastry bag or a zipper lock bag, snip off the corner about ¼” and add the paste. Pipe across the middle of the buns, then switch direction and pipe across the middle in the opposite direction. If using an egg wash instead of the apricot, apply that now as well.
Place the baking dish in the middle rack of the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until the tops are well browned. Remove from the oven and heat the apricot jam with the reserved orange juice. While still somewhat hot, apply the jam mixture to the tops of the buns.
If using icing instead of the flour crosses, wait for the buns to cool to barely warm. Mix the powdered sugar with the rest of the reserved orange juice (or milk and vanilla if you skipped the orange juice), add to a piping bag or zipper lock bag, snip off a ¼” from the tip and pipe onto the buns as above.
How to Store Hot Cross Buns
Best served fresh and warm, but you can also cover them at room temperature for 2-3 days. For longer storage, place in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for about a week.
If freezing, allow to cool completely, place in an airtight container and freeze for up to 2-3 months. I’d also recommend adding the topping after you’ve thawed them out and warmed them to serve.
📋 Recipe
Traditional Hot Cross Buns
Ingredients
For the Buns:
- 2 teaspoons orange zest
- ¾ cup orange juice, optional (see note 1)
- ½ cup raisins, (see note 2)
- ½ cup currants, (see note 2)
- ¼ cup candied orange peels, diced (see note 2)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast, (1 packet)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon, (see note 4)
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground clove, (see note 5)
- 4 ¼ cups bread flour
- 1 cup whole milk, warmed to 110-115°F / 43-46°C
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, (4 tbsp) room temperature
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
Flour Cross:
- ¼ cup flour, bread or all-purpose
- ⅓ cup water
Icing Cross:
- 1 cup confectioner’s sugar
- 3 tablespoons reserved orange juice, (or milk and vanilla extract)
Topping:
- 1 tablespoon apricot jam
- 1 tablespoon reserved orange juice, (or water)
Directions
- Place your dried fruit and/or candied citrus in a heatproof bowl. If using orange juice, heat it up to just below boiling and pour it over the dried fruits. If you’re not using orange juice, use boiling water instead. Allow that to soak for 10-15 minutes while you gather the rest of your ingredients.
- After soaking, strain the fruit and set aside. Reserve 1 tablespoon of orange juice, if used, or reserve ¼ cup if mixing with the apricot jam and making an orange flavored icing instead of the flour paste.
- If you’re using instant yeast (see note 3 otherwise), combine the zest, sugar, yeast, salt, spices, and flour (all your dry ingredients except for the dried fruits) together. If using a stand mixer, add all the dry ingredients to the bowl and mix on low speed until well combined, about 30 seconds, otherwise place in a mixing bowl and whisk together.
- Add the warmed milk, eggs, and softened butter to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined and a dough starts to form. Now add in your dried fruits and/or candied citrus. If using a stand mixer, switch to a dough hook and continue mixing at low speed until the dough is slightly sticky but pulls away from the bowl, about 5-7 minutes. If the dough still seems too sticky and not pulling away, add more flour about 1 tablespoon at a time. If not using a stand mixer, mix everything together with a wooden spoon or spatula and knead by hand about 10 minutes.
- Lightly grease a large bowl and place the dough inside, turning to coat with the oil. Cover and allow to rise in a warm area for about an hour or longer, until roughly doubled in size.
- After the first rise, remove from the bowl and place on a lightly floured surface. Gently knead the dough and form into a log shape. Cut even amounts of dough into 12-15 individual pieces (see note 7). Fold the dough into itself and form rounded balls of dough with your hands. Place the dough balls into a lightly greased 13x9 baking dish, cover, and set aside for a second rise for about 45-60 minutes.
- During the second rise, preheat your oven to 350°F / 180°C. After the second rise, if you’re doing a flour cross, add that now. Mix the flour and water until it makes a paste that’s not too thin and runny, but not so thick it can’t be piped easily. Using a pastry bag or a zipper lock bag, snip off the corner about ¼” and add the paste. Pipe across the middle of the buns, then switch direction and pipe across the middle in the opposite direction. If using an egg wash instead of the apricot, apply that now as well.
- Place the baking dish in the middle rack of the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until the tops are well browned. Remove from the oven and heat the apricot jam with the reserved orange juice (if used, otherwise replace with water, bar syrup, or corn syrup). While still somewhat hot, apply the jam mixture to the tops of the buns.
- If using icing instead of the flour crosses, wait for the buns to cool to barely warm. Mix the powdered sugar with the rest of the reserved orange juice (or milk and vanilla if you skipped the orange juice), add to a piping bag or zipper lock bag, snip off a ¼” from the tip and pipe onto the buns as above.
Notes
Your Notes
Nutrition
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