Fluffy Hot Cross Buns Recipe

How to Make Soft Hot Cross Buns

Baking hot cross buns is a Lenten time tradition. Hot cross buns are soft and fragrant and mildly spiced, have a hint of sweetness and a simple glaze brushed over them, and of course the traditional cross on top. And now, it’s such a pleasure for me to show you how to make your own homemade soft hot cross buns from scratch, and with ease.

Fluffy hot cross buns can be buttered or enjoyed with a little jam or eaten just plain as they are. Of course you could buy hot cross buns from a nearby bakery….. but I’m telling you, they’ll taste nothing like your homemade hot cross buns….. So do give this hot cross buns recipe a shot.

Another tasty bun recipe is my burger buns recipe. It’s much easier to bake these at home than you think.

Ingredients

2 ½ cups (310g) maida (all-purpose flour)

⅔ cup (160 ml) warm milk

¼ cup (55g) granulated sugar

2 tsp instant dry yeast

1 egg

1 tbsp orange zest

½ tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp grated nutmeg

½ tsp salt

½ tsp vanilla extract

3 tbsp butter, melted slightly

½ cup raisins

For the crosses

¼ cup maida

1 tbsp powdered sugar

2 ½ tbsp water

For the glaze

2 tbsp granulated sugar

2 tbsp water

Procedure

1. Sift the maida.
2. To a bowl add the hot milk and sugar and stir the solution till the sugar dissolves and the milk is just lukewarm, the right temperature for yeast to bloom.
3. In this recipe, you could use either instant dry yeast or active dry yeast. (If using active dry yeast, add 2 ½ tsp of it and also activate it first. That is, stir it into the lukewarm milk, and then cover it and set it aside to bloom for around 10 – 15 minutes. Once activated, the yeast will become frothy. After that, add in the other ingredients.)
4. Stir the instant dry yeast into the milk. And then, add the egg, orange zest, ground cinnamon, grated nutmeg, salt, and vanilla extract. Finally add the partially melted butter and then mix everything well.
5. Next, add the maida to the yeast mixture, in small portions, mixing it in with a wooden spoon at first. Mix well, till you get a shaggy dough.
6. Turn the dough out on to a flour-dusted work surface. Knead the dough well for around 5 – 6 minutes, stretching it and then pulling it back upon itself, till you have a soft and elastic dough that doesn’t stick to your fingers. (If the dough is too sticky add a few teaspoons of maida to it. If it is too dry, add a little milk to it, half a teaspoon at a time.)
7. Lightly grease the inside of the same bowl in which you had first mixed the dough. Transfer the dough ball to it. Also brush a little oil on the top surface of the dough to prevent it from drying out when it is left to proof. Cover the bowl and set it aside in a warm place for the dough to proof till it doubles in volume.
8. In the meanwhile, add some hot water to the raisins to fluff them up. Cover them and let them soak in the water for around an hour. After that drain off the excess water and lightly pat the raisins dry with a clean and dry kitchen towel.
9. The dough could take around 1 ¼ hour to double in volume. De-gas the risen dough and transfer it to your work surface. Flatten it and spread it into a rectangle. Spread the raisins across it.
10. Fold one-third of the flattened dough over and then fold the other one-third. Give the dough slab a 90 degree turn and fold it up again like before.
11. Knead it lightly to distribute the enclosed raisins as evenly as possible.
12. Divide the dough into 10 balls. They should have a smooth top surface. Arrange the balls around an inch apart on a parchment paper lined baking tray. Put the tray into a large plastic bag or cover it with plastic wrap and then place it in a warm place till the dough balls double in size. They could need around an hour to puff up and double in volume.
13. In the meanwhile, prepare the dough paste for forming crosses on the dough balls. Make a thick paste with the flour, powdered sugar, and water.
14. Once the dough balls have risen well, pipe a cross on each of them and then bake them at 170C (350F) for around 20 minutes till the buns are golden brown in colour.
15. When the buns are still warm, brush them with a simple glaze prepared by bringing the water and sugar solution to a boil and then letting it cool to room temperature.

Enjoy!