Hot Cross Buns
These soft, spiced buns dotted with dried cranberries and topped with sweet icing crosses are a beloved Easter tradition. Baked fresh and enjoyed warm, they’re especially popular on Good Friday, though they’re perfect for any spring celebration.
The gentle sweetness and warm spice make them feel like a cozy cross between a dinner roll and a bakery treat. Best of all, they taste just as amazing the next day—if there are any left!
Ingredients Needed
- Rapid active dry yeast – Helps the dough rise quickly without needing to bloom first.
- Bread flour – Adds structure for soft, chewy buns.
- White sugar – Sweetens the dough.
- Brown sugar – Adds richness and moisture with a hint of molasses.
- Salt – Balances the sweetness and enhances the flavor.
- Cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg – Warm spices for that classic hot cross bun flavor.
- Unsalted butter – Adds richness and keeps the buns soft.
- Orange zest – Bright citrus flavor that pairs perfectly with dried fruit.
- Large egg – Binds the dough and adds structure.
- Warm milk (110°F) – Activates the yeast and enriches the dough.
- Dried cranberries – A fruity, chewy bite in every bun.
- For the Egg Wash:
- Large egg + milk – Brushed on top for a shiny, golden brown finish.
- For the Sticky Glaze:
- Powdered sugar + orange juice – Brushed on warm buns for a light citrus glaze.
- For the Cross Icing:
- Powdered sugar + orange juice – Piped across the top of each bun to make the traditional cross.
Hot Cross Buns
- In a large mixing bowl, sift the flour, sugar, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg. Then incorporate the yeast either with a whisk or a dough hook. See note 1 and 2.
Heat your milk to 110 degrees F.
- Add in the unsalted butter, zest, egg, dried cranberries, and tempered milk. See note 3.
On level 2 mix your dough for 5-8 minutes. - When it begins to pull away from the bowl and when it is sticky but does not stick to your finger.
- Flour a clean surface and continue to knead your dough using your palm, and fold it each time until you can poke the dough and no indentation remains.
- Place it in a floured bowl and allow it to rise in a warm place for 1-2 hours. See note 4.
Once It has doubled in size, fold it again and roll it into a log. - Cut it into even sections that weigh approximately 3.2 ounces each. I was able to get 10 buns out of the dough.
- Roll them into balls, with seams facing down. Place them on a 9×13 baking sheet, covered with parchment paper. Allow them to rest again for another hour or so until they have doubled again.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a small bowl mix one egg with ½ tablespoon of milk. Use the egg wash to brush over the buns. Place them in the oven and bake for 22-25 minutes, until the buns are golden brown.
- Combine 3 tablespoons of powdered sugar with 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon of orange juice. Brush this on as a sticky glaze. Allow to cool for 5 minutes.
- Combine another ½ cup of powdered sugar with 2 ½ teaspoons of orange juice. Place this icing in a piping bag or baggie and cut the tip off. Use this to pipe your crosses.
- Serve warm and best served on the same day.
Hot Cross Buns Recipe
These Hot Cross Buns are spiced buns dotted with dried cranberries and topped with sweet icing crosses are a beloved Easter tradition.
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Ingredients
- 1 packet of rapid active dry yeast
- 3 ½ cups of bread flour
- 1/2 cup of sugar
- 1/4 cup of brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon of allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
- 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter room temperature
- zest of 1 orange
- 1 large egg
- 3/4 cup warm milk
- 3/4 cups of dried cranberries
Egg Wash:
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 tablespoon of milk
Sticky Glaze:
- 3 tablespoons of powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon orange juice
Cross Icing:
- 1/2 cup of powdered sugar
- 2- 1/2 teaspoon of orange juice
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, sift the flour, sugar, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg. Then incorporate the yeast either with a whisk or a dough hook. See note 1 and 2.
- Heat your milk to 110 degrees. Add in the unsalted butter, zest, egg, dried cranberries, and tempered milk. See note 3.
- On level 2 mix your dough for 5-8 minutes. When it begins to pull away from the bowl and when it is sticky but does not stick to your finger.
- Flour a clean surface and continue to knead your dough using your palm, and fold it each time until you can poke the dough and no indentation remains.
- Place it in a floured bowl and allow it to rise in a warm place for 1-2 hours. See note 4.
- Once It has doubled in size, fold it again and roll it into a log. Cut it into even sections that weigh approximately 3.2 ounces each. I was able to get 10 buns out of the dough.
- Roll them into balls, with seams facing down. Place them on a 9×13 baking sheet, covered with parchment paper. Allow them to rest again for another hour or so until they have doubled again.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl mix one egg with ½ tablespoon of milk. Use the egg wash to brush over the buns. Place them in the oven and bake for 22-25 minutes, until the buns are golden brown.
- Combine 3 tablespoons of powdered sugar with 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon of orange juice. Brush this on as a sticky glaze. Allow to cool for 5 minutes.
- Combine another ½ cup of powdered sugar with 2 ½ teaspoons of orange juice. Place this icing in a piping bag or baggie and cut the tip off. Use this to pipe your crosses.
- Serve warm and best served on the same day.
Notes
Note 1: You can prepare this a couple of ways. You can knead the dough by hand. Mix the sifted ingredients with the yeast, using a whisk and then add in the wet ingredients, continuing to mix with a spoon until it comes together enough to handle with your hands. On a floured surface, begin kneading the dough for approximately 10 minutes, continuing to fold and work with the palm of your hand until you are able to poke it and the indentation comes right back up to the surface.
If you would like to use your mixer, attach the dough hook and combine sifted ingredients and the yeast. Then add your wet ingredients and allow the dough hook to do the work for 5-8 minutes, until the dough is pulling from the side of the bowl and the dough is sticky but does not stick to your fingers. Remove the dough and continue to work the dough by kneading with your hand on a floured surface until you are to poke it and the indentation comes right back up to the surface.
I know it seems redundant to use the dough hook if you are going to knead it anyway, but it saves your hands from the work. It is important that the dough gets worked thoroughly because that is what will activate the yeast and gluten. Since this is a bread and not a cake, you do not have to worry as much about overworking the dough.
The recipe calls for 3.5 cups of flour but it will end up being more like 4 after you have kneaded the dough in the additional flour.
Note 2: There are several yeasts you can use when making bread. They are active dry, instant/rapid rise and fresh.
-Active dry yeast is a powder that is best if you dissolve in warm liquid and then let it activate and get foamy before mixing it into the dry ingredients.
-Instant yeast or rapid rise yeast, which I used for this recipe, helps the dough rise faster and it does not need to be dissolved in liquid before it is added to the dry ingredients. You can just mix it all together.
-Fresh yeast is a block of yeast that you crumble and then dissolve in liquid. Note 3: Since we are using a rapid rising yeast, you want to make sure your milk is not too cold or too hot, both would prevent the yeast from activating. You want your milk at 110 degrees fahrenheit. I poured the ¾ cut into a microwave safe container and microwaved it in 30 second intervals and used a thermometer to check between each interval. Note 4: This rise depends a lot on your climate and how warm your house is. Of course it is nothing for me to get dough to rise in the summer months, but my house definitely has a chill in the winter. You can do a few things to help…one you can turn your oven on and if your kitchen is on the warm side, you can cover it and leave it on top of your stove. If your oven has a proofing drawer or setting you can place it in there. You can turn your oven to 100 degrees and place it inside the oven.
-Active dry yeast is a powder that is best if you dissolve in warm liquid and then let it activate and get foamy before mixing it into the dry ingredients.
-Instant yeast or rapid rise yeast, which I used for this recipe, helps the dough rise faster and it does not need to be dissolved in liquid before it is added to the dry ingredients. You can just mix it all together.
-Fresh yeast is a block of yeast that you crumble and then dissolve in liquid. Note 3: Since we are using a rapid rising yeast, you want to make sure your milk is not too cold or too hot, both would prevent the yeast from activating. You want your milk at 110 degrees fahrenheit. I poured the ¾ cut into a microwave safe container and microwaved it in 30 second intervals and used a thermometer to check between each interval. Note 4: This rise depends a lot on your climate and how warm your house is. Of course it is nothing for me to get dough to rise in the summer months, but my house definitely has a chill in the winter. You can do a few things to help…one you can turn your oven on and if your kitchen is on the warm side, you can cover it and leave it on top of your stove. If your oven has a proofing drawer or setting you can place it in there. You can turn your oven to 100 degrees and place it inside the oven.
Nutrition
Calories: 246kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 50mg | Sodium: 142mg | Potassium: 116mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 32g | Vitamin A: 239IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutritional Disclaimer: Family Fresh Meals is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
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