Easter Hot Cross Buns
- Sweet
- No rush
- Oven
Soft, gently spiced buns studded with raisins, marked with a simple flour cross and baked until golden. A warm Easter treat made entirely in the oven.
- Total
- 2 h 30
- Prep 35 · Cook 25 · Rest 90
- Serves
- 6
- Difficulty
- Hard
You'll practice: Kneading · Proofing dough
Instructions
-
Warm 250 ml milk gently in the oven at its lowest setting until just lukewarm, about 35°C, then stir in 7 g yeast and 1 tbsp of the sugar. Leave for 10 minutes until the surface turns foamy.
~10 min
Lukewarm milk wakes the yeast without killing it, and the foamy surface proves the yeast is alive and ready to raise the dough.
Keep the milk lukewarm, not hot: above about 40°C it can slow the yeast and the buns will not rise properly.
-
Melt 50 g butter and let it cool slightly. In a large mixing bowl combine 500 g flour, the remaining sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon and 0.5 tsp salt. Rub in the butter, then add the beaten egg, the foamy yeast mixture and 100 g raisins. Mix to a soft dough.
~10 min
Rubbing the butter into the flour coats it in fat, which shortens the gluten strands and gives the buns a tender, soft crumb.
-
Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead for 8 minutes until smooth and elastic. Return it to the bowl, cover, and let it rise in a warm spot until doubled, about 60 minutes.
~68 min
Kneading develops the gluten network that traps gas, and the warm rise lets the yeast produce that gas so the dough doubles in size.
Kneading Knead until the dough is smooth, supple and springs back when pressed; if it stays sticky and tears, keep going a little longer.
Proofing dough Let the dough rise somewhere warm and draught-free until doubled, and prove the shaped buns until puffy; under-proving leaves them dense.
-
Knock the dough back and divide it into 6 equal pieces. Shape each into a tight ball and set them on a parchment-lined baking tray with a little space between. Cover and prove for 30 minutes until puffy.
~30 min
Knocking back releases large gas pockets for an even crumb, and the second prove lets the shaped buns puff up before baking.
Proofing dough Let the dough rise somewhere warm and draught-free until doubled, and prove the shaped buns until puffy; under-proving leaves them dense.
-
While step 4 waits
While the buns prove, mix 4 tbsp flour with 4 tbsp water into a thick paste for the crosses. Heat the oven to 200°C.
~5 min
-
Pipe or spoon a cross of the flour paste over each bun, then bake for 20 to 25 minutes until deep golden and hollow-sounding when tapped underneath. Cool on a wire rack.
~25 min
A hollow sound when tapped underneath means the centre is baked through, while the wire rack lets steam escape so the bases stay crisp.
For a softer crust, brush the buns with a little milk as soon as they come out of the oven.
