Hot Cross Buns Recipe

Soft, spiced hot cross buns made with dried fruit and a classic cross on top. A traditional British hot cross buns recipe for Easter. Best served sliced, toasted, and slathered in butter!

What Inspired This Hot Cross Buns Recipe?

I first learned to make hot cross buns during my studies at Le Cordon Bleu London. While most of the course focused on French pastry, we also explored traditional British bakes such as Eton mess, shortbread, and sticky toffee pudding, as well as enriched doughs like Devonshire spits and hot cross buns.

Today, these soft, spiced buns remain a regular part of my baking (and eating!) repertoire.  Sold year-round but especially popular in the weeks leading up to Easter, you’ll recognize hot cross buns thanks to their distinctive cross shape decoration. Everywhere from basic supermarkets such as Sainsbury’s and Tesco, to independent bakeries, to fancy, high-end retailers like Fortnum & Mason, sells their own version of the hot cross bun. They come in countless flavors, like chocolate chip, double chocolate, apple cinnamon, salted caramel, orange marmalade, and brown sugar and cinnamon.

When I’m in the UK, I’ll treat myself to a package of store-bought buns during my weekly shopping trip. However, they’re not nearly as ubiquitous in the US—and if I do spot them in a US supermarket, they’re often piled with gobs of sweet, sugary white icing, bearing little resemblence to the simple flour-and-water crosses piped on British hot cross buns.

So if I’m on the other side of the pond, I break out the stand mixer and bake my own hot cross buns instead.

What are Hot Cross Buns?

Hot cross buns are spiced, sweet bread rolls traditionally eaten in the United Kingdom, and around the world, during the weeks leading up to Easter. The buns likely originated in England and date back to at least the 14th century, when a monk at St. Albans Cathedral developed the recipe to distribute to poor parishioners on Good Friday.

Traditional hot cross buns feature an enriched dough consisting of flour, sugar, butter, milk, eggs, and yeast, plus spices such as ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, or mixed spice. (The St. Albans version also contains cardamom.) They’re often filled with dried fruit, such as raisins, currants, or mixed peel, and are always marked with a flour-and-water cross on top.

Ingredients for Making Hot Cross Buns

To make hot cross buns, you’ll need the following ingredients:

• All Purpose Flour – All purpose flour (or plain flour) forms the base for the bun dough. In the US, I typically use Gold Medal or Pillsbury; in the UK, I prefer McDougalls plain flour in the red-and-white striped bag.
• Granulated Sugar – You’ll need granulated sugar (or caster sugar, measured by weight) to make the bun dough and the bun wash.
• Instant Yeast – Instant yeast makes the bun dough rise.
• Kosher Salt – I test my recipes with Diamond Crystal kosher salt. You can also use fine sea salt.
• Whole Milk – For enriched dough, opt for whole milk rather than skimmed. I have not tested this recipe with plant milk.
• Egg – You’ll need 1 large egg, at room temperature.

• Unsalted Butter – Adding butter and egg creates an enriched dough, yielding a softer, richer texture.
• Mixed Peel – Cut mixed peel (a mix of tiny pieces of candied orange and lemon) features prominently in many British baking recipes. If you’re US-based and can’t find mixed peel locally, you can order it from Amazon, or substitute finely chopped homemade candied orange peels instead.
  
• Currants – Dried currants are a frequent addition to hot cross bun recipes. If you don’t like currants, you can substitute raisins or sultanas (golden raisins) instead.
• Mixed Spice – Mixed spice is a ground spice blend used in many British recipes, like Christmas puddings and mince pies. In the US, you can purchase mixed spice on Amazon, or you can make your own homemade spice blend.

Making and Piping the Crosses on Hot Cross Buns

If you’ve purchased hot cross buns in the United States, they probably came with a big, gooey, sweet frosting cross on top. While tasty for those with a sweet tooth, these American-style hot cross buns differ from the kind made and sold in the UK.

In the UK, the “crossing mixture” consists of flour and water, whisked together to form a thick paste. To make, simply combine the two ingredients in a small bowl. (You might need to add an extra splash of water to achieve the right consistency—it should be thick enough to hold its shape, but still fluid enough to flow from the piping bag with ease.)

After proving and before baking, scoop the paste into a disposable piping bag (or a plastic food storage bag with the corner clipped) and pipe an X shape across the top of each bun:

As they bake, the dough will turn golden brown, making the white crosses appear more prominent:

How to Enjoy Easter Hot Cross Buns

After my first time making hot cross buns at Le Cordon Bleu, I took the leftovers home for breakfast.

When I returned to school the next day, my British classmate asked me how I’d eaten the leftover buns. I’ll never forget the horrified look on her face when I said that I’d simply eaten them cold!

Turns out, while you technically can eat hot cross buns “raw” (a.k.a., plain and cold, as I did that first time), the best technique is to split them in half and toast the slices under the grill (broiler) or in a toaster oven, then slather in a thick layer of butter. You can also add a spoonful of jam or marmalade, if you’d like.

To use up the leftovers, try turning your hot cross buns into a fancy bread pudding or hot cross bun French toast. BBC Good Food also has some fun topping suggestions for taking hot cross buns to the next level.

Make-Ahead and Storage Suggestions

Hot cross buns taste best on the day they are made. Wrap leftovers in foil, or place in an airtight container and store at room temperature for up to 2 days. Slice leftover buns and toast under the grill (broiler) or in a toaster oven until the cut sides are crispy and brown around. the edges.

To freeze: Wrap hot cross buns in foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature. Serve sliced and toasted.

Other Easter recipes you might enjoy:

Buttercream Easter Eggs
Easter Candy Corn
Easy Easter Brownies with Buttercream
Easter Rice Krispie Bird Nest Treats
Floral Wreath Meringue Cookies
Homemade Easter Sprinkles

And if you do make these, or any of my recipes, don’t forget to tag me @bastecutfold or use the hashtag #bastecutfold on Instagram. I always love to see what you’re making!

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