Soft and Sweet Traditional Hot Cross Buns from Scratch

A tender, milk-based dough packed with sweet sultanas and bright orange zest makes 12 Soft and Sweet Traditional Hot Cross Buns from Scratch. Bread flour provides a fluffy texture, while a thorough knead creates the structure needed for a tall rise. The buns bake at 350°F (180°C) until golden.

The Dough & First Rise

Active dry, instant, rapid rise, and fresh yeast are all viable options for this dough. If you select fresh yeast, you will need 27 grams crumbled into the milk to foam before use. You can easily test older yeast for viability by stirring it into warm water with some sugar. A foamy surface should appear after ten minutes. Expired yeast will prevent the dough from rising. Temperature is just as important to activate the yeast safely, so only warm the milk to a pleasant bath-water temperature. Overheating the milk will destroy the yeast and completely stop the rising process.

While standard white flour works perfectly fine, bread flour will give your buns a fluffier texture. Your exact flour needs will fluctuate depending on the humidity in your kitchen, meaning you will likely use more during the summer and less in the winter. Add any extra flour very sparingly. The goal is to reach a point where the dough clears the sides of the bowl but still feels slightly sticky. If you add too much flour, the dough becomes dry and bakes into hard, dense buns.

An electric machine fitted with a dough hook will bring the mixture together in just five minutes, while kneading manually takes about ten minutes. Pull a small section to check your progress. Once the dough feels elastic, looks completely smooth, and holds together without snapping under tension, it is fully developed. Putting in this time is quite important, since failing to knead sufficiently prevents a wonderfully soft and fluffy texture. If you try a no-knead method instead, be aware that those variations dry out much faster the very next day compared to fully kneaded batches.

The dough needs a warm and draft-free environment to rise. You can create an ideal spot by running your empty clothes dryer for two minutes. Place the covered bowl inside the warm dryer and shut the door. The dough needs 30 minutes to an hour and a half to double in volume.

Forming the Buns

Punch the risen dough down to deflate it and shape it into a thick cylinder.

Cut the cylinder into 12 even sections. Press one piece flat on the counter and gather the edges together like a pouch. This stretches the top surface into a smooth dome. Cup your hand over the piece and move it in brief circles on the counter to tighten the shape into a firm ball.

The Second Rise

Arrange the shaped dough balls in a lined 9 x 13 inch (31.5 x 23.5 cm) baking tray. Place them in a 3 by 4 grid with the smooth tops facing up. Cover the tray loosely with oiled plastic wrap. The buns need 30 to 45 minutes to grow by 75 percent. They will puff up and stop just before reaching twice their starting size.

Piping the Crosses

The cross paste requires a thick and runny consistency. This texture allows the paste to maintain its shape without baking into hard sprigs. A thin paste causes the crosses to run down the sides of the buns during baking. Mix the regular flour and water until a flowing paste forms. Spoon the paste into a piping bag and snip a small hole in the corner. Work slowly as you pipe the crosses across the rows. Let the lines drape down the rounded sides of the buns.

Baking & Glazing

Bake the buns in a preheated 350°F (180°C) oven for 22 minutes. The tops will look well browned when they finish. A heated apricot jam glaze provides a clear and glossy finish on the baked goods. Place the apricot jam and water in a microwave-safe container and heat it for 30 seconds. Brush the warm jam mixture over the buns while they sit on a cooling rack.

You can substitute honey, golden syrup, or maple syrup for the jam. Omit the added water if you use maple syrup. Red jams can also replace the apricot jam, but they will add a red tint to the bun surface.

Cooling and storage

Buns eaten immediately out of the oven have a doughy and undercooked interior. Let the baked buns cool for 20 minutes to finalize the interior cooking process. Allow the buns to reach a warm temperature before serving. You can prepare the dough one day ahead and bake the buns the following day.