Hot-Cross Buns

By Florence Fabricant

Updated April 19, 2020

  • Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
3 hours
Rating
4(548)
Comments
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The hot-cross bun has been a Good Friday treat, eaten to mark the end of Lent, for centuries. It is a sweet yeast roll, fragrant with warm spices, studded with dried and candied fruit, and decorated with a cross on top. Bakers traditionally created the cross by slashing the dough or by laying strips of pastry across the crown of the bun; modern bakers usually use white icing to make the cross. While these are at their best when served warm, preferably soon after they have been baked, a quick toasting a slather of butter would more than salvage a day-old bun.

Featured in: Hot-Cross Buns: Giving Tradition A Fresh Accent

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Ingredients

Yield:2 dozen

  • 1 package active dry yeast

  • 1 cup warm milk

  • 5 tablespoons butter, softened

  • ½ cup brown sugar

  • 2 large eggs

  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

  • ½ teaspoon ground cloves

  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 3 ½ cups, approximately, all-purpose flour

  • ¾ cup dried currants

  • 3 tablespoons milk mixed with 3 tablespoons granulated sugar

  • 1 tablespoon cold milk (optional)

  • 1 cup sifted confectioners' sugar (optional)

  • ½ teaspoon lemon juice (optional)

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (24 servings)

27 grams carbs; 23 milligrams cholesterol; 152 calories; 1 gram monosaturated fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 3 grams fat; 1 gram fiber; 112 milligrams sodium; 4 grams protein; 12 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Mix the yeast with 4 tablespoons of the warm milk in a small bowl and set aside about 5 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Meanwhile, cream 4 tablespoons of the butter and brown sugar and beat in the eggs. When yeast mixture becomes frothy, stir it in, along with the spices, salt and remaining warm milk. Beat in the flour a cup at a time until a soft ball of dough can be gathered together. Dough can be mixed by machine if desired.

  3. Step 3

    Place dough on a floured work surface and lightly knead in the currants, adding more flour as necessary to keep dough from sticking. Kneading should take no more than a few minutes.

  4. Step 4

    Using some of the remaining butter, grease a bowl. Place the dough in the bowl and turn to butter all sides. Cover and set aside to rise until doubled, about 1 ½ hours.

  5. Step 5

    Butter two baking sheets with the remaining butter.

  6. Step 6

    Punch the dough down, divide it in half, then divide each piece in half again. Divide each portion of dough into six equal pieces and shape each into a ball.

  7. Step 7

    Place balls of dough on baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between them. Set aside, covered lightly with waxed paper, to rise until they have doubled in size, 45 minutes to an hour.

  8. Step 8

    Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

  9. Step 9

    Carefully slash a cross into the top of each bun, using a very sharp razor blade and cutting through the skin of the dough at least one-quarter inch deep. Or snip a small cross in the top with sharp scissors. Try not to compress the bun as you cut.

  10. Step 10

    Bake buns about 20 minutes, until they are lightly browned. Just before they come out of the oven, bring milk and sugar mixture to a boil. As soon as buns are done, brush them with milk and sugar glaze.

  11. Step 11

    Allow the buns to cool for 30 minutes, then serve while still warm.

  12. Step 12

    If desired, or if you have not cut the cross into the tops of the buns, the cross can be applied with icing. The buns must be completely cooled before the icing is applied. Mix the confectioners' sugar with the cold milk and lemon juice and, using the handle of a spoon or a chopstick, spread the icing to form a cross on top or to fill the cross-shaped cut.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
548 user ratings
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Comments

Juliet Jones

Sorry to say this, but here's a much better recipe, one that really looks and tastes like a Hot Cross Bun from England. It's by Paul Hollywood (of BBC's British Baking Show): https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2066661/hot-cross-buns

DD

They tasted great, just enough spiciness to make things interesting but not too much to overpower the flavor. One thing I will definitely change though is the baking time. 20 minutes at 400F was WAY too much in my oven. The second batch I baked at 380 for 12 minutes and they were just right.

Sinéad

This is nothing like a chelsea bun and this is also not a hot cross bun! They need the cross on the top made from a white dough (flour and water) not slash marks, they need a glaze and you always toast them. Never ice them. Go to the BBC good food recipe for an actual English hot cross bun.

MK

Do not bake it at 400 for 20 minutes. That’s a crazy high temperature. The recipe was lovely except for the burnt bottoms. Maybe 350 for 18-20 minutes?

VickiF

The recipe grandmas are right: 20 minutes of cooking time at 400 would give you hot cross briquets. And they were right to add orange and/or lemon zest. I cooked mine for 10 minutes and they were done.

Good, but 400 Is too hot.

15 minutes at 350 would suffice.

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