Naturally sweetened with maple syrup, these soft yeasted Hot Cross Buns are perfumed with lemon and orange zest with spice highlights from cinnamon and a touch of cardamom.
Studded with currants, they can be made and baked on the same day or overnight for ultimate easy. They’re finished with a simple bowl and spoon lightly sweetened vanilla-orange mascarpone cross or a powdered sugar drizzle.
A Spring Tradition: Soft Hot Cross Buns
Hot Cross Buns are sweet buns that sometimes contain dried fruit and spices and are marked with a cross on top. They’re traditionally enjoyed on Good Friday or for Easter. They’re a delightful addition to breakfast or brunch, anytime.
Traditionally hot cross buns made with a flour paste cross that’s piped on before baking. However, there’s different variations. In pastry school, we made the cross with pastry cream (much tastier than flour paste). I’ve also finished hot cross buns with my Luscious Lemon Cream Cheese Icing, a simple powdered sugar and orange juice drizzle, and my favorite, vanilla-orange mascarpone icing. I include the drizzle and mascarpone icing in this recipe. If you’re after a traditional recipe, check out Mary Berry’s Hot Cross Buns.
These Buns Are
- made same day or overnight
- naturally sweetened with maple syrup
- buttery, soft and fluffy
If you make homemade sweet breads, you’ll enjoy these irresistible yeasted Hot Cross Buns.
About the Key Ingredients
- Milk – enriches and softens the buns. You can use whole dairy milk or to make dairy free hot cross buns you can use plant milk. I like unsweetened Homemade Cashew Milk.
- Instant/Quick Rise Yeast – a commercial yeast that provides leavening and mild yeasty flavor. Instant yeast is also known as quick-rise yeast and can be used interchangeably. For this recipe, you’ll notice I proof the yeast in milk with a pinch of sugar. Because instant yeast doesn’t require proofing, you can skip this step and add it directly to the dry ingredients. However, if you suspect your yeast is old, or just want to make sure it’ll activate, you can proof it while you’re prepping other ingredients (this is shown in the steps and recipe video below).
- Eggs – help create a soft texture but also provide structure to the buns. You’ll use two in the dough and one for an egg wash, which creates a shiny golden top.
- Unsalted Butter – creates tender, soft and flavorful hot cross buns. For dairy free buns, I like unsalted Earth Balance buttery sticks.
- Maple Syrup — creates a lightly sweetened hot cross bun, and also is a secret ingredient to making them oh so soft!
- Orange and Lemon – you’ll use the zest of both in the dough. This flavors and perfumes the buns giving them a light citrus flavor.
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How to Make Soft Hot Cross Buns
step by step
“Super recipe with great instructions. I served them to friends this morning and they received rave reviews!”
Cookies4Kids
If your kitchen is cool (68F or cooler), you can use your oven to help control the rising process. Let your covered dough rise in a turned off oven with the light on. The gentle warmth will help the dough rise in a timely manner. This technique can be done for the first and second rise.
How to Know When the Proofed Buns are Ready to Bake
Do the poke test!
Here’s what to do: wet your fingertip and gently press the dough in. Watch the dough closely.
- Ready for The Oven: the dough will spring back slowly and leave a small, shallow indent.
- Needs More Time: If the dough springs back right away and returns to its pre-poke state, it needs more proofing. Give the dough another 10 minutes or so, and test again.
- Over Proofed: If you poke the dough and it doesn’t spring back at all, it’s over-proofed.
Finishing the Buns
I’ve included two options for finishing the hot cross buns, after baking. Think about how you want to share the buns, then decide how you’ll finish them. Here are two options for this recipe:
1. Vanilla Orange Mascarpone Icing: what I love most about this icing is how easy it is to make – you just gently mix mascarpone, vanilla bean or paste, powdered sugar and orange zest in a bowl. It’s light, flavorful and melts in your mouth! You can serve it on the table and spread it on warm, sliced buns, or you can cool the buns completely then pipe on the crosses (shown in video on the recipe card below).
2. Powdered Sugar Drizzle: a delicious option for an easy and/or dairy free finish. It’s easy to make in a bowl with milk or orange juice, powdered sugar and a touch of cinnamon. This is drizzled on while the buns are still warm.
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How to Make Vanilla Orange Mascarpone Icing
Baker’s Schedule: Overnight or Same-Day Buns
The recipe includes two baking options to fit your schedule. Either option produces similar results. However, a longer rise adds a bit more yeasty nuanced flavor. Here’s a quick look at two ways to approach the recipe depending on your schedule.
same day schedule
mix – rise – shape – proof – bake
Same Day: this sweet bun recipe can be made in about four +/- hours from start to finish, in which case you’d need to get up before dawn to have them ready for breakfast. Much of this time is hands off while the dough rises. A more leisurely schedule for same-day buns would be to share them with brunch.
overnight schedule
mix – rise – shape – refrigerate overnight – proof – bake
Overnight: mix the buns, rise the dough, shape into balls, then slip the pan into a plastic bag and retard the dough in the refrigerator overnight, 8- 24 hours. In the morning, set the buns out at room temperature to almost double in size. In my kitchen chilly kitchen, this takes about 2 hours 45 minutes.
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Traci’s Tips
- Mind the Color: I bake these buns to a golden brown, but you’ll need to watch them during the last 10 minutes of baking. If they start getting too dark, loosely lay a sheet of foil over the top. For a lighter take, see the recipe video below.
- Icing Tips: once baked, and if piping the cross, you’ll need to allow the buns to cool for about an hour and a half otherwise the icing will melt. Or, serve the mascarpone icing on the side, then slather it over hot pulled apart hot buns. Mmmm melty goodness!
- Vegan Buns: Liren at Kitchen Confidante has a Vegan Hot Cross Bun recipe you’ll enjoy!
Soft Hot Cross Buns (overnight or same day recipe)
Ingredients
For the Buns:
- 1/2 cup (115 grams) Milk warmed to 105-110F (40-43C) plant or dairy milk with a pinch of sugar
- 2 1/2 teaspoon Quick Rise Yeast also known as Instant Yeast *see note
- 2/3 cup (95 grams) Dried Currants or raisins, **see note
- 4 tablespoons Light Rum or water
- 3 Whole Eggs two for the dough, one will be used for egg wash
- 1/2 cup (113 grams) Unsalted Butter melted and cooled to the touch, plant butter or dairy
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract or Vanilla Bean Paste
- 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon (75 grams) Pure Maple Syrup
- 2 2/3 cups (380 grams) All Purpose Flour plus more for dusting
- 1 3/4 teaspoons Cinnamon ground
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Cardamom ground
- 3/4 teaspoons Fine Sea Salt
- 1 Lemon zested, about 1 teaspoon of zest
- 1 Orange zested, about 1 1/2 teaspoons of zest
For the Icing (see notes for alternative drizzle):
- 8 ounces (226 grams) Mascarpone Cheese straight from the refrigerator
- 3 tablespoons Powdered Sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoon Orange Zest from one large orange
- 1/2 Vanilla Bean Scraped or 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste
Instructions
For the Buns:
- Get Ready: Spray a 9"x9"x2" (23x23cm) baking pan with grease, then line the pan with parchment paper, and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, add the warmed milk, sprinkle yeast over the top, and add a pinch of sugar. Whisk and set aside for 15 minutes to proof. It will be bubbly and frothy when ready. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, pour the rum over the currants/raisins, cover and warm for 30 seconds in the microwave. This will plump them up. Drain, pressing the currants/raisins through a fine strainer just before using in the recipe.
- Mix: To the frothy milk/yeast mixture, add 2 eggs, cooled melted butter, vanilla extract, and maple syrup. Whisk thoroughly. To the wet ingredients, add the flour, cardamom, cinnamon, and sea salt. Use a wooden spoon to mix first, then as the ingredients come together mix by hand until there are no dry patches. Add the lemon and orange zest and the drained currants/raisins. Using one hand, gently lift and press the dough over and onto itself while rotating the bowl in quarter turns with each fold with the other hand. Do this for about one minute to thoroughly mix in the zest and currants/raisins. The dough will feel soft and greasy.
- Knead: Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface. Actively knead the dough for about 9-10 minutes until the dough has a tacky, not sticky, feel to it. If the dough sticking to your hands and/or work surface, dust with flour and continue kneading.
- First Rise: Roll into a ball by tucking the edges in underneath. Place in a lightly greased clean bowl, cover with a damp tea towel or plastic wrap and place in a warm location to rise (see tip in notes) to double in size.
- Divide and Shape: Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Gently roll the dough into a log and divide into 12 equal pieces (use a scale if you have one to portion each piece to about 74 grams each). Roll each piece into a ball and place into the parchment lined baking pan. (see options A and B for finishing the buns).Second Rise (proof): A. Overnight Buns: Cover the buns with plastic wrap and place the buns in the refrigerator overnight (8-24 hours). In the morning, remove them from the refrigerator and allow buns to rise until almost doubled in size. When ready, they should be squishing against one another. Use the TIP in the notes to speed this process along (my overnight buns take about two hours to proof after removing them from the refrigerator using the oven proof method). B. Same Day Buns: Cover the buns with a damp tea towel or plastic wrap and set buns in warm spot to rise (proof) until almost doubled in size. When ready, they should be squishing against one another. Use the TIP in the notes to speed this process along. (my same day buns take about one hour to proof using the oven proof method).
- If using the oven to proof your buns, remove the buns from the oven before preheating the oven. Bake: Preheat the oven to 375F (190C). Crack the remaining egg into a bowl and whisk with one tablespoon of water. Brush the tops of the buns with egg wash and bake for 23-25 minutes. If they're getting too dark, loosely place a piece of foil over the pan. The buns are done when a digital food thermometer inserted into the buns read between 190- 195 Fahrenheit (87 – 90 Celsius). The tops will be golden brown.
- Finish: Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack. Cool completely before piping the mascarpone icing crosses. You can also share the buns warm without the cross, and serve the mascarpone icing on the side. Aternatively, cool 5-10 minutes, then add the optional the drizzle (see notes).
For the Mascarpone Icing (see notes for alternative drizzle):
- In a small bowl, add the mascarpone. Sift in the powdered sugar, add the orange zest and vanilla beans. Gently mix the icing just until the ingredients come together. Do not whisk or mix vigorously or the mixture could break. Transfer half the icing to a piping or zip bag and cut a small opening at the tip. Refrigerate the icing until ready to pipe. Once the buns are cool, pipe the icing in a cross shape over the buns. Share the remaining icing on the side for slathering. Alternatively, you can share warm buns with the icing on the side. Slice the buns open and slather the icing inside the buns.
Made these yesterday and baked them this morning for Easter breakfast. They are delicious, I may have baked them too long, as they were a little on the dry side. Excellent with a cup of coffee.
Hiii Cindy! So happy to hear you enjoyed the buns. I’m curious about them being dry. We’re you able to temp the inside of the buns?
The Easter buns were delicious.!!I have been trying various bread recipes during the last several weeks while home bound and I think these were the best! Your instructions are always clear and I really enjoy trying your recipes! I used raisins and dark rum as that’s what I had on hand! Thanks for your inspiring words.
Hi Judy! Thank you for your note, kind words and giving the buns a go! SO happy to hear you enjoyed them and that you’re baking various bread recipes. Thank you for your tip on dark rum and raisins :D
Is it ok to let the mixer do the kneading?
You bet! After mixing with the paddle attachment to a shaggy dough, switch to the dough hook and knead on speed 3 or 4 for about five minutes. You’re looking for a tacky, not sticky dough and the dough should pull away from the sides of the bowl. I hope this helps!
Super recipe with great instructions. I served them to friends this morning and they received rave reviews!
That means so much to me…(!!) Thank you for sharing and making the recipe! I’m so happy y’all enjoyed them! :D
Thank you for this gorgeous recipe! I wondered if you think almond milk would work and also earth balance instead of butter for a vegan option? Thank you so very much :)
Hi Carrie! Thank you for your note. I’m almost certain almond milk would be fine, but since I didn’t test this recipe with Earth Balance (and I’ve never baked with it), I’m not sure it would work (or how they would taste). I’m not sure how the eggs could be replaced in this recipe. Sounds like I need to get to work on a vegan recipe for Hot Cross Buns! I hope this helps.
These were beautiful. Light, full of flavor, moist. They will be my new Easter tradition. I was so so happy with them! I didn’t have an orange so I soaked the currents in grand marnier. In the excitement of taking them out of the oven, I forgot to put the icing on. However, we loved them without! Thank you Traci – yet again :)
These are everything I am seeking for in a spiced bun.. the refreshing perfume of citrus zests, that hit of booze in dried fruit and a punch from warming spices in a tender sweet dough! Glorious, Traci! Wish we were sharing some over a cuppa! Happy Easter! Xo Hazel