Hot Cross Buns

Hot cross buns have been around for many hundred years. Some say that they were introduced to the world by a monk who marked them with a cross in honor of Good Friday. He wanted all to share them and show love in their friendships. 

Queen Elizabethan in England decided to limit the production of hot cross buns in the 16th century. They would have only been sold during Christmas, funerals and Good Friday, the Friday before Easter. This law to ban the buns was not one that was observed, and many people disagreed with the ruling.  Thus, the buns were made throughout the year whenever the people wanted.

Another idea that the hot cross buns held special healing powers also was found to be a suspicion. Some that enjoyed these buns believed that if the hot cross buns were baked on Good Friday, they would never go stale and would ward off evil.  In the past ages these buns would only be ate on Good Friday, however modern time has saw them baked many times throughout the year and hosting no special powers. 

Make your own Hot Cross Buns 

• 3 teaspoons instant or rapid rise yeast (9 grams) , Note 1, CHECK still active!
• ▢1/2 cup (110g) caster sugar (superfine sugar)
• ▢1 1/2 cups (375ml) milk, warm , full fat or low fat (Note 2)
• ▢4 1/4 cups (640g) bread flour (or plain / all purpose) (Note 3)
• ▢2 tsp cinnamon powder
• ▢2 tsp All Spice OR Mixed Spice (Note 4)
• ▢1/2 tsp salt
• ▢1 1/2 cups (210g) sultanas (Note 4)
• ▢1 – 2 oranges, zest only (Note 4)
• ▢50g / 3.5 tbsp  unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• ▢1 egg , at room temperature

Mix dry – Place flour, yeast, sugar, all spice, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Briefly mix with stand mixer fitted with a dough hook.

Add wet – Add butter, milk, egg, sultanas and zest.

Standmixer: Mix for 5 minutes until a smooth elastic dough forms. Start on speed 2 then once the ingredients are combined, increase to speed 4. After 1 minute, add extra flour if required, just enough so dough comes away from side of bowl when mixing and doesn't stick terribly to your fingers. (Note 5).

Hand kneading: Alternatively, dust a work surface with flour and knead by hand for 10 minutes.

Dough is kneaded enough when it's smooth and does not break when stretched – see photos & video for before/after comparison.

Rise #1:

Leave dough in the bowl, cover with cling wrap and place in a warm, wind free place to rise until doubled in size. This will take anywhere between 30 minutes to 1 1/2 hours depending on how warm it is – see Note 6.

Forming Balls (watch video, it’s helpful):

Line a 31.5 x 23.5 cm / 9 x 13″ tray with baking paper with overhang.

Remove cling wrap and punch dough to deflate.

Dust work surface with flour, place dough on work surface, shape into a log – this will deflate the air. Cut into 12 equal pieces.

Take one piece and press down with palm, then use your fingers to gather into a ball, then roll the dough briefly to form a ball. This stretches the dough on one side and that’s how I get a nice smooth surface.

Place the ball with the smooth side up on the tray. Repeat with remaining dough. Line them up 3 x 4.

Rise # 2:

Spray a piece of cling wrap lightly with oil (any), then loosely place over the tray.

Return tray to warm place and leaver 30 – 45 minutes, until the dough has risen by about 75% (less than double in size).

Partway through Rise #2, preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (all oven types).

Crosses:

Mix flour and water until a thick runny paste forms – see video for thickness required.

Spoon into a round 3 mm piping bag or small ziplock bag then snip corner.

Remove the cling wrap and pipe crosses onto the buns. Go slow so it hugs the curves.

Baking/Glaze:

Bake in preheated oven (180°C/350°F) for 22 minutes, or until the surface is a deep golden brown. The surface colour is the best test for this recipe.

Meanwhile, place jam and water in a bowl, microwave for 30 seconds. Mix to combine.

Remove buns from oven. Use overhang to lift buns onto a cooling rack.

Brush with jam mixture while warm. Allow to cool to warm before serving.

Recipe Notes:

1.  Yeast: Use any yeast labelled instant or rapid rise yeast. I use Lowan Dried Instant Yeast (red tube, sold at Woolies/Coles baking aisle). 

YEAST CHECK to ensure your yeast is still active (unless you just bought/opened a fresh bottle): mix 1 teaspoon yeast with 1/2 tsp white sugar and 1/4 cup warm water (40C / 100-110F). Leave 10 minutes. Foamy and creamy, smells yeasty = yeast is good. If no foam, it’s dead. Time to get another!

Normal yeast / active dry yeast – same ingredients, but start as follows:

mix yeast, 2 teaspoons of the sugar and all the warm milk in the bowl, then leave 5 – 10 minutes until surface gets foamy;

add all the other ingredients (including remaining sugar minus the 2 tsp used above), then mix/knead per recipe; and

proceed with recipe as written.

Fresh yeast (comes in a block that crumbles, not powder like dry yeast) – use 27g/ 0.9 oz. Crumble it into the milk and let stand until it foams up, same as using active dry yeast per above.

2. Milk warmth – Scalding hot milk kills the yeast. I heat it for 45 seconds on high in the microwave. The test is this: stick your finger in. If it was a bath, would it be pleasant? Good. It’s not too hot or too cold!

3. Breads are also fluffier and more tender if made with bread flour rather than normal flour. However, this recipe works great with normal white flour too.

Flour quantity – differs all year round, and with different flour brands. Start with 4 1/4 cups to be safe (better to start sticky and add more flour as required), expect to add an extra 1/4 cup. DO NOT add too much flour – results in dry dough = tough buns.

4. Flavourings

Spices – All Spice is my default, but I also use Mixed Spice too and no one would ever know the difference. Sub with: 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp each cloves and nutmeg

Sultanas: Some recipes say to add sultanas after the dough has been kneaded or risen. If you do this, you’ll find it very hard to disperse them evenly throughout the dough. By adding them before kneading, some do get squished. But it’s not noticeable in the end resu