Heavily flavored with traditional baking spices, citrus zest and raisins, these Hot Cross Buns are a delicious way to start the morning!
Prep Time2 hourshrs30 minutesmins
Cook Time20 minutesmins
Total Time2 hourshrs50 minutesmins
Course: Bread, Breakfast, Brunch
Cuisine: American
Keyword: bread, hot cross buns, roll
Servings: 12buns
Calories: 289kcal
Ingredients
For the Buns
4cupsbread flour
½cupgranulated sugar
2¼tspinstant dry yeasti.e. 1 (¼-oz. packet)
1tspsalt
1½tspground cinnamon
1tspground allspice
½tspground cloves
¼tspground nutmeg
4Tbspunsalted buttersoftened
1¼cupswarm milk
1large egg
1½tspvanilla extract
¾cupgolden raisins
¾cupraisins
zest of 1 lemon
zest of 1 orange
For the Crosses
½cupall-purpose flour
2Tbsppowdered sugar
5Tbspwater
For the Glaze
¼cupapricot jam
1Tbspwater
Instructions
For the Buns
Using the bowl of a countertop mixer, add flour, sugar, instant dry yeast, salt, cinnamon, allspice, cloves and nutmeg; stir until well combined.
In a separate bowl, add butter, warm milk, egg and vanilla extract; stir until well combined.
Pour liquid mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Using the dough hook attachment, stir until dough begins to come together.
Add golden raisins, raisins, lemon zest and orange zest; continue mixing until well combined.
Turn dough out into a large oiled bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in a warm location until dough approximately doubles in size (~1 hour). Note: I always let dough rise in the oven with only the oven light on.
Line a baking tray with parchment paper; set tray aside.
Transfer dough to a lightly-floured surface and divide into 12 equal pieces. Working with one piece at a time, flatten dough and then press down on top with your palm. Rotate hand clockwise until dough comes together in a ball. Place dough balls at least 1½” apart on the prepared tray.
Lightly spray tops of dough balls with baking spray. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and place tray in a warm location for 60 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350°F. (Note: If letting the dough rise in the oven, make sure to remove tray before preheating oven.)
For the Crosses
Using a small bowl, whisk together the flour, powdered sugar and water. Transfer mixture into a piping bag or a sandwich bag with one corner snipped off. Pipe a cross onto the top of each roll.
Bake at 350°F for 18-22 minutes, or until buns are golden brown in color. (Note: If you have an instant read thermometer, the temperature of the rolls should be ~200°F.)
Remove tray from oven and let rolls cool slightly.
For the Glaze
Using a microwave safe bowl, add apricot jam and water. Heat in 30-second intervals, stirring after each interval, until jam has melted and mixture is smooth. While rolls are still warm, brush tops with the glaze.