Hot cross buns are a traditional Good Friday food, and here they are made with sourdough! These are soft and pillowy, heavily spiced with cinnamon, allspice, and orange, chock full of dried fruit or chocolate chips, and finished off with a piped cross + sweet glaze. You'll probably want to eat them year round!
Hot cross buns! Hot cross buns! One a penny, two a penny, hot cross buns!
Is it stuck in your head? Mine too. I couldn't not.
But it's not just the first song you ever learned on the recorder (and subsequently drove your parents to the brink of insanity with), they're also a really delicious, traditional Easter food!
These buns have it all: ultra-enriched with eggs, milk, and butter; orange zest, vanilla, chocolate chips and/or raisins, plus they're loaded with cinnamon and allspice.
And did I mention how pillowy soft they are?
Traditional hot cross buns have a mixture of flour and water piped over them before they're baked (this is what gives them their "cross"). This method is what's written in the recipe card, BUT the non traditional way is to pipe on icing once they're baked and cooled. I have that option written in the notes. Know your audience and choose accordingly!
These are like. Ridiculously good.
Like people will maybe lose their minds while these buns bake in the oven and the scent of orange, chocolate, cinnamon, and allspice waft through the house.
Good thing they're best eaten warm because not one person in my house could wait for them to cool even to a reasonable temperature for human consumption before digging in.
the history
Hot cross buns took off as traditional Good Friday food in the 1500's when Queen Elizabeth made it illegal to make hot cross buns except on Christmas, Good Friday, and for funerals. Apparently, if you were caught making hot cross buns outside of these time frames, they were confiscated and given to the poor.
In the 18th century, street sellers began widely selling hot cross buns, selling one large bun for a penny, or two small ones for a penny, coining the iconic lyric.
The crosses on top symbolize the crucifixion of Christ, the spices are a reminder of the spices prepared for his burial, and the rise point to his resurrection.
Hot cross buns are a symbolic and delicious once-a-year treat with a rich history. They are still enjoyed for breakfast/brunch throughout the world on Good Friday.
how to make hot cross buns
I won't lie to you - these are kind of a beast to make. But for something we're eating once a year, it's worth it! (It also helps that they are seriously amazing. Like, Josh said he likes them more than cinnamon rolls. THAT amazing.)
The dough
This is a sticky dough that you'll definitely want to use a mixer for! Since it's enriched with milk, butter, and eggs, and has added chocolate chips/fruit, it is HEAVY and may take extra long to rise.
To make the dough, you'll mix the wet ingredients, then add the dry ingredients to combine. Once it's mixed together, you'll add in the mix-ins and knead until smooth.
I'm using my tried-and-true method here of melting butter in a pan, then adding cold milk once it's off the heat. The warm butter and pan heat the milk while the milk cools the butter, so everything is the perfect temperature to add to the dough right away. Just be sure to feel it before adding - it should feel like bath water.
The filling
I have two options for fillings in the recipe card - raisins and chocolate chips. Whichever you use, they're added to the dough at the same time.
Traditionally, hot cross buns have dried fruit in them - usually a combination of candied peel and currants. Raisins are a great substitute if you want to go the fruit route!
If you want to go non-traditional, chocolate chips are so delicious. Especially when the rolls are warm, fresh from the oven. It is perfection! And chocolate + orange + spices is probably one of my favorite combinations of all time.
Whichever route you go, you really can't go wrong!
Dividing + shaping
To divide the dough, I like to turn the risen dough out onto a floured surface, fold the edges in to make a rectangle, and then use a bench scraper to divide into 15 pieces. It's okay to eyeball them - they don't have to be exactly the same, but feel free to use your scale to weigh out portions if you want. You'll just have to weigh the dough before and divide by 15 - the weight can change significantly depending on what filling you use.
Then shape into rolls and place in a 5x3 grid in a greased 9x13-inch pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 1 ½-2 hours more, until they're noticeably puffed up.
The crosses
The signature of a hot cross bun! The crosses are piped onto the risen rolls right before baking. They're made using a paste of flour + water (it will take you right back to your days of making a starter!)
Pipe across a full row of rolls - going slowly so the mixture sinks into the spaces between rolls. Then pipe going across the rolls perpendicularly to form a cross on each. You can either use a piping bag + tip for this, or a plastic bag with the corner snipped.
To make crosses using icing - whisk together 1 cup of powdered sugar with 2-3 teaspoons of milk. You want this to be thick enough to be able to pipe, and smooth enough to form a nice line without breaks. Pour the glaze on while the buns are still warm, then wait until they are COMPLETELY COOL before piping the crosses - otherwise they will melt and run.
The glaze
Here is where I most significantly deviate from traditional hot cross buns, which are brushed with either an egg wash before baking, or a simple sugar glaze after baking to give them a sheen.
I like to make a small batch, thin icing, and pour it over the rolls a few minutes after they come out of the oven. It melts all over the tops and gives them that signature shine.
It is easy to make and you can start it right after you pull the rolls out of the oven. In photos, it looks like a lot, but that's only because it pools at the sides. When I eat these, I don't even really think of them as having icing on them.
The glaze gives these the traditional shine, and pouring a sugary liquid over the buns while they're still warm helps to keep them super soft!
Storage
Most definitely these are best straight out of the oven, but since they're so enriched, they will stay soft for 2-3 days. Store at room temperature covered tightly. Reheat before eating.
After a few days, these will start to get harder. If you make it this long without eating them, you are in for a treat because they're at their prime for toasting + slathering in butter.
Happy Easter prepping!
Sourdough Hot Cross Buns
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons (70 grams) unsalted butter
- 240 grams whole milk
- 200 grams sourdough starter
- 100 grams dark brown sugar
- 1 egg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 500 grams bread flour
- 13 grams salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- Zest from 1 orange
- 1 cup raisins OR 1 ½ cup chocolate chips
Flour Cross
- 75 grams all purpose flour
- 75 grams water
Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons milk
Directions
Make the Dough
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Once melted, remove from heat and pour in the milk. Mix the starter, egg, brown sugar, and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the warm butter and milk and mix until fully combined. Switch to the dough hook and add the flour, salt, cinnamon, allspice, and orange zest. Mix on low speed for 1 minute, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Once all the dry ingredients are incorporated, add in the chocolate chips or raisins. Knead on low speed for 5 minutes. It will still be sticky, but will start to look shiny towards the end of kneading.Gather the dough into a ball in the bottom of the bowl, cover tightly, and let rise at room temperature until doubled in size - about 12 hours. (Note that this may take longer since the dough is so heavy!)
Shape the Rolls
- Turn risen dough out onto a generously floured surface. Fold envelope-style to make a rectangle, then cut into 15 roughly equal squares. Shape each piece into a roll, and place seam side-down into a greased 9x13-inch pan. Cover the pan and let rise at room temperature until the rolls are nicely puffed up - about 1 ½ to 2 hours.
Pipe the Crosses + Bake the Rolls
- Toward the end of the rise, preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, mix the flour and water until smooth and transfer to a Ziplock bag. Snip a small hole in one of the corners of the bag and pipe a line down each row of rolls. Go slowly to allow the paste to sink into the crevices between rolls. Pipe perpendicular lines across the tops of each roll to form the crosses. (See note if you want to do an icing cross). Bake for 22-25 minutes, until baked through and browned, rotating the pan halfway through baking.
Make + Drizzle the Glaze
- While the rolls cool slightly, make the glaze. Whisk together the powdered sugar and milk until smooth. Drizzle over the pan of rolls and allow to seep in for a few minutes before digging in!Store cooled rolls covered at room temperature. Reheat before eating.
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