Hot Cross Buns

By Genevieve Ko

Hot Cross Buns
Bobbi Lin for The New York Times. Food Stylist :Monica Pierini.
Total Time
4½ hours
Rating
4(754)
Notes
Read community notes

With their signature crossed tops, these lightly spiced hot cross buns are a delicious symbol of the Easter season. Stories of their origin stretch back to ancient Greece and Egypt, and they’re now best known as an English bun, forbidden during the reign of Elizabeth I except on Good Friday, Christmas and at burials. In the 18th century, a passage in Poor Robin’s Almanack refers to “one or two a penny hot cross buns,” which has evolved into well-known rhymes and songs. Some buns have a sugary icing cross. This version showcases a chewier bread with a dough cross baked right in, so you can — and should — eat them hot. Studded with raisins and candied orange peel, they’re just sweet enough to be a breakfast or teatime treat. If you have orange blossom water, be sure to add it to the glossy top for its floral perfume that evokes spring. (Watch the video of Genevieve Ko making hot cross buns here.)

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Ingredients

Yield:12 buns

    For the Dough

    • 1¼cups/300 grams whole milk
    • 2¼teaspoons/7 grams active dry yeast (1 envelope)
    • ¼cup/50 grams granulated sugar, plus 1 teaspoon
    • 3⅔cups/500 grams bread flour, plus more if needed (see Tip)
    • 1teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • 1teaspoon ground ginger
    • ½teaspoon ground cardamom
    • 1teaspoon fine salt
    • 4tablespoons/56 grams unsalted butter, plus more for the bowl and pan
    • 1large egg
    • ¾cup/120 grams raisins (see Tip)
    • ½cup/78 grams diced candied orange peel

    For the Topping

    • 1¾teaspoons orange blossom water (optional)
    • ⅓cup/50 grams bread flour (see Tip)
    • 1tablespoon granulated sugar
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (12 servings)

291 calories; 6 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 1 gram monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 53 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 17 grams sugars; 7 grams protein; 217 milligrams sodium

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

    Make the dough: Heat the milk in a small saucepan over medium until steaming. Remove from the heat. Transfer ¼ cup/60 grams hot milk to a small bowl and let cool to 110 to 115 degrees if needed, about 1 minute. It should feel lukewarm if you stick your finger in it. Stir in the yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. If the yeast doesn’t foam, it’s dead and won’t help the dough rise. (You’ll have to buy some more and start over if this happens.)

  2. Step 2

    Meanwhile, whisk the remaining ¼ cup sugar with the flour, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom and salt in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the butter to the milk in the saucepan and stir until it melts.

  3. Step 3

    When the butter has melted and the milk mixture is lukewarm, pour it into the dry ingredients, along with the yeast mixture and egg. If using a stand mixer, beat with the dough hook on medium-low speed until a smooth elastic ball forms, scraping the bowl and hook occasionally, about 10 minutes. The dough should feel sticky but not stick to your hands. If working by hand, mix the ingredients with your hand until a shaggy dough forms, then knead in the bowl to form a shaggy ball. Transfer to a work surface and continue kneading until smooth and elastic, about 15 minutes. You shouldn’t need to flour your surface, but, if the dough is sticking to it, lightly flour as needed.

  4. Step 4

    Add the raisins and candied orange peel to the dough and knead them in until evenly distributed. Form the dough into a ball.

  5. Step 5

    Generously butter a clean large bowl and transfer the dough ball to it. Turn the ball to coat with the butter, then cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel. Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1½ hours.

  6. Step 6

    Butter a 9-by-13-inch cake pan. Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and divide into 12 even pieces (90 to 100 grams each) with a bench scraper, sharp knife or your hands. Form a piece into a ball by folding it over itself and pulling the stretchy dough over the fruit bits so they’re not sticking out. Once you have a smooth ball, pinch the seam at the bottom shut and place seam side down on the surface. Cup your hand over the ball and move your hand quickly in a circular motion to tighten the ball into a perfect round. Place in the prepared pan. Repeat with the remaining dough and arrange the balls in a 3-by-4 grid, spacing evenly apart. At this point, you can cover the pan tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 1 day.

  7. Step 7

    Open a large, clean unscented produce, recycling or garbage bag and slip the pan into it. Fill a tall glass with hot water, place next to the pan in the bag and tie the bag shut. (This creates a warm, steamy environment for the dough to rise.) Let the balls rise until their sides are touching, about 1½ hours (longer if the dough has been chilled).

  8. Step 8

    When the dough is almost done rising, heat the oven to 400 degrees.

  9. Step 9

    Prepare the topping: If using orange blossom water, stir 1½ teaspoons into ¼ cup/60 grams water in a small bowl. Add the flour and stir into a smooth paste. Transfer to a pastry bag or resealable plastic bag and snip a ⅓-inch hole in one corner. Pipe lines across the centers of the balls in one direction and then again in the opposite direction so that each ball has a cross.

  10. Step 10

    Bake until risen and browned, 20 to 22 minutes. The internal temperature of a center bun should register 190 degrees. While the buns are baking, heat the sugar and 1 tablespoon water in a small saucepan over medium until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining ¼ teaspoon orange blossom water, if using. As soon as the buns come out of the oven, brush the syrup evenly over them. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.

Tips
  • You can substitute 4 cups/500 grams all-purpose flour for the bread flour in the dough and ⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon/50 grams all-purpose flour for the bread flour in the topping. The buns may not rise as high while baking and the crosses may not stand out as much, but the buns will still be delicious.
  • Use dark or golden raisins, whichever you prefer. If your raisins are dried out, you can make them plump and juicy again by covering them with very hot tap water (or just boiled water) and letting them stand while you prepare the dough, about 10 minutes. Drain well before kneading them into the dough.

Ratings

4 out of 5
754 user ratings
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Cooking Notes

Jean21

FYI - Not all garbage bags or recycling bags are food safe even if they are unscented. https://ask.usda.gov/s/article/Can-I-cook-or-store-foods-in-a-trash-bag#:~:text=No.,be%20absorbed%20into%20the%20food. Master Class: You can DIY a proofing box by placing a loaf pan at the bottom of the oven and pouring 3 cups boiling water into the pan. Place the bread on the rack above, and keep the oven door closed. Do not turn on or heat. Food safe bags can be purchased on Amazon or other food websites

Bella

In England, we often slice them in half and butter them. Sometimes a bit of jam too.

Leitha

Better than raisins are tiny currants, which add a zing to the dough and are a more traditional ingredient, in my British-oriented book!

Snew

I followed the recipe exactly and buns were perfect, ever if I had to make my own candied orange peel before I could start! Notes say the recipe produces a chewier bun than typical. I didn’t find that to be true. Mine were quite light. Excellent texture. Also, using the exact same pan as in the photo, mine came out bigger than those in the photo. They are quite different from the ones usually served—they are not sweet at all unless one gets a bunch of raisins at once. They almost call for honey

Val

@Anna someone else suggested homemade peel. I had two oranges on the counter so it was a snap to make. Basically cook in water till soft, drain and then roll in sugar. I saved a few slices for a Manhattan, later. Oh and i used the orange syrup in the crosses and glaze.

Kathleen

I made these with 3 cups King Arthur whole wheat flour and 2/3 cup unbleached. I did not use candied orange peel, but grated orange zest. What a spectacular flavor! Otherwise followed the recipe. They were perfect. Measure in grams! It makes such a difference! A digital kitchen scale is worth purchasing, and a good quality one is not very expensive.

Juliet

The photos of these hot cross buns look much more authentic (i.e. like the ones in England) than Florence Fabricant's recipe for same. My only suggestion is about the raisins: use a mixture of currants and sultanas, if you can find them.

Val

Tip: don’t bake on Thursday morning, if you’re planning to eat them on Good Friday. The house smells intoxicating…

Petra

I see others have said this but it really needs to be added to the serving notes for the recipe: serve these split, and lightly toasted, spread with butter! It's essential!

Catherine

We always eat these in Ireland on Good Friday, too - and I eat them year round! I include a little nutmeg when making mine. As another commenter noted, they’re often eaten cut in half and spread with butter (salted butter, for me).

planetmiller

My first time making hot cross buns, which I love, and this recipe is a keeper! I had no candied orange peel so I made a quick batch, as I have made them before. They were perfect for the recipe albeit not fully dried. And then I used the leftover syrup from making them as a substitute for the orange flower water in the recipe. And at the end, used it to brush on the rolls as a glaze. They were superb!

Coo

Oh I haven’t thought of homemade hot cross buns for decades. My grandma made them every Easter (with the white icing cross). I think I may try these!

Misa

I used oat milk (Chobani) instead of regular dairy and had no problems. My buns rose nicely and I loved the sugar water glaze - it made them so shiny! I did find the paste was a little runny and next time will add a little more flour. Bread flour definitely gave the buns a wonderful texture!

d. Toronto

These were delicious and the kitchen smelled like a European bakery! After I formed the buns, I left them in the fridge overnight then left them to rise for about 90 minutes. Baked for 25 minutes, glazed them, they were perfect, used ingredients as per the recipe. This from someone who has never liked these buns!

Anna Hawkins

Candied peel is hard to find in USA so I use grated rind of a lemon.

Andy

First time I made hot cross buns. (Probably the first time I ever ate them!) So did not know what to expect. Used SAF instant yeast. The hand knead went very well. But then it was difficult to work in the fruit. Rounding them when putting them in pan was also difficult. They were NOT light and fluffy. What did I do wrong?

Andy

Baked again, this time with Active Dry Yeast. Much better!!! Moral of the story...I learned that you can not treat Instant Yeast the same way you would Active Dry.

Christa Avampato

I did so many of these steps out of order, the dough didn't rise much, and they were still delicious. A testament to the forgiveness of this recipe!

Jean in MT

I’ve been making hot cross buns from a family recipe for years. I recently added the step mentioned in this recipe of the flour-orange blossom water-water paste used to make and basically bake in the crosses. The results were a basically inedible, tough, chewy cross on top of the bun after it baked. We had to peel them off and replace with a powdered sugar icing cross. I did not glaze after they came out of the oven with orange blossom water and wonder if that would have made a difference?

Julia

Doubled the dough and it worked well. Used Epicurious recipe for candied orange peel. Used syrup from orange peel in paste. Bake to 195 degrees internal temp. Simple and delicious!

Sarah

Nice and light; flavorful, pillowy and not overly sweet, even with the glaze on top. Made the house smell so good. Couldn't find candied orange peels so I made them myself. Didn't have orange blossom water but added a little orange juice after stripping the zest for candying. The cross mixture is VERY runny; I'd probably add a tiny bit more flour to make it thicker and easier to pipe. I used my proofing box purchased during the height of pandemic bread making and it did the job very well.

Kace Chalmers

Word of warning, the flour paste for marking crosses is very runny (but preferable to the thick sludge alternative of some recipes). Baked as written with sub of diced dried cranberries for raisins. Soft and pillowy with nice spice but not overly sweet, even with the sugar glaze on top.

cline

These are ok. Chop the orange peel really fine. Use currants, not raisins , and maybe just skip the cross topping. Orange flower is ok in glaze.

Chris

As a Canadian from Toronto now living in Germany, I have missed hot cross buns at Easter for years. First attempt turned out beautifully except the dough resulted in 11 buns (90 g each) instead of 12! Initially, the dough was very sticky so perhaps too much came off when I washed my hands. For those living in Germany, I used Type 812 flour which I ordered online along with the orange blossom water. Prepared it a day ahead and we enjoyed them hot on Easter morning - perfect with butter!

Chris

Can I also just add how amazing NYT Cooking is and I don’t know what took me so long to subscribe!

Carol

These are amazing. I used dried tart cherries because I had them. Orange zest. I will try with bread flour next time. All purpose worked well but I imagine the pull and chew will be better with the recommended flour.

Brian

My own fault for making mistakes on the toppings, but I think a few structural improvements on the ingredients section could make this foolproof. As currently written, the toppings part covers both the cross paste mixture and glaze. It also omits the water needed. Being the distracted baker I am, I thought the paste was flour, sugar and ~2 tsb water. I soon realized I needed way more water but didn't notice the sugar was just for the glaze. Still turned out great despite my errors!

Hermie

Thumbs way up. Challenge: the soaked dried fruit (I used currants) added a serious amount of water, even after draining. After working it in the dough was back to sticky and difficult to knead. I gave it a 30 min bench rest like you'd do for a high-hydration bread recipe, and that absorbed the extra liquid. After that the dough kneaded fine and then easily doubled in 1.5 hours. Also, subbed vanilla for orange-water, same proportions, and used instant yeast, it just has more consistent results.

Beth

I’ve tried other recipes, but this one is the first to yield truly fluffy, delightful buns that even pass muster with my British husband. I used currants and some rather desiccated old candied orange peel I found in the back of the pantry, plumped up in hot water. These are really nice warm and split open with butter and a bit of honey.

lynda

The tops were painted with orange marmalade that is Peters great grandmothers recipe. They were delicious. I do think that next time we will try the method that someone recommended to proof them in the oven with a glass of water . Breakfast today was delicious, and there were many to share with our dear friend and her family.

Franny

I usually turn the drier on for 3 minutes, turn it off then use that as my proofing oven. Works a treat!

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