Perfect Hot Cross Buns Recipes

MOM'S BEST HOT CROSS BUNS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar in milk. Let stand for 5 minutes. Add the butter, raisins, egg, salt and remaining sugar; beat until smooth. Stir in enough flour to form a soft dough., Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour., Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide into 12 portions. Shape each into a ball. Place in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes. , Bake at 375° for 25-30 minutes or until browned. Remove from the pan to a wire rack to cool., For icing, combine the confectioners' sugar, butter, vanilla and enough milk to achieve a piping consistency. Pipe an "X" on top of each bun.

BRITISH HOT CROSS BUNS

Steps:

• Heat milk in a small saucepan to 110 degrees F (43 degrees C); pour milk into a bowl. Whisk 1/2 cup flour and yeast into milk; cover with plastic wrap and let stand until bubbly, about 15 minutes.
• Place 1 2/3 cups flour, 1/3 cup white sugar, salt, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg into the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment; turn mixer on for a few seconds on low speed to combine. Place butter into flour mixture; mix on low speed until incorporated, about 2 minutes.
• Place yeast mixture and egg into flour mixture; mix on low speed for 2 minutes. Stop mixer and allow to rest for 10 minutes; mix on medium speed until smooth and elastic, about 2 minutes. At slowest speed, mix currants and citron into dough until evenly distributed, about 1 minute.
• Butter the inside of a large bowl; place dough in bowl, turn to butter dough on all sides. Cover bowl with plastic wrap; let dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Pat dough into a rough square, and cut into 12 equal pieces. Form each piece into a round bun; place on prepared baking sheet. Press a cross into each bun with the back of a knife; cover buns with a damp cloth and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Bake buns in the preheated oven until deep golden brown, about 15 minutes.
• Bring 2 tablespoons white sugar with 1 tablespoon water to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove buns from oven; lift parchment and transfer buns to a wire rack. Brush immediately with sugar glaze; allow buns to cool completely, about 20 minutes.
• Stir confectioners' sugar and remaining 2 teaspoons water together in a small bowl; heat icing mixture in microwave until smooth and warm to the touch, about 10 seconds. Place icing in a sandwich bag, snip off one corner of the bag, and pipe in a cross over fully cooled buns; allow icing to dry for 30 minutes.

HOT CROSS BUNS I

Steps:

• Put warm water, butter, skim milk powder, 1/4 cup sugar, salt, egg, egg white, flour, and yeast in bread maker and start on dough program.
• When 5 minutes of kneading are left, add currants and cinnamon. Leave in machine till double.
• Punch down on floured surface, cover, and let rest 10 minutes.
• Shape into 12 balls and place in a greased 9 x 12 inch pan. Cover and let rise in a warm place till double, about 35-40 minutes.
• Mix egg yolk and 2 tablespoons water. Brush on balls.
• Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 20 minutes. Remove from pan immediately and cool on wire rack.
• To make crosses: mix together confectioners' sugar, vanilla, and milk. Place glaze in a piping bag or a sandwich bag with the corner snipped off; pipe a cross onto each roll.

PERFECT HOT CROSS BUNS

Steps:

• First make a 'yeast sponge' by mixing 100g (3 1/2 oz) of the bread flour with the yeast and 1 tsp golden caster sugar in a bowl, then beat in the milk. Cover with clingfilm and leave in a warm place for 20-25 minutes until the mix has risen and looks bubbly.
• Meanwhile, tip the remaining strong white bread flour into a large bowl with the salt and butter. Rub the butter into the flour. Stir in the mixed spice, the 50g (2 oz) golden caster sugar and the dried fruit. Pour the egg into the yeast sponge, then stir this into the flour and fruit to make a dough. The dough should be soft and light, not too dry or sticky, so adjust with a little flour or water if necessary.
• Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5-8 minutes, dusting the work surface with more flour as needed. Put the dough back in the bowl (cleaned and lightly oiled), cover and leave in a warm place for an hour or so, until rised to about twice its original size.
• Take the dough from the bowl and knead briefly. Cut the dough into 10 equal pieces. Take one piece, leaving the rest loosely covered with clingfilm, and shape into a round by bringing the edges up and pinching in the middle. Turn it over so the smooth side is on top, then repeat with the remaining pieces.
• Lay the buns on 2 lightly buttered baking sheets, spaced apart so that they have room to rise. Cover loosely and leave to rise again for about 45 minutes-1 hour, or until they have risen by at least half again and feel light and puffy when gently touched. Preheat the oven to gas 6, 200C, fan 180°C
• Meanwhile, prepare the mix for the crosses. Make a small greaseproof paper piping bag, or snip a small bit off a corner of a small plastic food bag (the hole should be about the diameter of a wooden skewer). Mix the plain flour with 3 tbsp plus 1 tsp of water to make a thick, smooth, piping paste. When the buns have risen, spoon the paste into the piping bag and pipe crosses over each bun. Bake for 12-15 minutes until they're golden and sound hollow when tapped underneath.
• For the glaze, mix together the golden caster sugar with the milk. Remove the buns from the tray and trim off any excess piping mixture from the bottom of each one. Put them on a cooling rack and brush with the sugar glaze while they are still warm. Serve warm and buttered.

CLASSIC HOT CROSS BUNS

Steps:

• BUNS: Dissolve 1 tablespoons sugar in water. Sprinkle yeast over water and let stand for 20 minutes, or until frothy.
• Heat evaporated milk until just steaming.
• In a bowl, blend remaininig sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and cloves; make a well; in a separate bowl, whisk evaporated milk, oil and eggs. Combine milk and yeast mixtures to flour mixture, stirring until a soft dough forms.
• Knead dough on a lighty floured sruface, adding extra flour as needed, for 8 minutes or until smooth. Place in a lightly oiled bowl turning to coat. Cover and place in a warm area to rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
• Punch down the dough; turn out onto a lighty floured surface; knead in currants and peel. Roll into a log and cut into 12 pieces. Shape into balls and place on a greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise for 20 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 400°F Bake buns 12 minutes or until golden brown.
• GLAZE: Heat sugar with water over medium heat until dissolved, brush over hot buns.
• FROSTING: Blend icing sugar with evaporated milk. Pipe a cross on each of the cooled buns.