An easy recipe for the best fresh baked hot cross buns that are perfect for any Easter brunch or Good Friday breakfast.
Prep Time: 30 minutesminutes
Cook Time: 25 minutesminutes
Proofing Time: 2 hourshours15 minutesminutes
Total Time: 3 hourshours10 minutesminutes
Servings: 15buns
Ingredients
Dough
3 3/4cupflour
1/3cupbrown sugar, packed
1 1/2tspcinnamon
1/2tspground nutmeg
1/4tspground cloves
1/2tspsalt
1cupmilk, warmed to 105F
2tspactive dry yeast
1mediumegg
1egg yolk
3tbspbutter. melted
1cupraisins
Wash
1egg white
2tbspmilk
Cross Paste
1/3cupflour
1/4cupwater
Instructions
Dump the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, ground nutmeg, ground cloves and salt into a stand mixer bowl and use a whisk to give the dry ingredients a quick mix.
Stir to dissolve the yeast in a separate bowl with the warm water. Set aside for 5 minutes.
Whisk the egg, egg yolk and melted butter in with the milk and yeast mixture until well combined.
Using the dough hook, turn on the stand mixer to medium low speed. Slowly pour in the milk mixture. Continue to let the stand mixer knead the dough for about 3 minutes. The dough should come away from the bowl and will be sticky/tacky to the touch.
Add the raisins and continue to let the dough knead for a 1-2 more minutes so that the raisins can be incorporated into the dough.
Grease a large bowl with oil. Shape the dough into a ball, place in the bowl and flip so all sides are coated in the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Put the bowl in a warm place with no draft and let rise until doubled in size, about 90 minutes.
Punch the dough down and hand knead it on a floured surface for about 30 seconds.
Divide into 15 equal portions.
Form each individual portion into a ball, pinching and folding it so the top of the bun is smooth. Place the ball in a greased 13x9 baking dish. Ensure that any pinched/folded part of the ball of dough is on the underside. Do this with the remaining 14 portions of dough so there are 3 rows of 5 balls of dough in the baking dish.
Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 45-60 minutes.
Make the wash by whisking together the egg white with the 2 tbsp milk. Brush on the tops of the proofed buns.
Make the cross paste by mixing together the 1/3 cup of flour with the 1/4 cup water until smooth and there are no lumps of flour. Transfer to a piping bag and cut off the tip.
Pipe crosses on all the buns.
Bake in a 375F preheated oven for 23 minutes or until the internal temperature of the buns are 195F.