If you’ve never tried hot cross buns before, this is your chance. Hot cross buns are recognizable by the cross on top and are usually made around Easter. With this recipe, you can bake these delicious Easter rolls yourself!
You’ll love this recipe because it gives you soft, lightly spiced Easter rolls with that classic sticky glaze, without any complicated steps.
They’re freezer-friendly, great to make ahead, and taste amazing warm with a pat of butter.
Over the past few years, quite a few bread recipes have ended up on my baking list, including these hot cross buns. These sweet rolls are traditionally made around Easter and are especially eaten on Good Friday.
The signature feature of hot cross buns is the cross on top, which you make using a simple flour paste. The bun itself is somewhat similar to raisin bread rolls, but with added spices.
In English recipes, you’ll often see “mixed spices”, but to keep things simple I used my speculaas spice mix. You can also easily replace this with gingerbread spices.
Perfect rolls for the Easter table!
For the ingredients there are two parts; one is for the dough and the other part is for the finish. Make sure to double check the exact ingredients in the recipe card below.
First make the dough into a smooth and elastic dough.
Once risen, turn the dough into balls and let it rise again.
After the second rise score the buns with a sharp knife and make the cross.
Add the flour paste cross and bake. Brush the warm buns with apricot jam.
Looking for other fun Easter recipes to make? These are just a few of my favorites:
Once baked you can store hot cross buns in an airtight container for about 2 to 3 days.
You can also freeze the buns for about three months. If you’re planning on freezing them it is best to brush the buns with a little bit of melted butter instead of the jam.
Yes! In my article on letting bread dough rise in the fridge, I explain everything. From when to refrigerate the dough to what to do the next day.
Technically yes, but they will lose some sweetness. You can replace it with other dried fruit or dried cranberries if you prefer.
I use instant yeast from the supermarket (the small packets). It’s also sometimes called active dry yeast.
Most likely, although I haven’t tested it. It reminds me of my Christmas stollen recipe, so you could loosely follow those baking instructions and timing.
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