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    Home > Recipes > Bread and Pizza

    Light and Fluffy Hot Cross Buns

    Published: Mar 26, 2021 · Modified: Mar 12, 2022 · by Jess Smith · Jump to Recipe · 1 Comment · This post may contain affiliate links.

    fluffy hot cross buns
    hot cross buns
    hot cross buns

    buns in a white baking dish

    Light and fluffy, these Hot Cross Buns are slightly sweet, filled with spices, and make a perfect Good Friday or Easter bread.

    The past year has really been all about bread for me. Oh….and the garden. Bread and gardening. And all the highs and lows that have come with both those things. I have made countless loaves of no-knead bread and beer bread. And even occasionally dabbled in the intimidating world of sourdough. (BTW last year I took an online sourdough class at Dig+Co with my mom, and it was great.) 

    But once I find a bread recipe that works well for me, I’m more likely to rework it into new iterations than to try something completely new. And the first time I had a sturdy, somewhat dense hot cross bun that is a favorite for Good Friday / Easter, I knew there had to be a better way. Specifically, I wondered if I could turn my go-to Light and Fluffy Dinner Rolls into a version of hot cross buns. This hybrid roll is an incredibly light and fluffy dinner roll but is lightly sweetened, filled with fragrant spices and currants, topped with a cross, and (optional) finished with a shiny glaze. It wasn’t a simple 1:1 conversion. Adding sugar and spices to bread can render it tough, so getting the amounts right was key - add just enough to flavor the rolls but not so much to make them tough. 

    The result you see throughout this post finally reached the texture and flavor of a sweet roll that I would happily eat all year long. It has all the flavor of classic hot cross buns in a light and fluffy package. Perfect for Easter!

    brushing baked buns with butter

    How to make the cross on Hot Cross Buns

    There are two ways to make a cross on these buns.

    1. With a flour-water paste drizzled over the rolls before baking. 
    2. With white icing drizzled over the rolls after they have baked and cooled completely.

    After testing both ways, I am partial to the first method. I don’t find that the rolls need the sweet addition of icing on top. I also love the rustic look of the crosses when baked with the cross on top. The flour-water paste melts into the rolls as they bake and doesn’t change the texture or flavor of the finished rolls. 

    Apricot Glaze

    This is totally optional, and we liked the rolls both ways, but if you want the added look of a shiny glaze, brush some warmed apricot jam over top of the warm baked rolls. It looks beautiful and gives the rolls a bit of sweet apricot flavor that compliments the spices, but it does make the rolls sticky on top.

    dividing dough into fourths

    cutting dough into smaller pieces

    adding icing to unbaked buns

    unbaked buns in a white baking dish

    More Recipes for Easter

    • Soft Cut-Out Sugar Cookies
    • 1-Hour Light and Buttery Dinner Rolls
    • Sweet and Salty Easter Bark
    • Slow Cooker Breakfast Casserole with Sausage and Cheese {Low Carb}
    • Frittata with Asparagus, Bacon and Goat Cheese
    • Carrot Top Chocolate Cupcakes
    • Brioche Baked Egg in a Hole
    • Baked Ham and Cheese Rolls with Honey Mustard Glaze
    • Bagel French Toast
    • Spicy Breakfast Strata with Chorizo, Red Pepper, and Cheddar
    • Sugar Cookie Lemon Tarts

    Favorite Tools

    • KitchenAid Stand Mixer
    • Anchor 3-Piece Glass Mixing Bowls
    • Serrated Knife
    • Whisk
    • 9x13 Emile Henri Baker
    • Piping Bag

    baked buns in a white baking dish

    brushing glaze on baked buns
    Print Recipe
    4.34 from 3 votes

    Light and Fluffy Hot Cross Buns

    Light and fluffy, these buns are slightly sweet, filled with spices, and make a perfect Good Friday or Easter bread.
    Prep Time1 hr
    Cook Time20 mins
    Total Time1 hr 20 mins
    Course: Bread
    Keyword: baking, bread recipe, Easter, Homemade bread
    Servings: 12
    Calories: 230kcal
    Author: Jess Smith via Inquiring Chef
    Cost: $4.00

    Equipment

    • Stand Mixer
    • Mixing Bowls
    • Serrated Knife
    • 9 x 13 Baking Dish

    Ingredients

    For the Rolls:

    • 1 ½ cups Warm Milk (110°F / 43°C)
    • 1 tablespoon Instant or "Fast-Acting" Yeast
    • ¼ cup Sugar
    • 3 ½ cups All-Purpose Flour (440g)
    • 2 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
    • ½ teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
    • ½ teaspoon Ground Allspice
    • ¼ teaspoon Kosher Salt
    • 1 cup Currants (sub raisins)
    • 2 tablespoon Unsalted Butter, softened to room temperature  (2 tablespoon = 28g)

    For the Cross:

    • ¼ cup Flour
    • 3 tablespoon Water

    For the glaze (optional):

    • ¼ cup Apricot Jam or Preserves (optional)

    Instructions

    • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, stir together warm milk, yeast, and sugar. Let stand until creamy, about 5 minutes.
    • Meanwhile, in a medium mixing bowl, whisk together 3 ½ cups flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and salt. Stir in currants. Set aside.
    • Return to the yeast mixture and add 2 tablespoon softened butter and about half the dry ingredients. Mix on low until the ingredients begin to come together.
    • Add remaining dry ingredients and mix again on low until flour is fully incorporated.
    • Increase the speed to medium and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. (The dough will be very sticky and soft at the beginning of the mixing time, but should start to come together. You can add more flour a bit at a time as needed to help it come together, but wait until after it has been mixing for about 4 minutes before adding it. The key to light fluffy rolls is adding as little extra flour as possible.)
    • Remove the bowl from the mixer and scrape down the sides so that the dough gathers in the bottom. Cover with a dish towel. Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 20 minutes. (I like to turn on the oven's light and let the dough rise inside the oven. The light produces just enough heat to help the dough rise quickly. In a cool room, it will take about 30 minutes to double.)
    • Lightly grease a 9×13 baking pan.
    • Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and form it into an even ball. Dust the top of the dough with some more flour.
    • Using a serrated knife, cut the dough into quarters. Slice each quarter of dough into 3 even pieces (you should have 12 pieces of dough).
    • Dust your hands with flour to prevent sticking and roll each piece of dough into a ball, tucking the ends under to form a smooth surface. Place dough balls in even rows in prepared pan.
    • Heat oven to 400°F / 200°C. Cover the rolls with a dish towel and put them near the warm oven to rise for 20 minutes.
    • Meanwhile, whisk together ¼ cup flour and 3 tablespoon of water until it forms a paste similar to thick pancake batter. (Add more water a bit at a time if needed to get the right consistency.) Transfer the flour paste to a small piping bag or sealed plastic bag.
    • When rolls have finished their second rise, cut a tiny corner off the bag with the flour paste. Pipe a line of flour paste across each row of buns and then pipe a line going the other way to form crosses over the top of each bun. (Note: You likely won’t need all of the flour paste. Discard any that is left.)
    • Bake until golden brown, 24 to 30 minutes. (Rolls are done when they reach an internal temperature of 190°F / 88°C. If using a metal pan, the rolls should finish near the lower end of the range; if using a ceramic or glass pan, the rolls should finish near the upper end.)
    • If you want to add the apricot glaze, warm the jam in the microwave for about 15 seconds to soften. Brush warm jam over top of the warm rolls.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 230kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 64mg | Potassium: 196mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 118IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 56mg | Iron: 2mg

    *This post contains affiliate links*

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    About Jess

    Hi! I'm Jess. I am the recipe creator and photographer behind the 900+ recipes you’ll find on Inquiring Chef. As a mom to three young kids and professional cook, my mission is to make every moment in the kitchen and around the table count. If you’re looking for easy, flavorful, family-approved recipes, you’ve come to the right place! Learn more about me here.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Hyacinth Malen

      April 01, 2021 at 10:30 pm

      Oooh I have to get this one then!

      Reply

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