Not only is Hot Cross Buns a catchy tune that every elementary school student learns on the recorder, but it is also a sweet little roll that is traditionally served on Good Friday. This easy recipe for the best yeasty, hot cross buns made with chocolate chips, instead of raisins, is the perfect Easter treat!
What are hot cross buns?
Hot cross buns are spiced English buns, marked with a cross on the top, that are associated with the end of Lent and are typically eaten on Good Friday. Traditional hot cross buns are filled with raisins, however, my family prefers chocolate chips. These yeasty, chocolatey rolls are soft and fluffy and perfectly sweet!
How to make hot cross buns
If you have a stand mixer, this is the time to pull it out! If not, you can still make hot cross buns, you will just need a little elbow grease to knead the dough. A hand mixer will work for steps 1-3.
1. To your stand mixer, add 1 cup warm milk (110 degrees), 1 package active dry yeast, and 1 Tbsp honey. Whisk together and let sit 5 minutes.
Artzy Foodie Pro Tip: One package of active dry yeast is 2 1/4 tsp.
2. Add 1/3 cup sugar, 1 stick melted butter, and 2 eggs and whisk together.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together 3 1/2 cups flour, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp cinnamon, and 1/4 tsp nutmeg.
4. Add the flour mixture, half at a time and mix together, then add 1 cup miniature chocolate chips. Using a dough hook, knead until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 5 minutes. If you don’t have a stand mixer with a dough hook, flour a board and knead the dough until it comes together, about 8 minutes.
5. Put the dough in a buttered bowl, cover and let it rise 1-2 hours, until doubled in size.
6. When the dough has doubled in size, punch it down.
7. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and put into a buttered baking dish.
Artzy Foodie Pro Tip: The dough can be refrigerated overnight and piped (see step 9) and baked when you are ready to serve.
8. Cover and let rise 30 minutes.
9. In a bowl, mix together 1/2 cup flour, 1/4 cup water, and 1 Tbsp sugar. Add to a piping bag and pipe a cross onto the top of each roll. Add more water if needed to get the proper consistency for piping.
Artzy Foodie Pro Tip: If you don’t have a piping bag, add the flour paste to a plastic baggie and snip off a corner from the bottom of the bag.
10. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.
When the rolls come out of the oven, brush the tops with a sweet glaze made from 2 Tbsp warm milk and 2 Tbsp sugar mixed together. Serve them warm with butter.
How long will hot cross buns last?
Once the rolls have cooled completely, they can be stored in an air tight container, at room temperature, for 2 days.
Or, once cooled completely, hot cross buns can be wrapped individually in plastic wrap and frozen for a month. To reheat them, thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Then, wrap them in aluminum foil and reheat in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes, or until warm.
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Hot Cross Buns
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 1 cup milk warm (110 degrees)
- 1 package active dry yeast
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 stick butter melted
- 2 eggs
- 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips
For the Flour Paste
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 tbsp sugar
For the Glaze
- 2 tbsp milk warm
- 2 tbsp sugar
Instructions
For the Dough
- In a stand mixer, add the milk, yeast, and honey and let sit 5 minutes.
- Whisk in the sugar, melted butter, and eggs.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- Whisk in the flour mixture, half at a time until it is fully incorporated.
- Add the chocolate chips.
- Using the dough hook, knead until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 5 minutes.
- Put the dough in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise 1-2 hours until it has doubled in size.
- Punch down the dough.
- Divide the dough into 12 pieces, shape into balls, and put into a greased 9x13 baking dish.
- Cover and let rise 30 minutes.
For the Flour Paste
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Mix together the flour, water, and sugar.
- Add to a piping bag and pipe a cross on top of each roll.
- Bake for 25 minutes.
Glazing the Hot Cross Buns
- Mix together the warm milk and sugar. When the rolls come out of the oven, brush the top of each one with the glaze.
2 Responses
I never knew that hot cross buns are a Good Friday tradition. You learn something new every day. These sound fantastic and I love that you used chocolate chips instead of raisins. The photos of these rolls are making my mouth water.
Thank you! I wish you could have smelled them while they were baking😋.