Hot Cross Buns

5 from 1 vote

A family recipe for this classic springtime baked good - a buttery dough studded with plump raisins, topped with the perfect touch of icing.

Prep Time2 10

Cook Time15

Total Time2 25

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 199kcal

Author: CaliGirl Cooking

Ingredients

For the buns:

1 packet active-dry yeast
1/2 cup milk, warmed to "bathtub temperature" (100 - 110 degrees Fahrenheit) (I heated mine up for 30 seconds in the microwave and it turned out perfect)
2 tablespoons sugar
2 eggs, beaten at room temperature
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/3 cups flour, divided
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/3 cup raisins (or fruit cake mix, if you prefer)
1 egg white

For the icing:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon milk
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Instructions

Combine the yeast and warm milk in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook and let sit for 5 minutes to allow the yeast to activate.
Add sugar, eggs, butter and salt to the yeast mixture and beat to combine.
In a small mixing bowl, sift together 1 cup of the flour and the cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Add this to the mixture in the stand mixer along with the raisins and beat on medium-low until flour is well-incorporated.
Scrape down the sides of the stand mixer and add additional 1 1/3 cups flour. Once again turn the mixer on medium-low and mix until a sticky dough forms. Remove the bowl from the mixer, cover with a damp hand towel, and place in a warm place to rise for about an hour, or until doubled in size.
Punch down dough and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. You may also need to coat your hands with a bit of flour to keep the dough from sticking to them. Cover the dough once it’s turned out and let it rest for 10 minutes.
Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces and roll each piece into a ball. Place the balls on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, cover and let rise for another hour.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Using kitchen shears, cut a cross in the center of each bun, then brush with egg white. Place in oven and bake for approximately 15 minutes, or until the tops of the buns have turned golden and bread sounds fairly hollow when tapped. Remove from oven and let cool.
While buns are cooling, prepare the icing. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together all of the icing ingredients. Transfer to a piping bag (or resealable plastic bag) and then snip off the tip. Using the crosses you cut into your buns before baking as a guide, make a cross on each bun. Enjoy as soon as possible!

Notes

Make sure your yeast never gets too hot during the entire baking process to ensure it doesn't die off.
If you're planning on freezing your Hot Cross Buns, wait to ice them until you're heating and serving.
To reheat, place in a 250-300 degree Fahrenheit oven for 10-15 minutes or until warmed through.
If you don't want to go through the effort of piping on a cross, you can also just smear a dab of the icing over top of each of the buns right before serving.

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