Could this be the best recipe for hot cross bun recipe of all time? (2024)

Browse All Recipes

We tested three hot cross bun versions from three cookbooks, and combined them to create the best hot cross buns recipe of all time.

Feb 21, 2024 5:29am

By Lisa Featherby

20 mins preparation
30 mins cooking
Makes 12

There's something inherently comforting about the smell of freshly baked hot cross buns come Easter. Perhaps it's the nostalgic scent of rising dough, the festive aroma of warm spices, or even the sweet perfume of orange and sugar bubbling away atop a kitchen stove for the glaze.

Straight from the oven or lightly toasted, these fruit-studded hot cross buns are a Good Friday breakfast ritual, one dating back more than 700 years. But which ingredients and methods produce the best hot cross bun? Knead or press? Does fresh or dried yeast work best? Caster or brown sugar? How sticky should the glaze be? We tested three recipes, then combined them to create our ultimate hot cross buns recipe.

ELIZABETH DAVID'S HOT CROSS BUNS RECIPE

from English Bread and Yeast Cookery

Elizabeth David has explored the history of hot cross buns throughout her food literature. Her version calls for fresh yeast and strong baker's flour, with the addition of eggs, milk, light brown sugar and softened butter. The dough is flavoured with mixed spice and currants, rested for 2 hours, then rolled and proved again in bun tins (we used a muffin tin). David cuts the cross into the dough rather than making a paste, and uses a simple glaze of equal quantities milk and caster sugar.

The verdict:
The result is an old-school style of English hot cross bun with subtle spice levels, a golden outer crust and a light, yet slightly dry crumb. This is a fairly easy classic hot cross buns recipe.

NATALIE PAULL'S HOT CROSS BUNS RECIPE

from Beatrix Bakes

The hot cross buns recipe in this book from Melbourne baker Natalie Paull of Beatrix bakery stars orange strongly. Currants and sultanas are soaked in the juice of an orange, while the flesh from a second fruit is blended to a pulp and added to the dough, its zest flavouring the hot cross bun glaze. The dough also calls for plain flour, caster sugar, milk, "soft and squidgy" butter and fresh yeast (no eggs).

The verdict:
Overall, these hot cross buns are dense and doughy, and although cooked through, have a raw consistency (we even tried a batch with an extra 15-minute cook time). However, the hot cross bun texture does improve slightly as they cool. The inclusion of a whole, puréed orange in the dough is an inspired idea, but may contribute to the hot cross bun's density.

NADINE INGRAM'S HOT CROSS BUNS RECIPE

from Flour and Stone: Baked for Love, Life and Happiness

Ingram's hot cross bun dough uses softened butter, like the other recipes, with strong baker's flour, brown sugar, milk and one egg, and the choice of either fresh or dried yeast (we used dried). The spice blend consists of cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and cloves. A fruit mixture of sultanas, currants and raisins are hydrated in boiling water, and there is the addition of candied orange peel, too. The hot cross buns are piped with a flour-oil paste flavoured with orange-blossom water and nutmeg, while the glaze is simple: caster sugar, water and orange zest.

The verdict:
It's a big call, but this is pretty close to being the perfect hot cross buns recipe. The dough is consistent throughout, its soft, pillowy texture is studded with plump, juicy fruit and pieces of zesty peel.

GT’s ULTIMATE HOT CROSS BUN RECIPE

This recipe combines everything we loved from the three tested hot cross buns recipes, plus a few GT tweaks. We started with Nadine Ingram's base, and from Natalie Paull's recipe we borrowed the idea of soaking the dried fruit in orange juice and added a splash of Pedro Ximénez. For the best spice flavour, dry-roast whole spices and grind them yourself. The cross is slightly thicker than any we tested, and our glaze has the addition of vanilla. And voilá, that's how we created our best hot cross buns recipe.

Start this recipe one day ahead to soak the dried fruit.

Ingredients

100 gm currants
100 gm sultanas
Juice of 1 orange
40 ml Pedro Ximénez
50 gm candied orange peel, finely chopped
200 ml milk
3 tsp dried yeast
470 gm strong baker's flour
2½ tsp ground cinnamon
1½ tsp ground nutmeg
¾ tsp ground allspice
½ tsp ground cloves
60 gm light brown sugar
1 egg
60 gm softened unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
Finely grated zest of ½ orange
1 tsp sunflower oil

Glaze

150 gm (⅔ cup) caster sugar
Juice of 1 orange
Scraped seeds from ½ vanilla bean

Method

1
Combine currants and sultanas in a bowl with orange juice and Pedro Ximénez, then cover and soak overnight. Stir through candied peel and set aside.
2
Warm half the milk in a saucepan over low heat until just lukewarm, then combine with yeast in a bowl and stir to combine.
3
Place 420gm flour, combined spices (reserve ¼ tsp spice mixture), sugar, egg, yeast mixture, remaining milk and ¾ tsp salt in an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook and mix
on low speed until combined (5 minutes). Add butter, zest and oil and mix until combined. Drain soaked fruit (reserve liquid). Stir fruit through dough just until incorporated. Place dough in a bowl lightly greased with butter. Cover and set aside to prove until dough has doubled in size (2 hours).
4
Line a baking tray with baking paper. Knock back dough, divide into 12 pieces, then roll each into a smooth ball, dusting with a little flour if needed to prevent dough sticking (do not add too much as dough will become tough). Place buns on tray in even rows, leaving a 2cm gap. Set aside to prove until doubled in size (30-40 minutes).
5
Preheat oven to 180°C. Combine remaining flour and reserved spice mixture in a small bowl with 40ml water and mix to a paste. Transfer paste to a piping bag, snip the end and pipe crosses over buns. Bake until golden and cooked
through (25-30 minutes).
6
For glaze, combine ingredients and 1-2 tbsp reserved fruit liquid in a saucepan over low heat, stirring until sugar dissolves and a syrup forms (2-3 minutes). While buns are hot, brush syrup over liberally, then set aside to cool slightly. Serve hot cross buns warm or at room temperature.

The Latest from Gourmet Traveller

Restaurant NewsThe Sanderson is launching a monthly co*cktail-pairing degustation
Mar 22, 2024
Drinks NewsHow to make a Blackberry Buck co*cktail
Mar 22, 2024
Travel NewsFour domestic and international flight sales worth checking out tonight
Mar 22, 2024
See Also
34 Phenomenal Vegetarian Recipes for Thanksgiving
Travel NewsFive reasons to road-test the new GWM Haval H6GT coupe SUV
Mar 21, 2024
CruisesCunard’s culinary cruise itinerary for 2025 is as deliciously exclusive as you’d expect
Mar 21, 2024
Restaurant ReviewsLola's: Restaurant review
Mar 21, 2024
Crustacean crash course: A guide to the types of crustaceans to know
Mar 21, 2024
Recipe CollectionsBest hot cross bun recipes for Easter
Mar 21, 2024
Drinks NewsClassic co*cktail: How to make a Manhattan
Mar 21, 2024
Restaurant NewsThe best new restaurants and bars in Melbourne
Mar 21, 2024
Recipe CollectionsRecipes for the ultimate Easter lunch feast
Mar 20, 2024
Destinations16 best Maldives resorts for an island getaway in 2024
Mar 20, 2024
Restaurant News10 impressive Brisbane restaurants to book when visitors are in town
Mar 19, 2024
Restaurant NewsThe best new restaurants and bars in Sydney
Mar 19, 2024
Supersize Me: The future of dining out in Australia
Mar 19, 2024
DestinationsBalearic beauty: Where to eat, drink and stay on Menorca Island, Spain
Mar 19, 2024
Chefs' RecipesMassimo Mele's lemon-scented goat meatballs
Mar 18, 2024
Recipe Collections40 best fish recipes for Good Friday, Easter and beyond
Mar 18, 2024
DestinationsThings to do in Newcastle NSW: Where to eat, drink and stay
Mar 17, 2024