Easy Hot Cross Buns - 3 Ways

Name: Easy Hot Cross Buns - 3 Ways
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Ingredients: 380 gm Warm milk; 14 gm Yeast; 60 gm Castor sugar; 600 gm Flour; 1 tbsp Baking powder; 2 tbsp Milk powder; 80 gm Butter cold; 1 Egg; 1 tsp Cinnamon powder; 1 tsp All spice powder; 1/2 tsp Nutmeg powder; 1 tsp Salt; 70 gm Dried fruit hydrated in 30 ml water or rum; 70 gm chocolate chips; 70 gm blueberries + 1 lemon zest; 50 gm Flour; 50 gm Water; 1 Egg egg wash; 3 tbsp Warm honey

These hot cross buns are fluffy and simple to make, divide the dough into 3 parts and make them with soaked dry fruit, chocolate chips & lemon zest with fresh blueberries. A very delicious and easy bread recipe to bake for easter.

It is Good Friday tomorrow and if there was one time to get baking bread then now would be it. I have not shied away from sharing my love for hot cross buns. My world’s best hot cross bun recipe is such a winner and there are so many ways to keep them exciting. If you are not a fan of dried fruits then there are various options you can go with.

This recipe is merely an inspiration to all the flavors of hot cross buns I wanted to try this easter season. We have made my master hot cross bun dough sans the fruits and allowed it to rise. We then divide the proofed dough into 3 parts and flavor each part with chocolate chips, fresh blueberries and dried fruit. I love dried fruit in my buns ok, so don’t come for me but you can use peanut butter chips as well. These are so simple to make but super fluffy and delicious.

What are hot cross buns?

Hot cross buns mark the end of the Christian season of lent. The bun itself has many meanings depending on the country you come from. Some say the cross depicts the crucifixion of Jesus, while the spices inside signify the spices used to embalm him during the burial. There are many stories on why it signifies however we will not get into every story/belief.

How are we making these hot cross buns 3 ways?

We make the dough without any fruit as we normally would when making my Worlds Best Hot Cross Bun recipe and let the 1st proof be without any fruit. Once the dough has doubled in volume, punch ti down and divide the dough into 3 parts. We flavor each part with different ingredients, 1st is the classic rum soaked fruit, 2nd is chocolate chips, 3rd is lemon zest and fresh blueberries. We divide them into pieces, shape and follow the recipe for baking them. Hence we are making one dough but flavoring it with different ingredients to make them 3 ways.

What ingredients do you need to make these hot cross buns?

To make these hot cross buns we need all purpose flour, sugar, instant yeast, salt, butter, milk and egg. Additionally we add a mixture of spices such as cinnamon powder, all spice powder, cardamom powder, nutmeg powder. You will need oil to help roll the dough into buns, this helps it from sticking and avoid using flour to keep the fluffiness in the buns. For the flavorings I have gone with rum soaked dry fruit (I used a mixture of and we golden raisins, black raisins, fruit peel, chopped dates and apricots), dark chocolate chips, lemon zest and fresh blueberries. I like to give the buns an egg wash before baking. A good brush of honey after baking gives it that glossy and sticky bun look.

What equipment do you need to make these hot cross buns?

We need a large mixing bowl, a wooden spoon or your hands to mix the dough together. Cling film to cover the dough. A baking tray and baking paper to line the try. A dough scraper would really help with cutting and handling the dough. If you do not have a scrapper you can use a rubber spatula to help with that.

What substitutes do you need to make these hot cross buns?

Flour –

I have made these buns with all purpose flour, self raising flour and bread flour – they all work well. For the fluffiest buns use all purpose flour with a little bread flour. I have tried making them with half whole meal flour and half all purpose flour – the result is a little denser bun but they taste delicious.

Eggless –

To keep these buns eggless you can swap the egg in the dough for 30 ml extra milk or yogurt. As for the egg wash you can use whipping cream instead but you won’t get that deep dark golden color once baked.

Butter –

Any butter works here, a vegan butter spread works well too.

Sugar –

I’ve used granulated white sugar to make this recipe but you can use brown sugar, honey, maple syrup or coconut sugar as well.

Milk –

I have made this recipe with full fat milk but you can use vegan mylks as well. I have tried making this recipe with water and it works but the flavor is not as rich as it is with milk.

Spices –

I love the addition of cinnamon, all spice, cardamom and nutmeg powder here to enhance the Lotus Biscoff flavor. But you can use any spices you like or leave them out entirely. A little vanilla gives it a more dessert vibe.

Yeast –

You need this to make the recipe. I have used instant yeast as it works faster but active dry yeast also works absolutely fine. If you are using fresh yeast, use half the amount suggested in the recipe.

Honey –

If you don’t like the taste of honey brush the hot buns with marmalade or apricot jam as well.

Flavorings –

I have used a combination of dry fruits like raisins, sultanas, dates, apricots, cranberries and mixed peel. You can use any mixture of dry fruits you prefer. As for the chocolate chips I have used dark chocolate chips but if you wan puddles you might want to use chocolate chunks. For the blueberries I have used a lemon zest and fresh blueberries. If you use frozen they will stain the dough before baking giving you greenish purple buns.

How to make these hot cross buns?

If your dried fruits are hard hydrate them in 2 tbsp of warm water or rum for a few minutes before starting. We start by blooming the yeast in a small bowl with warm milk and sugar. Stir and set aside for 10 mins until frothy. In a large mixing bowl add the flour, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg powder, salt and butter, rub them together until they resemble fine bread crumbs. Add the egg and milk yeast mixture. Mix everything together until combined and no dry pockets. The dough will be sticky and that’s perfect. Clean your hands using the scraper/rubber spatula and add oil onto your hands, around the mixing bowl and on the dough. Cover and leave to rise for over an hour or until doubled in volume.

After the dough has risen, remove the covering and oil your hands well before knocking the dough back. Transfer to a clean work surface and bang the dough onto the surface multiple times until it is smooth and not sticky. As and when required add more oil on your hands or the surface to avoid it from sticking. Portion the dough into 3 parts, flavor one piece with the soaked dried fruit, flavor the seconds piece with chocolate chips (it better to work with frozen chips or fridge cold) and the flavor the third piece with lemon zest and fresh blueberries. Working with one piece at a time incorporate the flavorings into the dough, when working with the dried fruit flavor the dough might get sticky due to the moisture in the fruit, you can add up to 2 tbsp of flour if it is excessively sticky. Form into balls and cut each piece into 6 portions. Hence we will get 18 buns in total (6 pieces from each flavor). Roll the dough into balls and transfer to the baking tray lined with baking paper. Cover and leave to rise for 15 – 20 mins until they are bigger.

At this time, preheat the oven to 180℃. Let us make the mixture for the crosses, mix the flour and water together until combined, transfer to a piping bag. Once the buns have risen, brush them with an egg wash generously and pipe them with the cross mixture. Bake them for 22-25 mins. They will be done when they are golden and risen, they will also have a hollow sound if you tap them. They will have a crust while they are hot. Brush them with honey while still warm and serve with butter and jam. Keep in mind the baking time will vary depending on the size of the buns and if you are baking them in one go or not. I have a small oven hence I bake 9 and then bake a second round of 9 buns.

Serving and storing these hot cross buns?

I prefer brushing these buns with warm honey. You can use any jam you like to brush them for that sticky buns look. Serve them warm with butter and more jam. They are delicious when toasted. They keep well for 3 days at room temperature, if you are storing them longer I would recommend storing them in zip lock bags in the fridge for 7 days or freeze them for up to 1 month. When ready to serve, warm them in the microwave for 30-45 seconds until soft and serve.

Looking for more hot cross bun recipes?

Now that we have covered how to make these Easy Hot Cross Buns – 3 ways, you can have a look at the video on my socials but let’s get to it. Don’t forget to follow along for more baking recipe inspiration.

If you try this recipe out, don’t forget to share it with me on instagram so I can see how it turned out. I’d love nothing more than to chat with you on your cooking/baking.

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