Hot Cross Cinnamon Buns
If hot cross buns married cinnamon buns these fluffy, gooey and buttery buns would be the outcome. They are sweet, packed with flavor and the perfect bread baking recipe.
Equipment
- Mixing bowls
- Rolling Pin
- Pizza Cutter
- Spatula
- Baking tray
- Brush
Ingredients
Dough -
- 3/4 cup warm milk
- 2 tsp dry yeast
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp yogurt
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- 3 cups flour (divided into 2 cups and 1 cup)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 cup dried fruit (soaked in 2 tbsp water)
Cinnamon butter -
- 1/4 cup butter (room temperature)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 tbsp cinnamon powder
- Pinch of salt
Vanilla frosting -
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 8 tbsp icing sugar
- 1 tbsp double cream
Extra -
- Double cream (to brush the buns before baking)
- Honey (to brush the buns once baked)
Instructions
- In a bowl add the 2 cups of flour, salt, sugar, yeast, cardamom powder and using your hands stir it around. Add the warm milk, melted butter into the mixture and using your hands start mixing the dough together. We are not kneading at this stage we just want the mixture well combined. It will be a little sticky which is fine.
- Cover the dough with a tea towel and let it rip for 30 mins. The dough will have risen in this time, on a clean kitchen surface add the remaining 1 cup flour and 1 tbsp baking powder, knead the dough until it is soft and not sticky. This should take 8 mins by hand and 3 mins in a stand mixer.
- Once all the flour is used up and the dough has come together, transfer to the bowl and cover, let this rise for 1 hour.
- In this time soak the dried fruits in a little warm water and set aside. We then get on to making the cinnamon butter for the dough, in a mixing bowl add room temperature butter and beat with a spatula, add the brown sugar, cinnamon powder and beat well until it is combined - there should be no lumps, set aside.
- We can make the vanilla frosting now, I like using a whisk for this. In a bowl add the room temperature butter and vanilla, whip this well until pale and fluffy. Add the icing sugar and beat well. If your icing sugar has lumps, sift it. Whisk until all the sugar is dissolved and add the double cream, beat again and transfer to a piping bag.
- The dough will have doubled in size by this time. Dust the kitchen surface with flour and roll out the dough 1/4 inch thickness and it doesn’t have to be perfect but try rolling it out to a rectangle or square shape. Spread the cinnamon sugar over the dough evenly and sprinkle over the dried fruit (drain out any excess liquid before doing this).
- Using a pizza cutter cut the dough into 6 strips and roll up each strip into a little cinnamon bun. Transfer them to a baking tray and cover for 15 mins.
- Preheat the oven to 180℃ at this time, once they have risen bake the buns for 18-20 mins until golden and risen. As soon as they come out of the oven brush them with honey and let them cool down a little.
- Pipe over the crosses and dig in with a glass of milk or cup of coffee.
Notes
- Do not rush the rising process of the dough, this ensures a fluffy bun once baked.
- Brushing the buns with cream before baking is optional.
- I would recommend brushing the buns with honey once they are baked as they will have a sticky surface and shiny look.
- You can just spread the frosting over the buns instead of piping them.