Fluffy, spicy homemade traditional hot cross buns are surprisingly easy to make and taste so much better than the average shop-bought bun. In fact, I think they are just the best hot cross buns you can have.

The sweet spicy smell of hot cross buns as they bake on Good Friday is a memory etched on my brain and one of my fondest childhood memories. As a result, Easter would not be the same for me without fresh hot cross buns eaten while still warm from the oven.

If you haven't been lucky enough to eat one this way then you will be in for just the biggest treat when you make these.

My Dad was a master baker and growing up the bakery was attached to our house. I think Easter, and Good Friday in particular was probably the busiest time of the year for my father. Not only did he have extra bread to bake (people always stocked up on bread during public holidays as shops were not open all hours as they tend to be today) but there were also the hot cross buns to make.

He must have made hundreds if not thousands each year, even though we were only a small bakery supplying our own village bakery and a few other local shops.

Unlike now, when hot cross buns are pretty much in all the supermarkets from Christmas onward, if not all year round, back then we only made them in the week or so up to Easter with the vast majority on Good Friday itself, when they are traditionally eaten.

So each year my dad would work through the night in order to make enough buns. I'm not sure at what age I got to pipe the crosses on the buns but as the youngest, it was my job to help with this long before I was old enough to serve in the shop. After all, with it being such a busy time it was a case of all hands on deck.

A short history of the hot cross bun*

The tradition of baking bread marked with a cross takes its roots in Paganism as well as Christianity. The pagan Saxons would bake cross buns at the beginning of spring in honour of the goddess Eostre – most likely being the origin of the name Easter.

The cross represented the rebirth of the world after winter and the four quarters of the moon, as well as the four seasons and the wheel of life. Later Christians saw the cross as a symbol of the Crucifixion and replaced its meaning with the resurrection of Christ at Easter.

One theory of the origins of the hot cross bun as we know them now dates back to the 14th century when an Anglican monk baked the buns at St Albans Abbey and called them the ‘Alban Bun’. which were distributed to the poor on Good Friday. Instead of the piped cross the cross on these buns were cut with a knife.

The first recorded reference to hot cross buns was in ‘Poor Robin Almanac‘ in the 1700s.

It read: “Good Friday come this month, the old woman runs. With one or two a penny hot cross buns”.

The English nursery rhyme

‘Hot cross buns, hot cross buns!
One ha’penny, two ha’penny, hot cross buns!
If you have no daughters, give them to your sons,
One ha’penny, two ha’penny, hot cross buns!’

was first published in a book called the Christmas Box in London, 1798. Which is also claimed to be used by vendors selling buns around Easter time.

*References Miss Food Wise and The New Daily

Traditional hot cross bun recipe

Now, of course, I just make enough for the family and they really are not that difficult to make, although you have to allow enough time for them to rise. Homemade hot cross buns taste far superior to the ones that you can buy, unless you are lucky enough to have good artesian bakery like my father's to supply you.

Over recent years I have played around with different variations to the classic hot cross bun including making sourdough hot cross buns well worth doing if you make your own sourdough bread. I have also varied the flavours a little with my Pecan, cinnamon and orange hot cross buns published here on Recipes Made Easy as well as Apple and sultana hot cross buns and Sultana, lemon and thyme hot cross buns both published on my baking blog Only Crumbs Remain

But I love traditional hot cross buns so much that I have only strayed slightly from the classic bun and I still think this classic bun recipe remains my favourite. As for totally non-traditional hot cross buns such as chocolate and orange well I just can't bring myself to make them. They might be perfectly delicious buns I'm sure they are but they are just not hot cross buns!

Ingredients to make homemade buns

While I do not have the recipe my dad used and sadly he is no longer with us to ask, I have developed this recipe to resemble a bun that tastes as near as possible to how I remember the ones he made.

Strong bread flour – You need flour with a high gluten content to make good hot cross buns. You will also need some flour to make the crosses you can use bread flour or regular plain flour for this.

Mixed spice – Mixed spice is a blend of warm sweet spices and is used a lot in the UK. The spices and proportions can vary slightly from brand to brand but usually contains cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, coriander, ginger, cloves If you are in the states then pumpkin spice is probably the nearest

Nutmeg – I like lots of nutmeg but you could add extra cinnamon if you prefer or just stick to mixed spice.

Easy-blend yeast – I find this is the easiest and most readily available yeast to use. When I can get fresh yeast I use that (the smell of fresh yeast is another nostalgic thing) simply double the quantity and rub it into the flour with you fingertips.

Caster Sugar – I like to use golden caster sugar for most of my baking. It’s the same as normal caster sugar, but it’s unrefined, It is a little more flavoursome with light caramel tones.

Butter – I tend to use lightly salted butter as that is what I have in the fridge. .

salt – Important f not only important for the flavour, it also helps regulate the action of the yeast.

Sultanas

Mixed peel – If you really don't like mixed peel it can be left out but I think it really think it adds to the traditional flavour of the bun.

Egg – medium

Milk – whole or semi-skimmed

Step by step hot cross buns

1 Rub the butter into the flour and mix in the remaining dry ingredients. Make a well in the centre of the ingredients.

2 Beat the egg and milk together with most of the water. Add the liquid and mix to form a soft sticky dough adding more water if required.

3 Turn out the dough and lightly knead.

4 Place in an oiled bowl, cover and leave to rise in a warm place.

5 The dough is ready when it has doubled in size.

6 Divide into 12, roll into balls and place spaced on a baking sheet.

7 Cover and allow to rise. Then pipe on the crosses.

8 Bake and brush with glaze while still warm.

Cook's Tips

I have used easy-blend/fast-action yeast which you just stir into the flour. Do check the use-by date, especially if you don't bake with yeast very often. Old yeast may take much longer to work or even not work at all.
For the best rise, you need a soft slightly sticky dough. The softer the dough the easier it is for it to rise too firm and the dough can not rise and the buns will be hard. Take care not to work in too much flour when kneading the dough.
When making bread and buns, I cover my bowl with a shower cap - one of those disposable ones that you get when you stay in a hotel. You can reuse it many times so it is less wasteful and more environmentally friendly than using cling film every time.
When it comes to covering the buns when they are on the tray, I pop them in large plastic (I keep one just for baking so it stays clean) but a damp, well wrung out tea towel also does the job. Hang it in front of the oven during baking to help speed up drying it out afterwards.
There is no need to pipe each cross separately just pipe a line along each row in one direction and then the other.
I use a disposable piping bag and cut off the tip, you do not need a nozzle since this is not fine piping work. If you don't have a piping bag use a polythene food bag and snip off one corner.
I like to make a sugar syrup to glaze the buns as I can add a little extra spice to the glaze - I like them spicy but you can save time by using a little warmed golden syrup or honey if you prefer. (Warming the syrup or honey first makes it easier to brush on the buns.)

Now all the hard work is done it's time to sit back with a cup of tea and enjoy a hot cross bun - Bliss!

How long will the buns keep?

Hot cross buns are best eaten slightly warm from the oven and on the day they are made. Although do allow them to cool for at least 15 minutes first or they may taste a bit doughy!

However, they will keep for 2 or 3 days in an airtight container and can be refreshed by popping them in the microwave for a few seconds or the oven for a few minutes to warm through. They are also delicious toasted.

You can freeze the hot cross buns for up to 2 months. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight and warm in the oven at 180℃/170℃ fan/gas mark 4 for 5 minutes.

Can I make them dairy-free?

To make the buns dairy-free simply replace the butter with 3 tablespoons light olive oil or other vegetable oil and use a dairy-free milk substitute of your choice. You may need to use a little less water.

Can I make them vegan?

Yes, you can adapt the recipe to make them suitable for vegans. Change as for dairy-free Increasing the plant-based milk to 150ml (¼ pt) and omit the egg. You may need to add a little more water.