Description
A recipe for making traditional spiced sweet buns marked with a cross.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup milk
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 packet active dry yeast
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup currants or raisins
- 1/4 cup candied citrus peel (optional)
- 1 egg white (for brushing)
- 2 tablespoons water (for paste)
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar (for glaze)
Instructions
- Warm the milk until lukewarm. Stir in the butter, sugar, spices, and salt until the butter melts. Let cool slightly.
- In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm milk mixture. Let stand for 5 minutes until foamy.
- Mix in the flour and the large egg until a soft dough forms. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for about 8 minutes until smooth and elastic.
- Gently knead in the currants and candied peel, if using.
- Place the dough in a greased bowl, turn to coat, and cover. Let rise in a warm place for 1 to 1.5 hours, or until doubled in size.
- Punch down the dough and divide it into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a smooth ball.
- Place the balls close together on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
- Mix the egg white with 2 tablespoons of water to create the cross mixture. Place this mixture into a piping bag or a small plastic bag with a corner snipped off. Pipe a cross shape onto the top of each bun.
- Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
- While the buns are cooling slightly, mix the powdered sugar with a small amount of water to make a thin glaze. Brush the glaze over the warm buns.
Notes
- For a shinier finish, you can brush the buns with a simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water, boiled briefly) instead of the powdered sugar glaze.
- If you do not have candied peel, you can increase the currants by 1/4 cup.
- Prep Time: 30 min
- Cook Time: 20 min
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: British
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bun
- Calories: 250
- Sugar: 15
- Sodium: 180
- Fat: 6
- Saturated Fat: 3
- Unsaturated Fat: 3
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 45
- Fiber: 2
- Protein: 6
- Cholesterol: 30
Keywords: Hot Cross Buns, spiced buns, Easter bread, sweet rolls, fruit buns