Easter Recipes back-to-back: Hot Cross Buns

This weekend is Easter, a cornerstone event in the Christian faith where Jesus was crucified and rose from the dead on the 3rd day. 


Many Christian families commemorate this date with church gatherings and thereafter to a meal comprising some of the most popular Easter traditional foods such as hot cross buns, lamb, eggs and ham. 

Each food bears some symbolic representation of certain aspects of Christianity, for example lamb represents the Lamb of Christ, and hot cross buns are a reminder of the Cross of Christ and the Cruxification. 

I first discovered Hot Cross Buns during my Uni days in Australia.  It became one of my all time favourite sweet buns.  Every Easter, I turned into a hot cross bun junkie - there's just something about those wonderfully fragrant, spiced buns studded with loads of raisins and that totally yummy icing sugared cross.

So for this Easter, why not try making your own hot cross buns with this easy recipe.  It is even easier if you have a breadmaker. 

Hot Cross Buns

recipe adapted from Breville – Bread Recipes, Joy of Baking

Make 12 small buns

For the buns:

• 170ml water
• 1 small egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tbspn oil
• ½ tsp salt
• 40g brown sugar
• 300g bread flour
• 1.5 tbspn milk powder
• 1.5 tsp active dry yeast
• 1 .5 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 2 tsp ground mix all spice
• 100g raisins
• 20g mix peel/fruit

For the glaze

• Half a small egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tbspn milk

For the cross

• 4 tbspn icing sugar
• 1 tbspn milk (or until a thick piping consistency)

Method 1: For kneading by electric mixer

1. Heat the water until lukewarm, then add the yeast and sugar. Stir and set aside for 10min until the mixture is foamy.
2. Pour the mixture into the electric mixer with a paddle attachment. Add the flour and all the other ingredients (except the dried fruits) and mix until well incorporated. Change to a dough hook, add the dried fruits and knead until the batter is smooth and elastic.
3. Pour the batter into a lightly greased bowl and set aside in a warm spot for about 2 hours until it has doubled up in size. (I usually leave it in my microwave with the door closed).
4. Grease a baking pan, and divide the batter into 12 small round balls the size of a golf ball. Leave some space in between the rounds so they can double up in size (about 30min).
5. For the egg wash glaze, mix the egg with the milk, then lightly brush over the rolls.
6. Bake in a preheated oven at 180degrees Celcius for 20minutes.
7. To make the cross, mix the icing sugar with the milk into a thick mixture. Pour into a coned plastic bag and snip a tiny hole at the end. Pipe a cross onto the rolls once they are cooled.

Method 2: For breadmaker

1. Add the ingredients into the breadmaker according to the sequence listed. Select the “Dough” setting on the machine. Pour in the dried fruit at the Beep point.
2. Once the dough is ready, follow the instructions from Step 4 above.

I like to arrange the rolls nearer so that they puffed up and stick together, like a pack of squarish buns you'd find in supermarkets. If you like them round and separate, just space the rolls further apart.

Slather on some butter and jam, and serve with a cup of cold chocolate milk.  Perfect tea time snack for my hungry boy.

This same article was also posted on HungryGoWhere Malaysia HERE