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Ireland · Breads & Doughs

Hot Cross Buns

Hot Cross Buns
Yield
16 buns
Active
45 minutes
Total
3 hours 30 minutes, including rising
Difficulty
Medium
Free recipe
Hot cross buns in a ceramic bowl with daffodils

The story

In Ireland, all bread baked on Good Friday was once marked with a cross in remembrance of the Crucifixion, and the custom survives in the hot cross bun. In West Cork a special cross-marked bread was baked to go with the Easter eggs and was meant to keep for a year, and by an old custom one hot cross bun was hung from the kitchen ceiling from one year to the next to ward off evil spirits. The spices, traditionally cinnamon and nutmeg, are said to recall the spices used to embalm Christ. Darina Allen of Ballymaloe Cookery School notes that hot cross buns are now sold all through Lent but used to be a treat for Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, which in 2027 fall on February 10 and March 26. They were also known as Good Friday buns, and a rhyme about sharing one runs, "Half for you and half for me, between us two, good luck shall be." Darina Allen pipes the cross with a paste of flour, butter and water, as here, or lays on strips of shortcrust pastry. West Cork supermarkets now sell white chocolate and raspberry versions as well. For Good Friday breakfast, shape the buns the night before and let them finish rising while the oven heats.

Ingredients

  • For the dough:
  • 4 cups bread flour, plus more for kneading
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons (1 packet) instant yeast
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons fine salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1 cup whole milk, lukewarm (about 100°F)
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, softened
  • 2/3 cup dried currants
  • 1/2 cup golden raisins
  • 1/3 cup chopped candied orange or mixed peel
  • Finely grated zest of 1 orange
  • For the crosses:
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon butter, melted
  • 4 to 5 tablespoons cold water
  • For the glaze:
  • 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 3 tablespoons water
Hard to find? candied mixed peel
Sold in tubs in the baking aisle around the holidays and online. Use extra currants or finely chopped dried apricots instead.

Method

  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the bread flour, sugar, yeast, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. Add the milk and eggs and mix with the dough hook on low speed for 2 minutes, until a shaggy dough forms.
  2. Add the softened butter a tablespoon at a time, then knead on medium-low speed for 8 to 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth, elastic and only slightly tacky. (By hand, knead for 12 to 15 minutes.)
  3. Add the currants, raisins, peel and orange zest and knead on low speed for 1 to 2 minutes, until evenly distributed.
  4. Shape the dough into a ball, put it in a greased bowl, cover and let it rise in a warm place for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until doubled.
  5. Line a 13 x 18-inch rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Turn out the dough, divide it into 16 equal pieces (about 2 1/2 oz each) and roll each into a tight ball. Set them in 4 rows of 4, about 1/2 inch apart.
  6. Cover loosely and let rise for 45 to 60 minutes, until puffy and touching, and a gentle poke springs back slowly. Heat the oven to 400°F during the last 20 minutes.
  7. Whisk the all-purpose flour, melted butter and cold water into a thick, smooth paste. Spoon it into a piping bag or zip-top bag, snip a small corner and pipe a line along each row of buns in both directions to make the crosses.
  8. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, turning the pan halfway, until deep golden and a thermometer in a center bun reads 190°F.
  9. While the buns bake, boil the sugar and water for the glaze in a small pan for 1 minute, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Brush it over the buns as soon as they come out of the oven.
  10. Cool the buns on a rack for at least 20 minutes. Serve split and buttered, or toasted.

Note: The buns are best the day they are baked; after that, split and toast them, or freeze them for up to 1 month. For warm buns at breakfast, shape them the night before, cover and refrigerate, then let them finish rising for 1 to 1 1/2 hours at room temperature. Unlike the Christmas edition's Barmbrack, a fruited loaf, these are small spiced yeast buns marked with a cross.

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