Hot Cross Buns Recipe with Glaze
Learn how to make an Easter favorite: hot cross buns, plus a delicious glaze to go on top!
We look forward to making hot cross buns every Easter, and we got even more excited after we developed this easy recipe. If you've been nervous about making your own hot cross buns, then you have to give our recipe a try! It's very simple to make, and it's bursting with flavor. It uses cinnamon and raisins to get that rich spiced flavor, and the finished buns are hearty, fluffy, and covered with a gooey glaze that you won't be able to resist. This easy hot cross buns recipe is one that you can make year after year with your family. It's a great Easter tradition!
Ingredients
- For the buns
- 1/4 cup apple juice
- 1/2 cup golden raisins
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1 1/4 cup milk, room temperature
- 2 large eggs, plus 1 egg yolk (save the white for the topping)
- 6 tablespoon butter, room temperature
- 2 teaspoon instant yeast
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 4 1/2 cup King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose flour
- For the Topping
- 1 large egg white, reserved from above
- 1 tablespoon milk
- For the Icing
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- 4 teaspoon milk
Hot Cross Buns Recipe
Instructions
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Lightly grease a 10" square pan or 9" x 13" pan.
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Mix the apple juice with the raisins, cover with plastic wrap, and microwave briefly, just till the fruit and liquid are very warm, and the plastic starts to "shrink wrap" itself over the top of the bowl. Set aside to cool to room temperature. Note: If you worry about using plastic wrap in your microwave, simply cover the bowl with a glass lid.
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When the fruit is cool, mix together all of the dough ingredients (including the eggs and the egg yolk from the separated egg); hold out the fruit for the time being. Knead the mixture, using an electric mixer or bread machine, until the dough is soft and elastic. It'll be very slack, sticking to the bottom of the bowl and your hands as you work with it (greasing your hands helps). Mix in the fruit and any liquid not absorbed.
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Let the dough rise for 1 hour, covered. It should become puffy, though may not double in bulk.
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Divide the dough into billiard ball-sized pieces, about 3 3/4 ounces each. A heaped muffin scoop (about 1/3 cup) makes about the right portion. You'll make 12 to 14 buns. Use your greased hands to round them into balls. Arrange them in the prepared pan.
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Cover the pan, and let the buns rise for 1 hour, or until they've puffed up and are touching one another. While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
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Whisk together the reserved egg white and milk, and brush it over the buns.
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Bake the buns for 20 minutes, until they're golden brown. Remove from the oven, carefully turn the buns out of the pan (they should come out in one large piece), and transfer them to a rack to cool.
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Mix together the icing ingredients, and when the buns are completely cool, pipe it in a cross shape atop each bun.