Hot Cross Buns

One a penny, two a penny, hot cross buns! Fill your home at  with the gorgeous smells of freshly baked hot cross buns - made with love by you!

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
proofing time 1 hour 20 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 10 minutes
Course Brunch, Dessert, Snack
Servings 16 Buns

Ingredients
 
 

Ingredients

  • 1 Tbsp dried yeast
  • ¼ cup caster sugar
  • 250 ml warm milk
  • 3 cups high grade/bread flour
  • ¾ cup wholemeal flour
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp all spice
  • 60 g butter chopped
  • ½ cup currants
  • ½ cup sultanas
  • 125 ml warm water
  • 1 egg lightly beaten
  • 1 Tbsp orange marmalade

Flour paste

  • ½ cup plain flour
  • 1 Tbsp caster sugar
  • 80 ml water

Instructions
 

  • Place yeast, sugar and milk in a small bowl, whisk until yeast dissolves. Cover with plastic wrap, stand in a warm place (see Notes) for 10 minutes or until mixture is frothy. Sift flour, cinnamon and all spice into a large bowl and rub in butter. Stir in yeast mixture, currants, sultanas, egg and water. Bring together with your hands or a spoon, then turn out onto a floured surface. Knead until smooth, then place in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Stand in a warm place (see Notes) for 1 hour or until mixture has doubled in size.
  • Grease a deep 23cm square tin with butter. Remove the plastic wrap from the bowl, then punch the dough to knock it back. Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead for a minute. Divide dough into 16 pieces, form into balls and place in the tin. Cover, and stand again in a warm place (see Notes) for 20 minutes or until dough has doubled in size.
  • Preheat oven to 180°C. To prepare flour paste, combine flour and sugar in a bowl; gradually blend in enough water to form a thickish smooth paste. Spoon paste into a piping bag with a small plain tube or use a resealable plastic bag and cut off a tiny corner. Pipe crosses onto buns—four long lines vertically and then horizontally across each row of buns.
  • Bake for 10 minutes then reduce heat to 160°C for about 20 minutes. Turn onto a wire rack and brush with warm orange spread (or not if you don’t like sticky buns).
  • Serve as soon as they are cold enough to touch, plain or with butter and orange marmalade.

Notes

This recipe involves 1h 20 min standing (rising) time for the dough.
Nothing like working with yeast and kneading to bring out your inner Domestic Goddess!
If your house is a bit on the cool side when you are baking buns, you will find warm places are in the laundry if the dryer is on, on top of the oven if you are baking something else or sit the bowl/tin on a heated wheat bag.
Will keep in an airtight container for a few days; reheat in the oven for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Share this hot cross buns recipe NZ wide with friends and family!
Keyword kid friendly, vegetarian
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