Nothing says Easter better than warm Hot Cross Buns. You'll love this Easter bread recipe for Easy Hot Cross Buns. This recipe is a classic Easter bread you will want to make every year! Sweet dough dotted with golden raisins and covered in a sweet icing.

Hot Cross Buns

I have fond memories of hot cross buns from my childhood. I clearly remember my mom bringing home soft, fluffy hot cross buns with that distinctive frosting cross at Easter time every year. We would eat them for breakfast on Easter morning and toast up any leftovers in the evening to enjoy as a snack. 

How do you make Hot Cross Buns?

There are probably a gazillion different ways to make this traditional Easter bread.  Last year I tried my hand at making them from scratch for the first time, and was really disappointed by the outcome.  The rolls turned out like hard, heavy rocks...I ended up throwing the entire batch away.

So this year, I thought I would seek out another recipe and give them a go again.  I searched  King Arthur Flour recipes ( my yeast dough recipe go to) and found this one, which I ended up adapting slightly.  This recipe is a keeper.  The rolls turned out soft and moist with the a nice slightly spicy flavor.

They tasted just like the Hot Cross Buns I enjoyed as a kid!

The KAF original recipe calls for mixed dried fruit in the dough.  I don't care for a mixture of different dried fruits in this Easter bread, so I used all golden raisins.

I also elected to soak my raisins in Grand Marnier prior to adding them to the batter and added some orange zest as well.  Delicious. 

One interesting thing this recipe does call for is baking powder, along with the yeast.  I have never used both before, but this might be the key to this light and airy Easter bread.

Tips for making Hot Cross Buns

This dough is EXTREMELY soft. I ended up using more flour than the recipe called for ( and I do weigh out my flour on a scale for better accuracy). This might have been more due to the amount of moisture in my flour than any flaw in the original recipe. I actually ended up adding more flour than I probably should have, as I ended up with a really not very sticky, but smooth and elastic dough. It didn't matter though, because the rolls were perfect. If you keep the dough softer, as the recipe suggests, you will likely end up with an even more tender outcome.

I weighed the dough balls to the size the recipe called for, which really made rather large rolls. I adjusted the recipe to make them all a little smaller and use two pans.  For an excellent tutorial for these buns, you can follow this link to a blog post written for them by KAF.

Fresh from the oven.  Once cooled, frost with an X. 

Hot Cross Buns, Easter Bread recipe. Easter bread

Breakfast, Bread, Easter

Unknown

Yield: 24 servings

Author: Renee Paj

Easy Hot Cross Buns

prep time: 2 H & 15 Mcook time: 20 Mtotal time: 2 H & 35 M

Easy Hot Cross Buns are a classic Easter bread you will want to make every year! Sweet dough dotted with golden raisins and covered in a sweet icing.

ingredients:

For Buns

• 1/4 cup Grand Marnier or orange juice
• 1 cup golden raisins
• 1 1/4 cups milk, room temperature ( I used skim)
• 2 whole large eggs + 1 egg yolk
• 6 TBSP unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 tsp. instant yeast
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 tsp grated orange zest
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp allspice
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 TBSP baking powder
• 4 1/2 cups all purpose flour ( 19 ounces)

For Frosting

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
• enough milk or Grand Marnier or orange juice to make a thick icing
• 2 TBSP of softened butter

instructions:

1. Soak raisins in Grand Marnier or orange juice overnight.
2. In the bowl of a large stand mixer, combine all the ingredients for the buns ( except the raisins and liquor). Mix with paddle until combined then switch to hook and knead until soft and elastic. ( you might need a add more flour) Dough will be very soft. Mix in the fruit and any remaining liquid.
3. Cover dough and allow it to rise for about one hour. It may not double in size, but it will puff up.
4. Spray two 13 x 9" pans with cooking spray. Form dough into buns ( with greased hands) and place into prepared pan. ( I measured out approx. 2 ounces per bun )
5. Cover the buns and let them rise for 1 hour.
6. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Bake buns for 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool completely before adding frosting. Since these are best enjoyed warm...heat up the buns in a microwave before eating for a few seconds

NOTES:

Nutritional Information is an estimate
Recipe adapted from KAF

Calories
205.84

Fat (grams)
5.49

Sat. Fat (grams)
3.03

Carbs (grams)
35.56

Fiber (grams)
1.14

Net carbs
34.41

Sugar (grams)
14.01

Protein (grams)
4.43

Sodium (milligrams)
261.94

Cholesterol (grams)
35.20

Copyright © 2012 Renee's Kitchen Adventures

Created using The Recipes Generator

We are celebrating Easter this year with dinner out.  I sort of miss making a big Easter brunch...but that's ok, because I won't miss any of the clean up!  :)  I will probably still make these heavenly deviled eggs though!  They are one of my favorites!

I wish you all a very blessed Easter Sunday!

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