This is a British hot cross bun recipe for stand mixers. The buns are light and perfectly seasoned.
British Hot Cross Buns
This is a British hot cross bun recipe for stand mixers. The buns are light and perfectly seasoned.
Ingredients
Buns:
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup white sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ cup unsalted butter softened, cut into pieces, plus more for greasing
- 1 large egg
- ⅔ cup dried currants
- ¼ cup diced candied citron
Glaze:
- 2 tablespoons white sugar
- 1 tablespoon water
Icing:
- ⅔ cup confectioners’ sugar
- 2 teaspoons water
Instructions
- Heat milk in a small saucepan to 110 degrees F (43 degrees C). Pour milk into a large bowl; whisk in ½ cup flour and yeast. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap; set aside until bubbly, about 15 minutes.
- Place 1 ⅔ cups flour, ⅓ cup white sugar, salt, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; beat on low speed for a few seconds to combine. Add ¼ cup butter; beat on low speed until incorporated, about 2 minutes.
- Add yeast mixture and egg to flour mixture; beat on low speed for 2 minutes. Stop the mixer; rest for 10 minutes. Beat on medium speed until smooth and elastic, about 2 minutes. Beat in currants and citron on the lowest speed until evenly distributed, about 1 minute.
- Grease inside of a large bowl with butter; place dough in bowl, turn to coat dough with butter on all sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap; let dough rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; pat into a rough square, and cut into 12 equal pieces. Form each piece into a round bun; place on the prepared baking sheet. Press a cross pattern into each bun with the back of a knife; cover buns with a damp cloth and allow to rise until doubled in volume, about 45 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
- Bake buns in the preheated oven until deep golden brown, about 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, bring 2 tablespoons white sugar and 1 tablespoon water to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove buns from the oven. Transfer buns on parchment paper to a wire rack; immediately brush buns with white sugar glaze. Cool buns completely, about 20 minutes.
- Combine confectioners’ sugar and 2 teaspoons water in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave icing mixture until smooth and warm to the touch, about 10 seconds. Place icing mixture in a resealable plastic bag, snip off one corner of the bag, and pipe a cross over fully cooled buns; set aside for icing to dry, 30 minutes.
Notes
For advance preparation, bake buns, do not apply glaze or icing, but freeze buns. When ready to serve, defrost buns at room temperature (about 20 minutes), place on a baking sheet and reheat in a preheated 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) oven for 5 minutes. Then apply glaze and icing.
