How To Make Traditional Hot Cross Buns – And The Wild Flavours You Have To Try!

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Is It Easy To Make Traditional Hot Cross Buns?

Absolutely! And with the right appliances, you can create Easter hot cross buns exactly how you like them. No “knead” to break a sweat – just add your Goldilocks combination of spices and dried fruit into your stand mixer, click in the specialist dough hook and let the mixer do the work!

“A stand mixer is such a versatile kitchen appliance. The interchangeable accessories mean you can do everything from knead and grind to whip and whisk. You can even make ice cream with a freezable bowl attachment,” says Tania Grillinzoni, The Good Guys Buyer – Cooking and Dishwashers.

And don’t forget, your breadmaker is literally built for buns. Plus, there are lots of time-saving appliances that can make it supereasy to cook up a mouth-watering Easter feast.

Shop Stand Mixers

Smeg 50s Retro Style Mixer – Cream

Sunbeam Mix Master Combo Mixer Pro

KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer Blue Salt COTY

Shop Bread Makers

Breville The Bakers Dozen

Panasonic Bread Maker

Breville Bread Maker

Can You Freeze Hot Cross Buns?

For sure! For an easy lunchbox treat, just butter, wrap and freeze individual buns. Want to bake even bigger batches of buns? Upgrading your oven to a double oven or a wider 90cm oven (a smart move if you’re renovating) will give you that greater capacity. A 90cm oven gives you more than 120 litres of baking space for scores of buns, or family-sized roasts all year round.

Shop Freezers

Hisense 145L Hybrid Chest Freezer

CHiQ 142L Hybrid Chest Freezer
Hisense 384L Vertical Hybrid Freezer

Shop Big Ovens

Westinghouse 90cm Pyrolytic Steam Oven

Omega 90cm Electric Oven

Bosch Series 6 90cm Built-In Oven

Classic Hot Cross Buns

As with any bread-making, you’ll need to allow time for the dough to prove. This time encourages the yeast to multiply, ensuring buns are light and fluffy. Follow the steps for success with this traditional hot cross bun recipe from Kenwood.

Prep time: 30 mins

Cook time: 20 mins, plus 2 hours rising/proving time

Makes 16 hot cross buns

Ingredients #1

• 500g strong flour 
• 60g unsalted butter 
• 3 tbsp mixed spice

Ingredients #2

• 7g dried yeast  
• 40g caster sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt

Ingredients #3

• 250ml warm milk 
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 75g candied citrus peel
• 175g sultanas 

Ingredients #4

• 50g plain flour  
• 1/2 tsp water

Ingredients #5

• 2 tbsp apricot jam 
• 1 tsp water

Method

Preparation (before you begin)

1. Cut the butter into cubes and leave at room temperature to soften.

2. Coarsely chop the citrus peel.

3. Preheat the oven to 200ºC.

4. Fit the K beater to the Kenwood Titanium Chef Baker XL

Stage 1

1. Add Ingredients #1 (flour, butter, mixed spice) into the mixer bowl.

2. Attach the bowl to the machine, fit the splash guard and mix on speed 4 for 1 minute or until coarse crumbs form.

Stage 2

Add Ingredients #2 (yeast, sugar, salt) into the mixer bowl and mix on speed 4 for 30 seconds.

Stage 3

1. Remove the K beater and fit the Spiral dough tool.

2. Add Ingredients #3 (milk, eggs, citrus peel, sultanas) into the mixer bowl. Mix on speed 2 for 5 minutes.

3. Cover with a tea towel. Leave to prove for 1 hour.

4. Transfer the dough from the mixer bowl to a lightly floured work surface. Carefully flatten the dough with your wrist. Take the far edge of the dough and roll it back towards you. Gently roll the dough into a sausage shape, applying even and gentle pressure.

5. Divide the dough into 16 equal pieces. Cover with a tea towel. Leave to rest for 10 minutes.

6. Take one piece of dough, place it under the palm of your hand. Gently apply a little pressure and rotate your hand slowly, bringing your fingers inward, to make a roll shape. Repeat this action with the rest of the dough pieces.

7. Place the dough onto a floured baking tray. Cover with a tea towel. Leave to prove for 1 hour.

Stage 4

1. Add Ingredients #4 (flour, water) to a small bowl. Transfer the contents of the small bowl into the piping bag. Pipe a cross on the top of each bun.

2. Bake for 20 minutes at 200ºC.

Stage 5

Add Ingredients #5 (jam, water) to a small bowl. While the buns are still hot, use a pastry brush to glaze the buns with the jam. Leave to cool on a wire rack or eat straightaway!

Can I Substitute Ingredients In Hot Cross Buns?

The only thing holding you back is tradition. Experiment with these wild and wonderful variations to switch up any hot cross bun recipe!

#1 Vegemite Hot Cross Buns

Isn’t it weird how Vegemite just goes with everything? In hot cross buns, the Vegemite is the salt substitute, so give any extra salt in the recipe the flick. Whisk the Aussie spread in with the eggs to ensure an even spread through the dough.

#2 Bacon & Sultana

Slightly sweet, slightly salty, this twist on a family favourite is perfect as a breakfast bun. Add chopped bacon into the classic mix above, or lie thin rashers of bacon over the raw dough to make a cross shape. It’ll come out crispy!

#3 Hot Cross Bun Easter Egg Toastie

This one is more of a serving suggestion once you’ve made your buns. Simply tear a hole in the side of a hot cross bun and push in a small, solid chocolate Easter egg. Use a flat-plate sandwich maker to heat the bun and melt the chocolate – just as you would a cheese toastie.

#4 Caramilk Twist

Add chunks of Cadbury Caramilk chocolate to the mix for a gooey bun that doesn’t need toasting or even butter. They are delicious straight up!

#5 Double Chocolate

Do away with the fruit altogether and, instead, add cocoa and chocolate baking chips (white, milk, dark or all of the above!) for a double chocolate serve. 

#6 Apple & Cinnamon

Swap out the sultanas for chunks of dried apple and go heavy on the cinnamon.

#7 Rum Buns

Add a little rum to the mix for a traditional rum-and-raisin flavour the adults will love.

#8 Cinnamon-Glazed

The thin white glaze – made from icing sugar, milk, cinnamon, vanilla extract and a dash of salt – that’s famous for gracing cinnamon scrolls pairs perfectly with hot cross buns.

#9 Date & Orange

Sticky chunks of fresh date combined with orange zest make a great substitute for the traditional raisins and mixed peel.

#10 White Chocolate & Raspberry

White chocolate baking chips will add a touch of sweetness to balance the tang of warmed fresh raspberries. Serve buns spread with chilled butter or a spoon of clotted cream.

Any way you eat them, hot cross buns are the Easter treat you can have all year round! For brilliant baking results, upgrade now to a next-gen stand mixer and big-batch oven. See us in-store or online for expert advice, the biggest brands and the best appliances for acing your Easter Feast.