ARTICLE
How To Make Traditional Hot Cross Buns – And The Wild Flavours You Have To Try!
March 1, 2024-5 min read
What’s your favourite way to eat a hot cross bun? We like it hot from the oven, with lashings of butter and a cuppa on the side. However you like them, baking big batches of traditional Easter hot cross buns at home has never been easier, with the latest stand mixers, the right mixer accessories for the job, and precise oven controls.
Also, prepare for some new twists on an old favourite. We’re talking Vegemite, white chocolate and, wait for it, bacon! And then there’s the delectable Easter egg toastie – yum!
Indulge anytime or mark the Easter 2024 dates in your calendar on 29 March for Good Friday and 31 March for Easter Sunday.
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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.
“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.”
Shop Stand Mixers
Sunbeam Mix Master Combo Mixer Pro
KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer
Shop Bread Makers
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 FreezerHisense 384L Vertical Hybrid Freezer
Shop Big Ovens
Westinghouse 90cm Pyrolytic Steam 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.
