Chef John's Hot Cross Buns

These are great. Not a lot of recipes follow this traditional technique where the crosses are baked into the bun. These taste great. If you like raisins you can double the measurement.

I've made these twice now, both times they were delicious. First time the only change I made was I used raisins (what I had in the pantry) instead of currants and divided the dough to make 12 buns instead of 16. Baked them in a 9x13 pan and they came out great but were lacking in fruit quantity. Second time I doubled the all the ingredients (to make 24 buns) except the raisins. Instead of 1/2 cup of raisins I used 1 and 1/2 cups and my kids still complained "not enough raisins!" I thought they were about right tho. I also learnt not to over mix the flour/water paste for the crosses. Stirring until just combined helped the crosses not be chewy the second time.

At last, a traditional recipe for hot cross buns the way they should look and taste! If you are not familiar with the spices, they can be halved or omitted and you will still have a lovely breakfast roll, even if not entirely traditional.

I've made Hot Cross Buns for Easter for years, but this is by far the best recipe I have ever tried. They were so good, I think I may have to make them for Christmas this year too!

I have never written a review and I use this app every day but I just had to say the fragrance in this bread is so amazing... I just finished kneading this bread and I can't stop smelling my hands because the smell so good from all of the spices and orange and lemon zest. This will definitely be an Easter tradition for my family from now on. Thanks Chef John

I've been trying to make good hot cross buns for years and finally I have found the recipe I needed. these buns are exactly as they should be. delicious. easy to make. I didn't have rum so I used Canadian whisky instead. I forgot to pipe on the cross while the buns rose so I just piped an icing cross. I'll pipe them on according to the recipe next time. Thanks, Chef John! this is my hot cross bun recipe from now on.

Great recipe and easier to prepare than I expected. The only issue is they. must be consumed the day they are made. The crosses become wallpaper paste overnight and cannot be chewed. Overall, a fun recipe to prepare. I've been humming the nursery song since making them.

I’ve tried other hot cross bun recipes, but I was looking to try a new one that used dough for the crosses. I really enjoyed the combination of the spices and fruit. Next time, I will probably double the raisins and zest, and use heaping measurements for the spices. The glaze was a wonderful addition I hadn’t tried before, though I wasn’t familiar with making glazes and mine turned out a bit thick and grainy—I recommend removing from the heat earlier than you think you need to rather than later if in doubt. The crosses themselves looked a lot nicer than other dough and icing techniques I had tried before—the technique worked well for a uniform appearance, and they stuck to the buns well; however, they were a bit hard (but better than others I had tried). The texture of the buns themselves was good, but a bit more work than other dough recipes I use frequently just because it was new and I was unfamiliar with using the dough hook (I usually make no knead doughs, or sometimes use the bread machine or knead by hand). I will probably try this spice combination with a different dough I’m more familiar with next time and see if there’s anything I can do to help the crosses have a better texture. I substituted raisins for currants and water for rum, and I made 12 rather than 16 buns. Thanks for the recipe!

This is the best traditional recipe that I’ve ever tried. Yes, the buns are denser than store bought but that’s what I love. I will double the amount of spices and grated fruits next time. Just the aroma in the house from making these was worth it! These will be great for the Christmas holidays too.

My first attempt came out great.! Thanks Chef John. It will be one to keep. :)

I will definitely make this again! My 4-year-old grandson helped me make it and loved eating them later. Easy and delicious.

We loved these! Great recipe.

Again, delicious. And yes, the crosses MUST be baked in, others, whats the point? The currant soaked rum was delicious too.

This is a fabulous recipe! I have been making hot X buns every Easter for several decades and this recipe is hands down the best!

We are in the middle of the Coronavirus Lockdown, so I substituted orange zest for lemon, and candied fruit and raisins for the currants. These were the best hot cross buns I ever made. The dough was light and spicy, and the recipe is versatile. Thanks, Chef John.

I added candied chopped fruit along with the currants!

We made these last year and they were the best Hot Cross Buns we've ever made. We're making them again this Good Friday.

So delicious and easy using the dough hook and mixer to knead. It is a lot of ingredients and steps but the steps are simple. My 3 year old "helped" shape the buns (mostly she snacked on the dough). When they came out, she gobbled 2 of them right away! I didn't have currants or rum so I substituted raisins and orange juice. I would love to make this our Good Friday tradition. Thank you so much Chef John!

I did not care for this recipe. It's tough and dry once baked.

Really good recipe! My son loved it! I made it the first time with piping the crosses but they didn’t look too pretty as I didn’t mix it to well! Also not glossy since I didn’t use a sugar glaze.

I made these for Easter and they were amazing! I didn't realize hot cross buns were a sweet roll. I always assumed they were savory. The cross had a crunchy texture that I didn't anticipate but I loved it. The spiced flavor is not overwhelming. I couldn't find currents so I used chopped dried cranberries instead. I mixed the cranberries in the mixer with the other ingredients vs. waiting to add after the fact and it worked out beautifully. Everyone loved them and I'll definitely make these again.

This recipe is just perfect. I was having a hard time finding a recipe with the baked in cross rather than a piped on one. If you have never tried currants in your baking you really should seek them out for this recipe. I dislike raisins and the store was all out of currants this Easter so I used finely chopped dried cranberries and a bourbon whiskey. They turned out beautifully. I would agree with another reviewer that these really are best the day they are baked. Fresh or eaten next day, with currants or cranberries, I've had nothing but compliments on these beauties and will surely add this one to my recipe box to make for future Easter dinners.

Heavenly fragrance. I increased the dried fruit and the zests just a bit. Friends who heard of my baking have requested more!

Excellent! Always a hit, we look

These are easy and delicious. I used sun dried cranberries instead of currants, but otherwise I followed it exactly.

Drained and added rum soaked raisins and craisins directly to dough mixture then kneaded. I have been baking hot cross buns for years and now I have found my go to recipe. These are awesome! Thank you Chef John for another outstanding recipe! BTW I did not add the crosses but chose to glaze with orange jelly