Hot Cross Buns

Since I was short on time, I decided to try this bread machine version over my 'traditional' recipe....and these buns were awesome! The even tasted just like my regular recipe! I did make some changes as my standby recipe was a bit different and you may want to try this too: I added 1 tsp. each vanilla extract & butter flavoring, 1/2 tsp. allspice, 1 tsp. each dried lemon and orange peel and 3/4C. mixed candied fruit. So good with a cup of tea.....

My husband says that the traditional hot cross buns have a sweetened dough cross rather than an icing one, so I made a sweet dough out of an egg white, some confectioners sugar, all purpose flour and some vanilla and put it on after brusing the tops with the egg yolk mixture - turned out great! Our guests loved them and asked for the recipe!

Absolutely delish! Instead of using the warm water and powdered milk, I used 3/4 cup of warm skim milk. I ended up leaving off the crosses, so that it's easier to heat them up, toast them, etc. and we loved them. So easy!!

To make the buns more traditional (and toastable) make a paste of plain flour and water (you can add a tiny bit of sugar and spice to make it more tasty) and pipe the buns with crosses of paste before baking. Then, brush buns with a swwt glaze (sugar, water, gelatin, spice) when they come out of the oven. Also, try using rasins and peel. YUM!

This is a great recipe! I added 2/3 cup of candied fruit and 1 teaspoon of Vanilla to original recipe. I used rasins instead of currants and unbleached flour because that was what I had on hand! I love them! The house smells wonderful!!! I think I could make a double batch in my bread machine next time. I made two individual recipes for Easter and I am sure they will be a hit tomorrow! Thanks Sue! I love using the bread machine to make the dough. They are quick to throw together!

These were really very nice! I was pleasantly surprised to find a recipe for this Easter treat that I could make in my bread machine. Fancier models of bread machines that have a dough cycle that includes a rising time can omit the rising in the pan described in the original recipe. I also would go ahead and add the currants/raisins and cinnamon with the rest of the ingredients, rather than waiting. The taste is much like very light white bread with a hint of cinnamon and raisins. If you prefer more zip, add the allspice, vanilla, butter extract etc as recommended by a previous reviewer. However, the recipe as it stands is really very good. The buns come out huge and golden - picture perfect.

The BEST recipe for Hot Cross Buns I've ever had. I've used this recipe for years and had many people request the recipe. The only change I make is to add mixed dried fruit and peel as a substitute for most of the currants AND I remove the dough to a bowl sprayed with Pam and let it rise (covered with a towel) in a warm place. This frees up the machine to start a 2nd or 3rd batch!! Thanks. YUMMY!

Absolutely a keeper! I'm an Asian and believe it or not I never even knew what a hot cross bun looks like before I saw the pic on this site! My hubby mentioned that his mother used to make killer hot cross bun and too bad he cannot find anything that good at store anymore! So, after reading all the raving reviews, I decided to give it a try! I substitued white flour with unbleached bread flour, used about 1 and 1/3 bags (2oz per bag)of active yeast, also added extra 1 tsp of vanilla extract, 1tsp cinimmon,1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1tsp fresh orange zest and 1/2 cup of raisins to the dough base. For the icing, I used 1 cup of confectionary sugar, 2 tsp non- fat milk , 2 tsp orange juice and 1/2 tsp lemon zest. The sweetness with a twist of citric taste, yum! I put the icing into the cross before the buns got completely cool, so that the icing will be melted into the center of the bun! It may not look that good, but really tastes better! My hubby cannot stop complimenting how great the buns taste! Thank you so much for posting the recipe! Big thanks to all who spent time sharing their experiences and tips!

This is an awesome recipe! My husband loved it! It is soo easy! I added raisins instead of the currants and I liked that the raisins (being added in the last 5 min) didn't get chopped up but stayed whole and added a nice sweet flavor. I will definately make these again. This was my first time ever making hot cross buns and I will do it again! Review Number 2 on this recipe--I made this again but I got lazy and didn't want to make all those rolls so I made 12 and put the rest of the dough in a loaf pan. I let it rise as per instructions and baked it for 30 minutes. I took it out after 15 minutes because the top was golden brown. I tested it using a metal skewer. The inside was still gooey. I covered the loaf with foil and baked for another 10 minutes. Not quite done. Back in still covered for 5 more minutes. Done! I let it cool and frosted it with a carrot cake frosting of 8oz cream cheese, 4 tbsp butter and 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar. Now granted, it makes way too much for a bread ot rolls, but I also made a carrot cake that used most of it. My kids raved about the rolls! The bread came out good too although it was hard to cut and the individual slices didn't hold their shape as I was slicing it. An awesome recipe!!!!!!!!

i make the dough ahead and wrap and refridgerate them at the forming into bun part, i pull them out in the morning for it's second rise, and bake them fresh :)

This is a keeper! Perfect, quick & easy. I did follow advice about the cross though... Mix 1/4 cup icing sugar, 1/4 cup flour, 1 tsp vanilla, 1 tbsp milk, and enough water to make a thick paste & pipe on after brushing with egg...before baking. They turned out PERFECT. We are on our second batch. And I used raisins instead of currants...don't think it would change it too much.

This recipe's a definite keeper! I don't have a bread machine, so I added 1 pkg of active dry yeast to the warm water for 15 mins till frothy, and added that to the rest of the ingredients and mixed till I got a sticky bread dough, adding the cinnamon powder at the last. I also prepared the dough on Thu night, and after the first rise, I shaped the dough into small balls of 50g each, placed them in a baking paper line tray, covered the tray with cling wrap and placed the whole lot in the fridge. I took them out this morning and heated the oven while waiting for the dough to return to room temperature before brushing with egg yolk. I live in a tropical climate, so 190C for 15mins was just right. This recipe got me 15 buns.

Great recipe! I added 1/4 tsp of nutmeg and 1/4 tsp of cloves and they were absolutely delicious. I used my Cuisinart mixer with dough hook, because I don't have (or need!) a bread machine. I sprinkled the yeast on top of the water pus a tbsp of the sugar. I let it sit until foamy. Then I added all of the rest of the ingredients and mixed for 3 minutes at speed 3. Then, I scraped the bowl and kept mixing for 2 more minutes at speed 2. They came out fluffy and delicious! Thanks!

I wanted to make hot cross buns for Easter, but I am not a fan of the traditional currants and spices. I enjoyed this recipe and made the following changes to suit my tastes: (they came out very good and I got compliments on them at a pre-Easter party) I substituted 3/4 cups dried blueberries for the currants and 1 tsp lemon zest for the cinnamon. For the glaze, I added a drop or two of lemon extract to the other ingredients. These changes made the buns have a nice spring flavor - if you are willing to break with the traditional.

I didn't use a bread machine. I used milk instead of the water and milk powder, heating that to 110° and added some of the sugar to proof the yeast. Also, I used 1/2 cup of raisins and 1/4 chopped citron which is reminiscent of the buns I had as a child. I completed the dough in my KA mixer. Perfect.

This was an excellent recipe. I didn't add icing as I wanted a raisin bun. I did add 1 tbsp of vital gluten to make it really light and fluffy. I think next time I would add more spices, it smelled great but didn't taste as cinnamony as I thought it would.

I accidentally added the cinnamon when I put in the other ingredients and it didn't seem to hurt it a bit. Baked for 15 minutes instead of 20 because I don't like dry rolls. Might meke them into 16 rolls next time because they were big.

I don't have a bread machine. Instead, I mixed the ingredients in my Cuisinart--it did a great job of mixing and kneading--even with the metal blade. I think I will add lemon peel to the dough next time, but all in all this is a five star recipe.

My family really enjoyed these. I used a very thin icing over the entire bun before I made the cross with reg. icing.

No need to go to the bakery anymore. This recipe is even better. They can out picture perfect! Thanks!!!

These were super easy to make and turned out fantastic! I had not had hot cross buns since I was a teenager and my mom would bring them home from the bakery she worked at. For some reason I kept thinking about them so looked for a recipe and chose this one. Boy - am I ever glad I did! They taste best slightly warmed up - I put them in the microwave at 40% power for about 35 seconds. The icing does not melt but the bun gets warm and soft. Yummy!! I can't wait for my mom to get here to try one of these!

Yummy. I used raisins instead of currants and I think next time I might try it with a bit of candied fruit too.

This is a great hot cross buns recipe! I have two suggestions for making dough in a breadmaker: 1. Proof the yeast first in a bit of water and add a teaspoon of sugar. 2. Never add all the flour at the beginning, and never measure the flour! Here is what you do: Add all dough ingredients except sugar, flour, proofed yeast and currents to bread machine pan. Dump about 1 1/2 cups of four on top of the liquidy mixture. Top this with sugar and proofed yeast. Start the breadmaker, and let the glutton form as the machine mixes the mixture. As soon as the machine starts to really mix, start topping up with additional flour, about 1/4 cup at a time, until the mixture is smooth, moist, but not sticky. If you reach in and some comes off in your fingers, add a bit more flour until you can touch it without any sticking. This way you have added just the right amount of flour. Flour gets compacted so easily, so many times if you "measure" flour, you end up with thick, dense buns. This method takes a bit more "watching" but will always result in better buns.

Awesome, perfect as is! I didn't have a bread machine so I made by hand. NO complaints here!

awesome...did them on convection and they looked like they came from a bakery....used the piped on sweet dough rather than the icing....1/2 cup icing sugar, 1/2 cup flour, vanilla and some milk to thin.....mix it in a sandwich bag and pipe on just before rolls to into oven

This is a great recipe for Hot Cross Buns. The buns were delicious and the texture was perfect..

I think this is a good starter recipe, but it needs some more spice to be like a true hot cross bun. next time I make this I would add more cinnamon (2 tsp), some ginger (3/4 tsp), a bit of nutmeg (1/4 tsp) and definitely more fruit - I did 3/4 cup of a mix of raisins, cranberries and blueberries - next time I'd add more like a cup and a half. I think a bit of orange or lime zest would really get this recips up to 5 stars!! Worth a try for sure.

These are very good. I have been baking my own buns for probably over 30 years and have had many good recipies, but this one has become my newest best recipe for both as is for Easter and without the currants and cinnamon and icing for plain buns for other occasions. I use a heavy duty food processor for mixing the dough and I let it rise in my oven with just the oven light on to keep it warm. I prefer smaller buns, so I make 18 out of one recipe, but I always make two batches while I'm at it and freeze most of it for special occasions.

Tried this recipes for Easter and the buns were soft and delicious. This is the best recipe ever. The only ingredient I substituted was white sugar and used brown sugar instead. This will be the recipe that I wiil use for hot cross buns in future.

WOw they are PICTURE PERFECT, this is the first time I make hot cross buns and they came out so nice,fluffy and golden. Substituted the currants for chocolate chips as my sister prefers choc chip hot cross buns. I'm glad I tried this recipe, but I prefer my hot cross buns sweeter, so next time I'll add a bit more sugar into it. THanks for the great recipe :D

Made these for Good Friday and they came out great. I substituted raisins for the currants and it was delicious! I also made the recipe by hand as I don't own a bread maker. My dad isn't a big fan of sweet buns but he said he enjoyed them so that's good enough for me:). Thanks for the recipe.

a little too heavy but they all got eaten.

Since I did not have any powdered milk, I substituted the plain water with low fat milk.I also reduced the confectioners sugar to 1/4cup.The buns turned out great!

These are delicious. I add 1 tsp orange zest, 3/4 tsp ground ginger, and 1/4 tsp nutmeg. It adds just a little bit more to it.

I use half a cup of mixed dried peel bits with half a cup of raisins to brighten them up a bit inside. I also found I could substitute half a cup of white flour for half a cup of fine whole wheat flour and it added nutrition without changing the texture or taste. Super yummy!

This recipe reminded me of the delicious hot cross buns my mom brought home for a treat. I added chopped citron in place of 2/3 of the raisins. Using the bread machine made this whole recipe a snap.

I never made these before, but I love them so much so I thought I'd try. They were delicious! I do think that I'll add a little more sugar, since I like them a tiny bit sweeter. I made them the day before and after making them into balls I refrigerated them until morning and then baked them. It worked out just fine. Thanks for a great recipe.

Followed the recipe to the dot. too heavy not enough flavor.

very yummy! I have a smaller bread machine, so I made 2/3 of the recipe, 8 rolls total. I added 5-spice and 1/2 cup of candied fruit, and changed the currants to raisins. Delicious, and perfect for Easter.

I will make these Easter morning to serve at our family style cafe. Excellent!

These were delicious and very easy to make. I used 3/4 cup of warm milk instead of the water and powdered milk. I didn't have currants or raisins so I just left those out. I used one envelope of active dry yeast which was slightly under 1 T. Still worked great.

Yum! Yum! Yum! These rolls were wonderful! I had made the traditional hot cross buns for Easter and then decided to try these, too, at the last minute. These were WAY better than the ones that had taken me hours of mixing, kneading & rising! I heeded a previous review and added allspice, butter flavoring, vanilla and raisins. You NEED to give these a try. Very easy and very yummy!

Tasted good, but dry. Followed recipe to a T.

I've never been so disappointed in a recipe before. This was sooo dry. So dry, that it took all the taste out of them.

Excellent recipe, everyone liked them. I did however omit the currants and will add raisins next time.

This recipe couldn't have been easier. I forgot to add the currants (raisins) before the end of the kneading cycle so I just mixed them in by hand and let the dough rise in a covered bowl. Like others have suggested, I'm going to add some candied fruit next time.

These were exactly what we wanted for Easter breakfast - delicious!! I used real milk instead of powder (didn't have powder) and skipped the currants, but did everything else the same and this bread was light, fluffy, and just sweet enough. I made them without a bread machine by proofing the yeast in the water and sugar first, then adding the rest of the ingredients and kneading. I'll definitely make again!

A wonderful recipe to make from scratch. I used the delay setting on my bread maker and it came out just fine. Totally worth it & the kids loved it!

Great taste but not as tender as I had hoped for. Will try this recipe again for sure though.

In a word these are FABULOUS. Buns were light, tasty what can I say? I used my bread maker to make the dough so it was super easy. This will be an Easter tradition for us from now on.

So goood. A definite keeper. Only adjustment I made was to add a tablespoon more of sugar. I like it sweet.

Lower on flavor than I had hoped for, and somewhat dry. Also, they were already overcooked in 18 minutes and stuck very badly to the bottom of the pan despite it being well greased.

These were okay. Not nearly as light and flavourful as my usual recipe. I think the main difference is that my recipe uses milk; it also calls for creaming the butter and sugar first, then beating in the egg. My husband and I ate them; I just wouldn't give any to my Mother-in-Law!

Not like the ones I have bought in the store.....these are better!!!! This is the first time I made my own and this recipe is wonderful :)

This is a really great recipe. I followed it to a T except that I made 16 rolls, not 12. Really good....and good HOT right out of the oven.

I just made this recipe tonight & it turned out very good.There was a spice missing to give it that true hot cross bun flavour,perhaps allspice. I used margarine & raisins instead of butter & currents. Make sure to grease the pan generously or use parchment paper.I will definately made this easy recipe again once I discover the missing spice.

This recipe turned out just as good as earlier reviewers said it would! And it reminded me of my mom's hot cross buns! I used a "tropical medley" of dried fruit from Sun Maid and it was wonderful! Also added the 1/2 tsp. all spice and 1 tsp. cinnamon as earlier reviewers did. I needed to find a good recipe for hot cross buns as I need to bring the rolls to an upcoming social event and I don't need to look any further! Thank you all for your suggestions and Sue, for your recipe!

These were easy to make and my family thought they were great. I had to make another batch the very next day.

These were awesome! I added some grated orange zest and raisins right to the dough.. and they were great.

These were okay. Not nearly as light and flavourful as my usual recipe. I think the main difference is that my recipe uses milk; it also calls for creaming the butter and sugar first, then beating in the egg. My husband and I ate them; I just wouldn't give any to my Mother-in-Law!

make on fat tues for ash wed fasting. good as a small breakfast and lunch w/ a piece of cheese.

Yum! These were great! Only tweaking I did was to use almond milk in place of the water and powdered milk. Just like we would buy at the local bakery - well - not anymore we wont! ;) These are too good not to make from scratch.

Wonderful. Made 2 batches yesterday. Added 3T cinnamon, some ground cloves, nutmeg & allspice & 2T lemon zest and used 2% milk instead of water & powder milk. Made crosses out of flour,water& icing sugar paste .

I didn't use my bread machine as I wanted to double the recipe. Definitely should have added the cinnamon & raisins with the other ingredients! I'll make this recipe again but will spice it up a bit by adding orange zest or substituting Sun Maid Tropical Fruit for the raisins. I also like the idea of piping the cross on the buns as my pastry brush did not work well.

These we the BEST hot cross buns I have ever made, they were great! I really think you will enjoy them!

Excellent recipe!! I did not use a bread machine, I proffed in the oven and it still came out perfect. Fast (for a yeast dough), easy and delicious.

the BEST! Made these w/o bread machine: scalded and cooled 1/2c milk, yeast with 1/4c warm water, currants rinsed, added 1/2 tsp allspice, half all purpose flour and half hard white (organic). Delicious recipe for today, Good Friday, or any occasion

This is a fabulous recipe! I've tried other recipes for hot cross buns in the breadmaker and they came out like rocks. These are light and fluffy and golden brown. I'll definitely be making this again.

Loved these ! Will definitely make them again, and not just for Easter!

Very nice recipe. Turned out just fine even though I cheated and only made nine instead of the twelve. I like bigger buns...sue me! The only thing I wish I had done is add a bit of vanilla as I see now someone else did. Next time. Also, didn't have any instant milk and just used the water. Turned out just fine.

These are tasty and easy to make.

We used to have Hot Cross Buns every Easter back home. This is the first year that I have missed them. I thought the flavor of these HCBs was absolutely spot-on - my grandma would usually add finely chopped candied orange peel to hers, which I didn't especially care for - but they weren't as light and fluffy as the ones I'm used to. However, I am by no means the world's best baker, so that's probably my fault. Anyway, thanks for a nice reminder of home!

Great flavor, I used 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp allspice but kept everything else the same. The dough seemed very wet and I used a lot of flour when handling it and it turned out good in the end. I made a big change to the cross, though. I mixed 2 tbs all-purpose flour, 1 tsp confectioner's sugar, 1tsp cornflour with enough water to make a paste. I piped the mixture on from a sandwich bag before baking. Not like shop bought, but really good. Thanks for the recipe.

Great recipe. Used the bread machine. Delicious

Followed directions other than adding a few spices...These are EXACTLY what I was hoping they would be. They turned out so big and light. As good as any bakery :) Delighted

It sure would be helpful to know how many minutes of kneading come before the "5 minutes left" point! They turned pretty well, but not overwhelmingly.

This recipe was good. I tweaked it a bit. I doubled the butter, added a bit more sugar, added the other suggested spices, and did craisins because I live overseas and couldn't get the suggested fruit.

I made these for Easter and everyone loved them, I added egg substitute instead of eggs and raisins and chopped glazed cherries instead of currants.

Made these for easter with the kids. They are the only easter buns I have ever made that actually worked. Very fluffy and tasty too!

WOW! This recipe got raves when I took them into work! I used half currants & half dried cranberries and they were a delicious success. Thanks for a new favorite recipe!

Yum!

My kids loved this one! It reminds me of the hot cross buns I ate as a child. The best part is that you make the dough in the bread machine cutting down on most of the work!

These came out good. The were so light and fluffy. I think I would have liked them a little sweeter, but that is just my preference to sweet breads.

I left out the currents and raisins, but it was still good.

very delicious and perfect for an Easter celebration!

loved this recipe! super easy and turned out great!

Great recipe! I made it as directed the first time, and love the crumb. We don't really like raisins so I plan to adjust this recipe to suit our tastes and make it without raisins next time, maybe put in some extra sugar to compensate for the sweetness lost by eliminating raisins. Thanks for sharing! Edited 4/20/20: Love this recipe as a base, and still bake it annually. This year's version is the best so far for me. Subbed 1/4 cup potato flour for A/P flour, added 1 tsp vanilla, 1 tsp lemon zest, and 1/4 tsp allspice. Yum!

These were easy to make and nice enough to eat but didn't have the spicy hot cross bun flavour I was hoping for. Very much a personal taste but if I made these again I would probably triple the spice and the fruit.

Somehow these came out too light and fluffy. I followed the recipe - or thought I did! My boyfriend loved them, but they weren't quite right for me. I would make them again to see if it was me, or the recipe!

Great recipe. I don't have a bread machine, so I just made it the regular way, following the recipe exactly. They turned out delicious. Next time I'll add some citron and a little more cinnamon.

First let me say I did not use a bread machine, therefore, i had to do the order of things differently. I did not change anything. Good recipe makes a dozen, taste was good.

I tried this recipe to take to an Easter party and I'm sorry I did. The recipe was easy to make. I made one recipe with raisins and one without because it was a children's party and I figured some would rather have no raisins. The raisin rolls were dry and didn't rise as well but I attribute that to a bit too much flour. The others came out very pretty. The taste was just not what I was hoping for. They are nearly tasteless. I even doubled the cinnamon and added some nutmeg per other reviews. I couldn't believe it. I even went to the store to buy cream cheese to make a more flavorful frosting and put thick crosses on them to try to make them more appealing. They are edible but I will not make this recipe again.

Not impressed with this recipe. Came out dry and lacking in flavor. The only thing that kept them edible was lots of icing.

Easy

These were very good, and not complicated. I used craisins instead of the currants, to good effect. This year (2008) I used the currants, and they were better. I got requests for the recipe from 70-year-old ladies at church, which to me is a high compliment.

These were really good! I made them for Good Friday, and my family really enjoyed them! I made the dough the night before, and put the dough in the fridge. Then in the morning, I took them out and put them in the oven. They came out smelling so good, and yummy that as soon as I put the icing on, everyone devoured them! Yum, Yum! Will definitely make them again! Look at my picture!

Excellent recipe my family loved it, so easy using the bread machine.

I followed the recipe exactly-I did not care for it! I won't make them again. They are very hard, the texture and taste leave a lot to be desired.

These are easy, light and really yummy :) I put extra cinnamon and added a little clove, ginger and nutmeg (because we like our hot cross buns tasting of spice) and used sultanas instead of currants (none of my boys like currants lol). Will definitely be making a ton of these for Easter ;)