Hot Cross Buns
Prep
50 min
Bake
22 min
Total time
1 hr 12 min
Hydration
60%
Traditional spiced hot cross buns for Easter, made with 100% freshly milled hard white wheat, dotted with currants and mixed peel, marked with a flour-paste cross, and glazed with apricot jam.
Key Takeaways
- Pipe one continuous line across rows for cleaner crosses than per-bun piping.
- Apricot jam glaze gives the traditional shine — non-negotiable.
- Soak currants in hot tea 15 minutes for extra plumpness if dry.
- Bake to 195°F internal — over-baking dries out the buns.
- Best the day of baking; otherwise toast and butter.
About this recipe
Hot cross buns are an Easter tradition with centuries of history — soft enriched dough, warming spices, dried fruit, and the iconic cross piped across the top. Fresh milled hard white wheat brings nuttiness and depth that store-bought versions cannot match. The spices (cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, clove) and citrus peel (or zest) define the flavor; currants and raisins provide pops of sweetness. The cross is made from a simple flour-water paste piped just before baking — it stays white against the golden-brown crust. A warm apricot jam glaze at the end gives the signature shine.
Ingredients
- Dough: freshly milled hard white wheat flour500 g
- Dough: whole milk (warm)280 g
- Dough: sugar60 g
- Dough: instant yeast7 g
- Dough: egg1
- Dough: softened butter60 g
- Dough: fine sea salt8 g
- Spices: cinnamon5 g (2 tsp)
- Spices: allspice + nutmeg + clove combined4 g (2 tsp total)
- Currants120 g
- Mixed candied peel or orange zest60 g
- Crosses: flour80 g
- Crosses: water80 g
- Glaze: warmed apricot jam60 g
Instructions
- 1
Whisk warm milk, sugar, yeast, and egg.
- 2
Add flour, salt, and spices. Mix shaggy.
- 3
Knead 5 minutes. Add butter; knead 6 more minutes until smooth.
- 4
Add currants and peel; knead just to distribute.
- 5
Bulk ferment 90 minutes until doubled.
- 6
Divide into 12 equal pieces (~95 g each). Shape into tight balls.
- 7
Arrange in a buttered 9x13 pan in a 3x4 grid.
- 8
Cover and proof 60–80 minutes until puffed and touching.
- 9
Preheat oven to 400°F (205°C).
- 10
Whisk cross paste (flour + water) into a smooth piping paste. Transfer to a piping bag or zip-top with a tiny corner snipped.
- 11
Pipe a cross over each bun (two perpendicular lines across the entire pan).
- 12
Bake 20–25 minutes until deeply golden (internal 195°F).
- 13
Brush warm with apricot jam.
- 14
Cool 10 minutes before pulling apart.
beginner home milling guide — hydration, gluten development, and grain choice tips that make this recipe work.
Learn about this grain: Hard White Wheat guide — flavor, milling notes, baking tips, and four in-depth guides on hydration, storage, and common mistakes. Or browse more Hard White Wheat recipes.
Learn a technique
All guides →- Bulk Fermentation with Fresh-Milled FlourFresh-milled flour ferments faster than commercial flour. Watch the dough, not the clock, and end bulk fermentation when volume has grown 50–75%.
- How To Build Gluten With Fresh Milled FlourGluten development in fresh-milled flour is a different craft than in commercial white flour. White-flour doughs love aggressive kneading, slap-and-folds, and stand mixers on high — the smooth endosperm forms long uninterrupted gluten strands quickly. Fresh-milled flour cannot work that way because the bran physically interrupts every gluten strand it touches. The bakers who get gorgeous open crumb out of fresh flour all do the same thing: hydrate fully, rest patiently, fold gently, and choose the right grain. This guide walks through the science and the technique.
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