Enjoy hot cross buns this Easter – A number of foods are enjoyed during Easter celebrations, from hard-boiled eggs to ham to roasted lamb. Sweets such as candies and chocolates also take center stage on Easter Sunday. In addition to these traditional favorites, hot cross buns have become must-haves for many Easter celebrants. #HotCrossBuns

Enjoy hot cross buns this Easter

Hot cross buns are yeast-based sweet buns that are lightly spiced and studded with raisins or currants. The tops are marked with a cross that is often piped with icing. While there’s no clear explanation of how hot cross buns came to be, there are indications that they once were reserved only for Good Friday. Others say they were consumed throughout Lent. The cross is a Christian symbol of the crucifixion and Christ himself.

Hot cross buns are soft and sweet, and they’re easily created. Enjoy this recipe, courtesy of King Arthur Flour.

Hot Cross Buns Recipe

Yield 12 to 14 buns

Buns

1/4 cup apple juice or rum

1/2 cup mixed dried fruit

1/2 cup raisins or dried currants

1-1/4 cups milk, room temperature

2 large eggs, plus 1 egg yolk (save the white for the topping)

6 tablespoons butter, room temperature

2 teaspoons instant yeast

1/4 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves or allspice

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

13/4 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon baking powder

4-1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

Similar to Resurrection Rolls

Topping

1 large egg white, reserved from above

1 tablespoon milk

Icing

1 cup + 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

4 teaspoons milk, or enough to make a thick, pipeable icing

Lightly grease a 10″ square pan or 9″ x 13″ pan.

Directions

Mix the rum or apple juice with the dried fruit and raisins, cover with plastic wrap and microwave briefly, just until the fruit and liquid are very warm and the plastic starts to “shrink wrap” itself over the top of the bowl. Set aside to cool to room temperature. Note: If you worry about using plastic wrap in your microwave, simply cover the bowl with a glass lid.

When the fruit is cool, mix together all of the dough ingredients (including the eggs and egg yolk from the separated egg); hold out the fruit for the time being. Knead the mixture, using an electric mixer or bread machine, until the dough is soft and elastic. It’ll be very slack, sticking to the bottom of the bowl and your hands as you work with it (greasing your hands helps). Mix in the fruit and any liquid not absorbed.

Let the dough rise for 1 hour, covered. It should become puffy, though may not double in bulk.

Divide the dough into billiard ball-sized pieces, about 33/4 ounces each. A heaped muffin scoop (about 1/3 cup) makes about the right portion. You’ll make 12 to 14 buns. Use your greased hands to round them into balls. Arrange them in the prepared pan.

Cover the pan, and let the buns rise for 1 hour, or until they’ve puffed up and are touching one another. While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 375° F.

Whisk together the reserved egg white and milk, and brush it over the buns.

Bake the buns for 20 minutes, until they’re golden brown. Remove from the oven, carefully turn the buns out of the pan (they should come out in one large piece), and transfer them to a rack to cool.

Mix together the icing ingredients, and when the buns are completely cool, pipe it in a cross shape atop each bun.

Important to note, don’t pipe when they are hot, the icing will just melt. You will need to completely let these cool.

Easter Blog Posts

Below is a list of blog posts that relate to Easter. Be sure to check them all out!

1. 1 Cross, 3 Nails, 4 Given Church Sign
2. 8 Things Jesus Accomplished on the Cross
3. 20th anniversary of the powerful film, “The Passion of the Christ.”
4. A-Z of Easter, The
5. Amber Alert: Jesus Christ is Missing
6. Arise My Love by Newsong
7. Ascension
8. Ash Wednesday, Day of Ashes
9. Body of Christ
10. Breakfast Pizza
11. Broken Egg
12. CEO Christians Church Sign
13. Colors of Easter
14. Cracking the Tradition of Hiding Easter Eggs
15. Create and Hide Unbreakable Easter Eggs
16. Cross Acronym
17. Cross of Jesus
18. Cross Tree
19. Dogwood Tree
20. Drive-Thru Easter Egg Hunt
21. Dye Eggs with All Natural Ingredients
22. Easter celebrations in the era of social distancing
23. Easter Egg Trunk Hunt
24. Easter Finger Puzzle Printable
25. Easter is Canceled
26. Easter Lilies Can Kill A Cat?
27. Easter Monday
28. Easter Story Snack Mix Printable
29. Easter Sweet Treats Makes Easter Special
30. Easter Symbols
31. Easter Trees
32. Easter Word Search Printable
33. Egg Rolling
34. Emoji Easter Story Printable
35. Empty Egg
36. Finished An Easter Spoken Word Videos by KB
37. Forgiveness
38. Free Easter Printables
39. Good Friday
40. Happy Easter “Resurrection Day”
41. He is Risen Display
42. Hiding Easter Eggs
43. History of Easter Bonnets
44. Holy Monday
45. Holy Saturday
46. Holy Thursday
47. Holy Tuesday
48. Holy Wednesday
49. Hot Cross Buns
50. If Jesus Had An Obituary
51. Importance of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ
52. It’s Not About the Bunny Church Sign
53. Jelly Bean Prayer Printable
54. Jesus Shows His Scars
55. KSBJ’s Cross Stops in Houston!
56. Lazarus Saturday
57. Legend of the Donkey’s Cross
58. Legend of the Sand Dollar Printable
59. Legend of the Three Trees
60. Let kites soar: A Lenten tradition takes flight
61. Life Savers
62. Make Easter Eggs Last
63. Maundy Thursday
64. Meaning Behind Easter Lilies
65. No Bones About It – Jesus Is Alive!
66. Palm Sunday
67. Passover
68. Resurrection Bracelet
69. Resurrection Rolls
70. Searching for Christ
71. Shrove Tuesday
72. Silly Rabbit, Easter is for Jesus
73. Son of God Movie Review
74. Spy Wednesday
75. Stay-At-Home Spring Printables for Kids
76. Stitching Easter delights with Sewing
77. Sweating Blood Prayer
78. Telelestai
79. That’s My King Dr. S.M. Lockridge
80. The Rock at UT Painted for Easter (2024)
81. The University of Tennessee Rock painted with an Easter Messages (2022)
82. Trail to the Empty Tomb
83. Truth About Easter Bunny & Easter Eggs
84. That Tomb Is Still Empty, Easter Story Told by Two Kids
85. Unique Easter Traditions from Around the Globe
86. University of Tennessee Rock painted with an Easter Message, The
87. What if the Resurrection Happened Today
88. What’s So Good About Good Friday?
89. Why Did Jesus Fold the Napkin?
90. Words of Forgiveness by Saving Darkness
91. You, Sin, Christ – A Simple Illustration
92. You’ve Been Egged Printable

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Article compliments of TF204835 – First published March 24, 2020. Last updated or republished March 30, 2021.

About the Author

Steve Patterson

A Christian Blogger that enjoys blogging about the Bible, Theology, God, Jesus Christ, Christian Music, Family, Cats, Odd Holidays, sewing and much more. I have been blogging since 2004, however, I have been blogging on Courageous Christian Father since 2012. I enjoy listening to Christian Music. I am married with 1 daughter, 2 step-sons and a step daughter.

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