I love my mom’s Hot Cross Buns with a hint of cinnamon but this Easter season I decided to mix it up and try a new recipe from The Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook. It’s a classic sweet bread recipe that can be used for many purposes. These moist, buttery rolls are yummy plain or with dried fruit. To enjoy them both ways, I left half of the dough plain and kneaded chopped Craisins and dried pineapple into the other half (a dried fruit combo that turned out to be a hit). As with all hot cross buns, make icing crosses on them while they are still warm so that the powdered sugar glaze starts to melt into the buns.
| Hot Cross Buns |
Recipe Type: Baking
Author:
Prep time: 2 hours 30 mins
Cook time: 20 mins
Total time: 2 hours 50 mins
Serves: 24
This is a classic sweet bread recipe that can be used for many purposes. These moist, buttery rolls are yummy plain or with dried fruit.
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 6 3/4 tsp yeast (3 packages)
- 8-9 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup butter
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup chopped Craisins
- 1/2 cup chopped candied orange peel or other dried citrus fruit
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tsp water
- Powdered sugar Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1 Tbsp milk or water, to consistency
Instructions
- Combine the sugar, salt, yeast and 2 cups flour in a large bowl.
- Heat the milk and the butter in a saucepan over low heat until the butter melts and the mixture is very warm.
- Gradually add the butter mixture to the dry ingredients, mixing them together at a low speed.
- Once combined, increase the speed to medium and mix for two minutes more.
- Add the eggs and 2 more cups flour.
- Beat the mixture for two minutes.
- Then stir in enough additional flour (roughly 4 cups) to make a soft dough.
- Turn the dough onto a lightly-floured surface and knead it for 10 minutes or until it is smooth and elastic.
- Form the dough into a ball.
- Place the dough ball in a large, greased bowl and then flip the dough over so that the greased side faces up.
- Cover the bowl and let the dough rise for one hour or until doubled.
- Punch down the dough.
- Then divide the dough in half.
- If desired, knead chopped dried fruit into the dough at this point.
- Divide each half into 12 pieces and shape them into balls.
- Place them in a greased 9×13 pan.
- Cover the pan with a towel and let the buns rise for one hour or until doubled.
- Repeat the process with the 2nd half of dough or reserve the remaining dough for another use.
- Once the buns have doubled in size, mix 1 egg yolk with 1 tsp water and brush the buns with the egg glaze.
- Bake the buns at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until the tops are brown and glazed.
- Make the powdered sugar glaze by mixing the powdered sugar, vanilla and milk/water until a smooth glaze forms.
- Remove the buns from the oven and make an icing cross on them with the powdered sugar glaze.
- Serve them warm or let them cool completely and store them in a sealed container.
- TIP: To enjoy the hot cross buns both plain and with dried fruit, knead some dried fruit into only a portion of the dough and leave another portion plain.
Recipe source: The Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook