It is an old English Easter tradition – Hot Cross Buns. 

I tried many recipes over the past years and always comes back to this one I found on the Wild Yeast Blog. I changed the recipe slightly and reduced the sugar. 

These buns a fluffy and full of flavor. The spices give them a great taste. And the long resting time at cold temperature helps to develop the flavor of the spices and the fruit.

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Hot Cross Buns

Prep time:  2 hours

Cook time:  15 mins

Total time:  2 hours 15 mins

Serves: 12

Traditional Hot Cross Buns with a rich flavor

Ingredients

Sponge:

• 35 g flour
• 190 g milk at about 35 degrees C
• 9 g sugar
• 7 g instant yeast

Dough:

• 170 g flour
• 170 g whole wheat flour
• 60 g butter, softened
• 25 g sugar
• 1 egg
• 3 g (1/2 t.) salt
• ½ t. ground allspice
• ½ t. ground cinnamon
• ¼ t. ground nutmeg
• ¼ t. ground ginger
• 14 g (1 T.) water
• 114 g dried currants
• 20 g candied orange peel, finely chopped
• 20 g candied lemon peel, finely chopped

Piping Paste:

• 85 g pastry flour
• 25 g vegetable oil
• 60 g water

Glaze:

• 30 g sugar
• 30 g water

Instructions

1. For the sponge mix all ingredients until well combined and let rest at room temperature. I let it rest for 2-3 hours, but you can use it already after 45 min.
2. For the final dough mix the flour, sugar, salt, spices and butter. It is a very dry mixture. Add the eggs and mix well. Add all of the sponge and mix with the hook on your kitchen machine for about 4-5 minutes and check if the dough is soft and a still a bit wet. Add some water if necessary and mix for another 4 minutes. The gluten should be well developed.
3. Add the fruits and mix until well combined but do not over-mix.
4. Let the dough rest for some more hours. Fold the dough after each ½ hour.
5. Divide the dough into 12 pieces of about 70g each and form small balls out of it.
6. Place them with some space to each other on a baking tray and cover the tray with some plastic wrap. Let them rest again. I put them in the fridge over night. but you can put them on a warm place for about 30-45 min.
7. Mix the ingredients for the paste and pipe a cross on top of the buns.
8. Bake for 10 - 15 minutes at 200 C.
9. In the meantime prepare the glaze by mixing sugar and water.
10. Brush the glaze on the hot buns directly when they come out of the oven.

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