What are Hot Cross Buns?
Hot cross buns are an Easter staple in many parts of the world, especially in Australia and the United Kingdom. The crosses on the bread are in honor of Good Friday, marking the end of Lent.
There are numerous variations of this popular Springtime bread. We’re sticking with the classic version in this recipe. Once you’ve mastered the original, free feel to start experimenting with chocolate, orange-cranberry, and caramel varieties.
These buns are best enjoyed warm, fresh from the oven. That’s when they’re at the peak in terms of softness. As the bread cools down, its texture will change. At room temperature, the texture of the hot cross buns are similar to that of a bagel and pretzel. It has a tight and dense crumb.
How to Make Hot Cross Buns
The dough for these hot cross buns is easy and straightforward. While it’s easiest to use a stand mixer, you can mix and knead this dough by hand. After the dough is formed and has had enough time to double in volume, the dough is divided into 12 equal parts. (For exact measurements, I suggest using a kitchen scale to equally portion out the dough.) The dough is rolled into round balls and placed on a parchment lined baking sheet. The shaped dough is covered with a kitchen towel and allowed to rise a second time. It’s time to bake once the balls of dough have risen enough to touch each other.
