| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 3 hr 25 min |
| Active: | 35 min |
| Yield: | 18 buns |
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
- 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for flouring
- 1/2 teaspoon (heaping) baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon (scant) baking soda
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- Additional spices, such as cardamom, nutmeg or allspice, optional
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1 egg white
- Splash of milk
- 1 egg white
- Powdered sugar, as needed
- Milk, as needed
Instructions
- For the buns: Combine the milk, canola oil and 1/2 cup of the granulated sugar in a saucepan. Stir and heat until very warm but not boiling. Turn off the heat and allow to cool until the mixture is still warm but not hot, about 30 minutes.
- Sprinkle the yeast over the mixture. Add 4 cups of the flour and stir to combine; the mixture will be very sticky. Cover with a towel and set aside for 1 hour.
- Add the baking powder, baking soda, salt and remaining 1/2 cup flour to the dough. Stir until combined.
- Combine the remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar in a small bowl with the cinnamon and whatever other spices you want to use.
- Lightly flour a work surface and turn out the dough onto it. Press to slightly flatten the dough. Sprinkle a third of the sugar/cinnamon mixture over it. Sprinkle on about a third of the raisins. Then fold the dough over on itself and flatten again so the dough is “plain” again. Repeat the sugar/raisin process, then fold the dough again. Repeat a third time.
- Line a baking sheet with a silicone liner or parchment paper. Pinch off Ping-Pong- or golf ball-size bunches of dough. With floured hands, quickly roll them into balls, then turn the edges under themselves slightly. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Cover and allow to rise in a warm place for at least 30 minutes….an hour plus is better.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- For the glaze: Mix the egg white with a splash of milk. Brush onto the balls of dough.
- Bake until the tops of the buns have turned nice and golden brown, 20 minutes give or take. Allow to cool on a cooling rack.
- For the icing: Mix the egg white with enough powdered sugar for the icing to be very thick. Splash in the milk as needed for consistency.
- When the buns are completely cool, add the icing to a small ziptop bag and snip the corner. Make icing crosses on each bun.
- Happy Easter!
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 18 servings |
| Calories | 235 |
| Total Fat | 7 g |
| Saturated Fat | 1 g |
| Carbohydrates | 38 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 13 g |
| Protein | 5 g |
| Cholesterol | 3 mg |
| Sodium | 190 mg |
Reviews
It’s the best! They’re so good!!!!! I made them on Easter with my 4 grand babies!
Made them and they turned out delish!
I finally made these hot cross buns and much to my surprise they came out great.. I was concerned about the stickiness of the dough and kept adding a little more flour to make the dough easier to work with .. next time I’ll be more prepared for that .. I love the spices you used!! Also added currents and golden raisins.. thanks Ree
Not sure what happened but they didn’t brown on top like the picture. My oven runs hot so I move the pans front to back & top to bottom, definitely not what I thought it would look like. Hope they taste good, waiting for them to cool, so I can ice
I made this recipe and they came out beautiful. Yes, the dough is sticky when you initially remove it from the pan, however, just add some four to your workspace and make sure to keep your hands floured while working with the dough. I made them for my family and shared them with friends. I like the recipe because the buns are not so sweet. You can taste the yeast and all the lovely spices along with the touch of sweet of the frosting. yum..Thank you Ree for another great recipe.
I made these this morning and they were amazing! I was generous with the spices, and I did have to add a bit more flour while flattening and adding the sugar mixture, as the dough was a bit sticky (but I would not call it wet). I have had these from the store before, as my husband traditionally had them on Easter as a child, but I never liked them much. These were sweeter than the store version, and so delicious! I ended up with 48 rolls (having formed golf ball sized rolls), so I might make them a bit larger next time.
I made a double recipe for our choir and clergy tonight. They were delicious! I substituted dried cranberries for the raisins, personal preference, and everybody loved them. This makes a very wet dough so have plenty of flour handy when making the rolls.
I made these Hot Cross Buns last year for Easter. They are FANTASTIC I just made them again. These are BETTER than the ones from the old fashion bakeries in Pittsburgh PA
you must try them.
I did make my dough the night before and let it sleep in the frig over night, next morning I rolled the dough out like recipe calls for and they were perfect.
Janet R
These were light and airy, great taste, I would just ease up on the salt to one teaspoon. Two teaspoons were a little salty.
I made these and ended up with way more than 18! Using this recipe I made 33 and they are fairly large. They are easy to make but time consuming…(I just have no patience and want to eat them right away!) I made half without raisins for my kids and they are delicious! Great recipe and tradition!