I love making hot cross buns every year around Easter. So here are My Favorite Hot Cross Buns. They are well-spiced with amazing flavor and so fluffy. Perfect for Easter breakfast, brunch, dinner, or really any time of the year!
- 1½ cups lukewarm evaporated milk (sub with whole milk) See Note 1, milk should be heated to about 110° F
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon instant yeast
- 4½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 Tablespoon lemon zest from 2-3 lemons
- 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature for greasing pan
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup water + 1 Tablespoon
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 3 Tablespoons water
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Grease a 9 by 13 baking dish with butter.
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In a large bowl, the bowl of a stand mixer or a bread machine, combine all the ingredients for the dough. Mix them together using the stand mixer, bread machine, or by hand. I mixed the dough using the dough function of my bread machine. Knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic.
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Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a ball and place in the buttered baking dish.
To ensure every bun is of the same size, you could weigh the buns on a kitchen scale. But I hardly do this. I just eyeball them.
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Place the buns in a warm place to rise until doubled in size. I love to turn on my oven for 1-2 minutes then I turn off my oven and place my dough inside to rise. This works perfectly for me everytime.
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When the buns are almost done rising, preheat oven to 350°F or 180°C.
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Make the flour paste for the crosses. Mix together the flour, water, and sugar to form a pipeable paste. Pour the paste into a Ziploc bag then snip the corner. Hold the bag over the buns and carefully draw crosses over the risen buns with the flour paste.
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Bake the buns in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes or until dark brown on top.
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Make the lemon glaze. In a small bowl mix together the lemon juice, powdered sugar, and water. Use a pastry brush to brush the glaze over the buns while they are still hot.
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Serve warm. Store leftovers in an airtight bag in the fridge for 2-3 days. To reheat, simply pop a bun into the microwave and reheat for 15 seconds.
- I love using evaporated milk in baked goods because it is so flavorful. But you could substitute it with whole milk or 2 percent milk.
- For more flavor, you could also add a quarter teaspoon of ground cardamom to the dough. However, note that cardamom can be overpowering so make sure you do not add too much.