Hot cross buns
Hot cross buns are a delicious treat for Easter. Instead of buying them get your kids busy in the kitchen with this really easy recipe for hot cross buns.
Seeing hot cross buns in the supermarket is a sure sign that Easter is on the way, but there’s no need to buy them from a shop when you can easily make them yourself at home. This simple hot cross bun recipe for kids with step by step instructions is easy enough for children and beginner bakers to try.
My kids love making bread and bun dough so if yours are the same and enjoy getting their hands messy kneading dough, they’ll love this hot cross bun recipe. The buns themselves are soft, full of fruit and spices and with a sticky glaze like all good hot cross buns should be. They’re so much nicer than shop bough hot cross buns and defintely worth the effort.
And if you have any leftover hot cross buns, why not try some delicious hot cross bun bread and butter pudding?!
How can kids help make hot cross buns?
There are quite a few steps in making these hot cross buns so there are loads of opportunities for kids to get involved. They can do all the steps along with you or dip in and out, helping with some steps and not with others. You might want to get a head start by mixing all the ingredients together and just get your kids to knead the dough or form the buns or vice versa.
As with any bread recipe my kids love getting to knead the hot cross bun dough. If you want to shorten this step you can use a bread machine or the dough hook on your freestanding mixer, and then just finish the kneading by hand.
They can also help to divide the dough into 12 (it’s great maths/dividing practice) and then form the round buns by hand.
Why are hot cross buns eaten at Easter?
Hot cross buns date back centuries, and it is thought the cross on them is there to signify the crucifiction of Jesus on Good Friday.
How to serve hot cross buns?
I think they’re best served warm with a little butter. There’s enough flavour in them not to need anything in addition to the butter like jam. To heat them, you can either toast them or pop them wrapped in foil into the oven for a few minutes.
How long do hot cross buns keep?
Hot cross buns never last long in our house but will keep for up to three days in an airtight container. If you want to keep them for longer they’ll keep in the freezer for up to two months.
Other easy Easter bakes
If you liked these hot cross buns check out some of our other easy Easter bakes for kids.
Hot cross muffins
Chocolate hot cross buns
Easer bunny cookies
Mini egg cookies
Easter fudge
Easter rocky road
Chocolate nests
Easter bunny cupcakes
Easter brownies
Mini Egg cupcakes
Easter chick cupcakes
Easter cookie bar
Mini Egg cheesecake
Useful equipment
You might need the following baking tools/gadgets to make these hot cross buns:
Digital scales
Freestanding mixer
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons
Spatula
Wooden spoons
Wire rack
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Difficulty: Medium
Time: 1 hour + 1-2 hrs proving + 15 minutes baking
Serves: 12 buns
Ingredients
For the dough
450g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
50g caster sugar
1 x 7g sachets easy-blend yeast
50g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
200ml warm milk
1 egg, beaten
oil, for greasing
The spices and dried fruit
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp mixed spice
¼ tsp grated nutmeg
100g dried mixed fruit (or any other raisins/sultanas/currents/peel etc)
For decoration
2 tbsp plain flour
2 tbsp granulated sugar
How to make hot cross buns
Measure the dry ingredients into a bowl
First, get your toddler to weigh the flour (450g) and sugar (50g) and add them to a mixing bowl or free-standing mixer. While they’re doing that, measure in the salt (pinch). Open the packet of yeast, and get them to tip that into the bowl.
Finally, measure out the dried fruit and spices and add them to your bowl.
Give the dry ingredients a little mix.
Prepare the wet ingredients
Measure the butter (50g), then melt it either in the microwave or gently over the hob. Measure the milk (150ml) into a jug and heat that gently (we popped in the microwave as well.) Neither need to be too hot as that will kill the yeast – lukewarm/tepid so you can comfortably hold your finger in the mixture is about right.
Get your kids to crack the egg into a small bowl just in case any shell goes in. If it does, fish it out with a larger piece of shell as it will stick to that better than it will your finger.
Make a well in middle of the flour and tip the egg into the centre. Mix it a little before adding the butter, milk.
Make the dough
Mix everything together until you have a soft dough. If you’re doing this in a mixing bowl, start using a spoon and once it starts to come together finish with your hands. If you’ve got a free-standing mixer, use the dough hook attachment to mix it all together, then leave it running and let it knead the dough.
Knead the dough in your bowl or lightly oiled or floured work surface until it becomes smooth and springy. It’ll take at least 5-10 minutes or longer depending on how much fun your kids are having!
I tend to let our mixer start the kneading, and leave it for five minutes or so, then the kids take over by hand. This way I know the dough has been kneaded enough because as much as my kids enjoy getting hands on with the dough they generally don’t have the patience to knead it for long enough.
Pop the dough in a clean bowl, cover it and leave in a warm place until it has roughly doubled in size. It’ll probably take about an hour depending on how warm it is.
Make the hot cross buns
Once the dough has risen, tip it onto a lightly floured surface and get your kids to knock it back which basically means, punch and knead it a little to knock the air out.
Divide the dough into 12 even amounts then roll them into balls. This is good job for kids who want to practice their maths – get them to divide in half, in half again and then third each piece of dough.
If you want to be really accurate and have digital scales, you can pop each piece of dough on to it to check they are all the same size.
Put them on to a greased baking tray or a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper or baking paper. Leave a little room between them as they’ll expand.
Cover them loosely with cling film or glad wrap and leave the buns to rise for 20 minutes or so. They should roughly double in size again.
Preheat the oven to 190C/170 fan.
Mix approximately 2 tablespoons of flour with a little water until you have a smooth paste. The mixture needs to be runny enough to pipe but not so runny that it won’t hold it’s shape once piped. Pop it in an icing bag, icer with a small nozzle or if you don’t have a piping bag, pop it in a small freezer bag and cut small hole in the corner.
Get your kids to pipe crosses on each of the buns. We just went all the way across them in one direction then did the same in the other direction.
Bake the hot cross buns
Bake the buns for 18-20 minutes until the buns are a lovely golden brown colour. When they’re ready they’ll sound hollow if you tap them on the bottom.
Take the hot cross buns out the oven and while they’re still warm, melt the granulated sugar with 1 tbsp water in a small pan and brush it over the buns to give them a nice glaze. If you don’t have granulated sugar, you can use a little apricot jam heated instead.
Once they’re glazed pop them on a wire rack to cool.
Serve with a little butter and enjoy.
Hot cross buns
Ingredients
Method
- Weigh the flour, sugar, yeast, dried fruit and spices into a mixing bowl or free-standing mixer.
- Measure the butter, then melt it either in the microwave or gently over the hob. Measure the milk into a jug and heat that gently. Neither need to be too hot as that will kill the yeast – lukewarm/tepid so you can comfortably hold your finger in the mixture is about right.
- Make a well in middle of the flour and add the egg into the centre . Mix it a little before adding the butter, milk and 50 ml of warm water.
- Using a spoon or the dough hook of your mixer, mix everything together until you have a soft dough. Once it starts to coming together finish with your hands.
- Knead the dough with your mixer or by hand on a lightly oiled or floured work surface until it becomes smooth and springy. It’ll take at least 5-10 minutes or longer depending on how much fun your kids are having!
- Pop it in a clean bowl, cover it and leave in a warm place until it has roughly doubled in size. It’ll probably take about an hour depending on how warm it is.
- Once the dough has risen, tip it onto a lightly floured surface and knock it back. Divide into 12 even amounts then roll them into balls.
- Put them on to a greased baking tray or a baking tray lined with baking paper or parchment paper. Leave a little room between them as they’ll expand. Cover them loosely and leave them to rise for 20 minutes or so. They should roughly double in size again.
- Preheat the oven to 190C/170 fan / 375F.
- Make the crosses by mixing the flour and a splash of water so that you have a smooth paste. Pipe it on using an icing bag, an icer with a small nozzle or even a small freezer bag with the corner cut off.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes until the buns are golden. When they’re ready they’ll sound hollow if you tap them on the bottom.
- Take them out the oven and while they’re still warm, melt the granulated sugar with 1 tbsp water in a small pan and brush it over the buns to give them a nice glaze. Pop them onto a wire rack to cool, serve and enjoy.
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Hi! I’m going to make these today with my students but I’m a little confused about how to make the crosses on the top. Can you please clarify? Thanks!
Hi, The crosses are just made from flour and water mixed together into a paste and then piped on. There are images that will show you how in more detail in the body of the text just before it says ‘bake the hot cross buns’. I hope that helps.
We tried these today and we are so impressed with how simple and how well they turned out. Thank you!
I’m so glad you liked them!