Hot Cross Buns

This is a King Arthur Flour recipe that I’ve tweaked only a tiny bit. It makes the most splendid, fluffy, lightly-spiced, buns.

 

* Breads yield a much better result if you weigh the ingredients, rather than using measuring cups, which is what you’ll find here.

* To make the buns a day or two ahead, try the tangzhong technique, at the end of this recipe.

Hot Cross Buns
Yield: 18 buns

Ingredients

Buns

57grams brandy, Cointreau, or orange juice
117 grams mixed dried cherries, apricots, orange citron, chopped
117 grams raisins or dried currants
2 tablespoons orange zest, optional
283 grams milk, room temperature
2 large eggs, plus 1 egg yolk (>> save the white for glaze)
85 grams butter, at room temperature
2 teaspoons instant yeast
(If using active dry yeast instead of instant yeast, increase to 2-1/2 tsp.)
1/4 cup (50g) light brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cardamon
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1-3/4 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon fresh baking powder
700 grams unbleached all-purpose flour

Glaze
1 large egg white, reserved from above
1 tablespoon milk

Icing
128 grams confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla, orange, or lemon extract
Pinch of salt
4 teaspoons milk, or enough to make a thick, piped icing

***

PREP
Butter two 9″x9″ pans. Line the bottoms with buttered pieces of parchment paper to help the buns release after they’ve baked.

MACERATE FRUITS
Mix the alcohol or juice with the dried fruits and raisins, cover with plastic wrap or a glass lid, and microwave briefly (about 45–60 seconds), just till the fruit and liquid are very warm, and the plastic starts to “shrink wrap” itself over the top of the bowl. Set aside and allow to cool to room temperature (I usually do this step the night before, to really allow the fruits to soak everything up).

MAKE DOUGH
When the fruit is cool, mix together all of the dough ingredients (including the eggs and the egg yolk from the separated egg)—Don’t add the fruit yet, but add any liquid that was not absorbed by the fruits.

Knead the mixture, using a stand mixer’s paddle attachment for about 3-5 minutes, then switch to the dough hook and continue mixing until the dough is soft and elastic, about 7-10 minutes total—It is best to go by how the dough looks rather than a set amount of time as there are variables that can affect things. The dough will be very slack, sticking to the bottom of the bowl, but should be fairly smooth.

ADD FRUITS
Kneading the fruit into the dough is a sticky business. Your best bet is to oil your hands, and do it right in the bowl. Keep at it till the fruit is well distributed throughout the dough

FIRST RISE
Let the dough rise in its mixing bowl for 1-2 hours, covered, in a warm location. It should become puffy, though may not double in bulk.

FORM BUNS
Gently deflate the dough by scraping down the sides of the bowl, using a rubber bowl scrapper. Divide the dough into 18 three-ounce pieces (I use a digital kitchen scale, but an un-rounded #10 ice cream scoop is about right). Use your greased hands to round them into balls. Arrange them in the prepared pans.

SECOND RISE
Cover the pans with plastic wrap and let the buns rise for 1-2 hours, or until they’ve puffed up and are touching one another. While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

GLAZE BUNS
Whisk together the reserved egg white and milk, and brush it over the buns.

BAKE
Bake the buns for 18—20 minutes, until they’re a rich golden brown. Use an instant-read thermometer to test for an internal temp of 190. If the buns aren’t done, but are already getting brown, cover with foil for the rest of the baking. Remove from the oven, carefully turn the buns out of the pan (they should come out in one large piece), and transfer them to a rack to cool.

MAKE ICING
Mix together the icing ingredients. Your goal is to use enough milk or cream to make icing that’s the perfect consistency for piping. Go easy with the liquid; icing can go from perfectly pipe-able to liquid with just a few extra drops.

PIPE ICING
Now comes the challenge: piping the crosses atop the cooled buns (though I’ve been known to pipe Celtic spirals, too). I used to cut the corner off a plastic sandwich bag to do this; now, it seems every sandwich bag I find has a gusseted corner, or some other “improvement,” that makes it unsuitable for snipping off its corner to make a homemade piping bag.

Plan B: a parchment funnel—Roll the parchment into a cone. Secure with a loose rubber band to hold it in a cone shape. Spoon icing into parchment cone, and cut off its tip, if it’s too small. Squeeze icing in cross shapes atop the buns.


Want to make these buns a day or so ahead of time?

Try the tangzhong technique, a Japanese method for increasing the softness and shelf life of yeast rolls. Begin by measuring out the flour and milk you’ll be using in the recipe. Now take 3 tablespoons of the measured flour and 1/2 cup of the measured milk; put them in a saucepan set over medium-high heat. Cook the mixture, whisking constantly, until it thickens and forms a thick slurry; this will take about 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 minutes. Transfer the cooked mixture to a bowl, let it cool to lukewarm, then combine it with the remaining flour, milk, and other dough ingredients. Proceed with the recipe as directed. Well-wrapped and stored at room temperature, your finished hot cross buns should stay soft and fresh for several days.