Ingredients:
Buns:
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 packages active dry yeast
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- about 5 cups flour
- 1 ½ cups milk
- ½ cup butter or margarine
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup dark, seedless raisins
Icing:
- ¾ cup confectionery sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk
Cookware:
- 1 qt. saucepan
- 9×13 baking pan
- Candy thermometer
- Mixer and mixing bowl
- Wooden mixing spoon
- Medium bowl
- Small bowl
- Decorator’s bag
- Icing tip
Tips:
To form a soft dough:
- Use a wooden spoon to stir in the last amount of flour – batter will become too thick and stiff to beat with a mixer. Hold the bowl securely and beat dough vigorously, lifting over and under in circular motion until thoroughly mixed.
For smooth, round topped buns:
- Cut dough into equal size pieces. Hold each piece between fingers of both hands and gently pull down, tucking sides under.
Instructions:
Buns:
Start about 4 ½ hours before serving:
- In a large bowl, combine sugar, salt, yeast, and 1 1/2 cups flour. In 1-qt. saucepan over low heat, heat milk and butter or margarine until very warm (120 – 130 degrees F).
- With a mixer at low speed, beat liquid into dry ingredients until blended. Increase speed to medium; beat 2 minutes. Beat in 1 egg and 1 cup flour to make a thick batter; continue beating 2 minutes, scraping bowl often.
- Stir in raisins and enough additional flour (about 2 – 2 ½ cups) to make a soft dough.
- Turn dough onto floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes, adding more flour while kneading. Shape dough into a ball and place in a greased medium bowl, turning dough over so the top is greased.
- Cover and let rise in a warm place (80 – 85 degrees F) away from draft, until doubled, about 1 hour.
- Punch down dough, turn onto floured surface. Divide into 15 equal pieces. Cover with bowl and let rest 15 minutes. Grease a 9×13 baking pan.
- Shape dough into balls; place in baking pan. Cover; let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a small bowl, beat the remaining egg. Brush tops of buns with egg.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until the buns are golden.
- Remove pan from oven to wire rack; cool buns completely. Prepare icing. Spoon into decorators bag with medium writing tip. Make a cross on top of each bun with icing. Makes 15.
Icing:
- In a bowl, mix ¾ cup confectioners sugar with 1 tablespoon milk.
- Mix until icing consistency.
About This Recipe
My family’s favorite traditional recipe is my mom’s hot cross buns. They were famous throughout our family and neighborhood! From early childhood, I can remember my mom making them non-stop every year during lent. It took most of the day to make one batch, but my mom didn’t just make one… she made as many batches as she had pans for! Due to them containing yeast, no one was allowed to use the kitchen door because of fear it would affect the yeast. Mom made everyone go through the basement! If anyone dared try to open the kitchen door, watch out!
Mom always kept one batch of buns for us, while she gave away all others to family and friends/neighbors, our priest, and knowing Mom, probably the mailman. As my siblings and I got older and had families of our own, our children learned early on just how special Nana’s hot cross buns were! We would come home from work and school to a fresh batch waiting on our countertops.
Mom is now 81 years old and was diagnosed with dementia a few years ago. Although she is doing quite well, she no longer uses the stove or has the strength to knead the dough (she did everything by hand). She was so sad when she announced she could no longer make her hot cross buns. It broke my heart as well, as I know how much she loved baking them and sharing them. She has the biggest heart of anyone I know.
I took a copy of Mom’s recipe, went home and tried my best to make them. I struggled a bit as I wasn’t one who baked with yeast. It took me most of lent that year, but one day, I finally produced a semi-decent batch. I brought them over to Mom and Dad’s, and Mom was so happy!
Every year since, as soon as lent begins, I begin making them. Sometimes, it takes me a couple of batches to get one that is mom-worthy, but I never give up. This past lent, I finally near-perfected my first batch! Mom and Dad were ecstatic! Dad said, ‘Now I don’t have to buy the crappy ones from the grocery store ever again!’
Mom has passed on a love of baking to me. I will continue to bake her hot cross buns until I no longer can, and then maybe one day my daughter will continue the tradition for us. They will always make me think of Mom and the wonderful memories of being by her side while she worked so hard making them for those she loved.
Hot Cross Buns
Equipment
- 1-qt. saucepan
- 9x13 baking pan
- Candy thermometer
- Mixer and mixing bowl
- Wooden mixing spoon
- Medium bowl
- Small bowl
- Decorator’s bag
- Icing tip
Ingredients
Buns
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2 packages active dry yeast
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 5 cups flour (approximately)
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 1/2 cup butter or margarine
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup dark, seedless raisins
Icing
- 3/4 cup confectionary sugar
- 1 tbs. milk
Instructions
Buns
- In a large bowl, combine sugar, salt, yeast, and 1 1/2 cups flour. In 1-qt. saucepan over low heat, heat milk and butter or margarine until very warm (120 – 130 degrees F).
- With a mixer at low speed, beat liquid into dry ingredients until blended. Increase speed to medium; beat 2 minutes. Beat in 1 egg and 1 cup flour to make a thick batter; continue beating 2 minutes, scraping bowl often.
- Stir in raisins and enough additional flour (about 2 - 2 ½ cups) to make a soft dough.
- Turn dough onto floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes, adding more flour while kneading. Shape dough into a ball and place in a greased medium bowl, turning dough over so the top is greased.
- Cover and let rise in a warm place (80 – 85 degrees F) away from draft, until doubled, about 1 hour.
- Punch down dough, turn onto floured surface. Divide into 15 equal pieces. Cover with bowl and let rest 15 minutes. Grease a 9x13 baking pan.
- Shape dough into balls; place in baking pan. Cover; let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a small bowl, beat the remaining egg. Brush tops of buns with egg.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until the buns are golden.
- Remove pan from oven to wire rack; cool buns completely. Prepare icing. Spoon into decorators bag with medium writing tip. Make a cross on top of each bun with icing. Makes 15.
Icing
- In a bowl, mix ¾ cup confectioners sugar with 1 tablespoon milk.
- Mix until icing consistency.
Notes
To form a soft dough:
- Use a wooden spoon to stir in the last amount of flour – batter will become too thick and stiff to beat with a mixer. Hold the bowl securely and beat dough vigorously, lifting over and under in circular motion until thoroughly mixed.
For smooth, round topped buns:
- Cut dough into equal size pieces. Hold each piece between fingers of both hands and gently pull down, tucking sides under.
This recipe was submitted to Love What Matters by Holly Cunningham. Submit your own story here, and be sure to subscribe to our free email newsletter for our best stories, and YouTube for our best videos.
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