Soft & Fluffy Hot Cross Buns Recipe (Better Than Store‑Bought!)

Hot cross buns recipe fans, you’re in the right place. This Hot Cross Buns Recipe gives you soft, fluffy, spiced buns with that shiny glaze and classic cross on top, minus any bakery-level stress.​

Ever grab a pack from the store, taste one, and think, “Yeah, I can definitely do better than this at home”? Same.​

Why Hot Cross Buns Are So Special

Hot cross buns aren’t just cute little raisin rolls with a cross. They carry a ton of tradition, symbolism, and honestly, serious flavor.​

They started as spiced, fruit-filled buns in England, and people baked them especially for Good Friday and Easter. The cross represents the crucifixion, and the spices and sweetness symbolise celebration after Lent.​

You also see versions that trace roots back to older spring festivals, where people used marked buns in rituals, which sounds wild, but makes them even more interesting IMO.​

Key Features Of A Great Hot Cross Buns Recipe

So, what makes a Hot Cross Buns Recipe actually worth your time and flour?​

A good bun checks a few non‑negotiable boxes:​

• Soft, fluffy crumb that feels like a sweet bread roll, not a dense rock.​
• Warm baking spices like cinnamon, allspice, and mixed spice for that cosy, Easter‑is-coming smell.​
• Juicy dried fruit – usually raisins, currants, or sultanas, sometimes with candied peel for brightness.​
• A flour paste cross that holds its shape in the oven.​
• A sticky glaze that makes them glossy and slightly sweet on top.​

When a bun nails all of those, you stop counting how many you “taste test.” Purely for quality control, obviously.​

Ingredients For Traditional Hot Cross Buns

You can make this Hot Cross Buns Recipe with simple, supermarket‑friendly ingredients.​

For the dough

You use enriched dough here, so you get softness and flavour in every bite.​

• Bread flour or all‑purpose flour
• Warm milk to activate the yeast and enrich the dough
• Active dry yeast or instant yeast
• Sugar for sweetness and to feed the yeast
• Soft butter for richness and tenderness
• One egg for structure and colour
• Salt to balance flavour
• Ground cinnamon and mixed spice (or cinnamon + allspice + nutmeg)
• Zest of orange or lemon for a bright, fragrant note
• Raisins, sultanas, or currants
• Optional: chopped dried apricots or candied orange peel for extra texture and flavour​

This combo gives you a dough that smells like a bakery and a spice shop got together and did something excellent.​

For the cross

The cross stays simple and old‑school:​

• Plain flour
• Enough water to make a thick, pipeable paste

You want a paste that flows from a piping bag but doesn’t run everywhere like a toddler with a paintbrush.​

For the glaze

You finish the buns with a shiny glaze:​

• A little sugar
• Hot water or warmed jam (like apricot)

You brush this on while the buns are hot so it sets into that gorgeous, sticky sheen.​

Step‑By‑Step: How To Make Hot Cross Buns

Here’s where the Hot Cross Buns Recipe becomes real, not just something you screenshot and forget. 🙂​

1. Mix and knead the dough

You start by warming the milk to just comfortably warm, not boiling, and mixing it with yeast and a little sugar.​

Once it turns foamy, you add flour, remaining sugar, spices, zest, egg, and salt, and bring everything together into a rough dough.​

Then you knead and slowly add soft butter until the dough turns smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky but not sticky.​

You fold in the dried fruit right at the end so you don’t shred it to bits during kneading.​

2. First rise

You pop the dough into a greased bowl, cover it, and let it rise in a warm spot until it doubles in size.​

This usually takes about 1–2 hours, depending on how warm your kitchen feels and whether your yeast woke up in a good mood.​

3. Shape the buns

You gently press out the air (a very satisfying moment), then divide the dough into equal pieces.​

You roll each piece into a smooth ball and place them slightly touching on a lined baking pan.​

You aim for tight, neat balls here, because they rise together and form that classic pull‑apart tray of buns.​

4. Second rise

You cover the shaped buns and let them puff up again until they look plump and soft.​

This second rise usually needs about 45–60 minutes, and the buns should look almost doubled and very pillowy.​

Ever glance at the tray and think, “Okay, now they actually look like something I’d eat”? That’s the moment.​

5. Pipe the cross

You whisk flour and water into a paste that falls off a spoon in a thick ribbon, then spoon it into a piping or zip‑top bag.​

You pipe straight lines across the rows of buns in one direction, then again in the other direction to form crosses.​

You don’t chase perfection here – slightly wobbly crosses just prove a real human made them.​

6. Bake

You bake the buns in a preheated oven at around 175–180°C / 350°F until they turn deep golden brown on top.​

Most recipes land in the 20–25 minute zone, but you watch the colour more than the clock, because ovens love chaos.​

The tray should smell like warm spice, toasted fruit, and sweet bread. Honestly, that smell alone justifies the effort.​

7. Glaze

You stir sugar with hot water or warm a bit of jam with water until glossy, then brush it over the hot buns.​

The glaze sinks in slightly and dries into that classic shiny finish you see in bakery windows.​

You let the buns cool until warm, then pull one apart and try not to burn your mouth because patience left the chat.​

Simple Variations On Hot Cross Buns

Once you nail the base Hot Cross Buns Recipe, you can tweak it a bit without starting a riot.​

• Swap some raisins for chopped dried apricots or cherries for extra sweetness and colour.​
• Use more orange zest and candied peel if you love that bright citrus bakery vibe.​
• Add a little vanilla to the dough for a softer, dessert‑style flavour.​
• Brush with orange‑scented icing instead of jam glaze for a sweeter finish.​

Ever notice how “traditional” recipes suddenly grow chocolate chips and fancy toppings? You can go there too, but starting classic helps you understand the base first.​

Pro Tips For Soft, Fluffy Buns

If you want your Hot Cross Buns Recipe to taste bakery‑level and not “nice try,” a few small habits make a big difference.​

• Warm, not hot liquid: You keep the milk just warm so you wake the yeast, not murder it.​
• Don’t rush the rise: You let the dough double each time; under‑proofed buns bake dense and heavy.​
• Shape tight balls: You roll the dough with gentle tension so the buns rise tall, not flat.​
• Watch the colour: You pull them when they’re deep golden, not pale; colour usually equals flavour.​
• Glaze while hot: You brush the glaze on immediately for that beautiful shine.​

FYI, once you bake them once or twice, all of this feels way less “technical” and more like muscle memory.​

How To Serve And Store Hot Cross Buns

You can enjoy this Hot Cross Buns Recipe straight from the tray while still warm, and honestly, that might be the best way.​

Serve them:​

• Warm, split, with butter melting into the crumb
• Lightly toasted the next day with butter and maybe jam
• Alongside coffee or tea for breakfast or a snack

You keep leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for a couple of days.​

You can also freeze the buns and reheat them in the oven, covered in foil, until warm again, so you basically bake once and enjoy all week.​

Final Thoughts On This Hot Cross Buns Recipe

This Hot Cross Buns Recipe gives you soft, fragrant, slightly sticky buns that actually taste as good as they smell, which doesn’t always happen with store‑bought packs.​

You use simple ingredients, a couple of relaxed rises, and a few small tricks, and you end up with a tray that looks like you spent way more effort than you actually did.​

So, next time you see hot cross buns in the supermarket and feel tempted to toss them in your cart, maybe you trust yourself instead, grab some flour and yeast, and bake them at home – your kitchen smells better, your buns taste fresher, and you get bragging rights, which always helps. 🙂

Soft & Fluffy Hot Cross Buns Recipe (Better Than Store‑Bought!)

Course: Breakfast, BrunchCuisine: British / EuropeanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

12

servings

Prep time

25

minutes

Cooking time

25

minutes

Calories

260

kcal

Total time

4

hours 

Rising Time: 2.5–3 hours


Soft, fluffy, spiced Hot Cross Buns made with raisins, warm spices, orange zest, classic flour‑paste crosses, and a sticky, shiny glaze. These buns taste like cosy bakery vibes at home and make an amazing Easter breakfast or anytime treat.

Ingredients

For the dough

• 4 cups (500 g) bread flour or all‑purpose flour

• 1 cup (240 ml) warm milk (hand‑warm, not hot)

• 2¼ teaspoons (1 packet, 7 g) active dry yeast or instant yeast

• ⅓ cup (65 g) granulated sugar

• 1 large egg, room temperature

• ¼ cup (60 g) unsalted butter, very soft

• 1 teaspoon fine salt

• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

• ½ teaspoon ground allspice or mixed spice

• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional but nice)

• Zest of 1 orange (or lemon if you prefer)

• 1 cup (150 g) raisins, sultanas, or currants

• Optional: ¼ cup (40–50 g) chopped candied orange peel or dried apricots for extra flavour

• For the crosses

• ½ cup (60 g) plain flour

• 4–6 tablespoons water (enough to make a thick, pipeable paste)

• For the glaze

• Sugar glaze:
  3 tablespoons granulated sugar
  3 tablespoons hot water

• OR Jam glaze:
  3 tablespoons apricot jam (or similar light jam)
  1–2 tablespoons water

Directions

• Activate the yeast
  Pour the warm milk into a large bowl. Aim for “warm to the touch” – not hot, not cold.
  Stir in 1 tablespoon of the sugar and sprinkle the yeast over the top.
  Let it sit for 5–10 minutes until the mixture turns foamy and bubbly. If nothing happens, the yeast probably died on you, so start again with fresh yeast.
• Make the dough
  Add the remaining sugar, egg, soft butter, salt, cinnamon, allspice (or mixed spice), nutmeg, and orange zest into the bowl with the foamy yeast mixture.
  Add about half of the flour and mix with a wooden spoon or stand mixer on low until you get a thick, rough batter.
  Add the rest of the flour gradually, mixing until it starts to come together into a soft dough.
  When the dough looks shaggy but mostly together, add the raisins (and candied peel or dried fruit, if using) and mix or fold them through.
•  Knead the dough
  Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface (or keep it in the mixer with a dough hook).
  Knead for 8–10 minutes by hand (or 5–7 minutes in a mixer) until the dough feels smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky but not sticky.
  If it feels very sticky, sprinkle in a tiny bit more flour; if it feels dry and stiff, add a teaspoon or two of milk.
  You know you’re there when the dough stretches without tearing easily and springs back when you poke it.
• First rise
  Lightly grease a large clean bowl with a little oil or butter.
  Shape the dough into a ball and place it in the bowl, turning once to coat it lightly.
  Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel or plastic wrap.
  Let it rise in a warm, draft‑free spot for about 1–1.5 hours, or until it doubles in size.
  If your kitchen feels cold, you can place the bowl in a turned‑off oven with the light on.
• Shape the buns
  Once the dough doubles, gently punch it down to release the air.
  Turn it onto a lightly floured surface and press it into a rough rectangle.
  Divide it into 12 equal pieces (you can weigh them if you want very even buns).
  Shape each piece into a tight, smooth ball by tucking the edges under and rolling it gently under your cupped hand.
  Line your baking tray or pan with parchment paper, then arrange the dough balls in rows, leaving a small gap between them. They will rise and touch as they proof and bake.
•  Second rise
  Cover the shaped buns loosely with a tea towel or lightly greased plastic wrap.
  Let them rise again in a warm place for about 45–60 minutes, until they look plump and puffy and almost doubled in size.
  Near the end of this rise, preheat the oven to 175–180°C (350°F).
• Make and pipe the crosses
  In a small bowl, whisk the flour with just enough water to make a thick, smooth paste. It should be thick enough to hold its shape but soft enough to pipe.
  Spoon the paste into a piping bag or a small zip‑top bag, and snip a small corner off.
  Pipe long lines across each row of buns in one direction, then again in the opposite direction to form crosses over each bun.
  Don’t stress if the lines wobble a bit; slightly wonky crosses look homemade and charming.
• Bake the buns
  Place the tray or pan into the preheated oven.
  Bake for 20–25 minutes, until the buns turn a deep golden brown on top and sound hollow when you gently tap one.
  If they brown too quickly, you can loosely tent them with foil for the last few minutes.
• Glaze for that shiny finish
  While the buns bake, prepare your glaze:
  For sugar glaze, dissolve the sugar in the hot water and stir until clear.
  For jam glaze, gently heat the jam with water until smooth and slightly runny.
  As soon as the buns come out of the oven, brush the hot glaze generously over the tops.
  Let the buns cool in the pan for 10–15 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack.

Notes

• Serving Suggestions
  Serve warm, split in half, with butter melting into the soft crumb.
  Enjoy them plain, or add jam or honey if you like things sweeter.
  The next day, toast leftover buns lightly and butter them for an easy breakfast or snack.
• Storage
  Store cooled buns in an airtight container at room temperature for 2–3 days.
  For longer storage, freeze them in a freezer‑safe bag for up to 2 months.
  Reheat frozen buns in a low oven (covered with foil) until warm, or slice and toast them.
• Nutrition (Approximate, per bun – 1 of 12)
  Calories: ~260 kcal
  Carbohydrates: ~42 g
  Protein: ~7 g
  Fat: ~6–7 g
  Saturated Fat: ~3–4 g
  Sugar: ~13–15 g
  (These numbers are rough estimates and will shift slightly based on your specific ingredients and portion sizes.)