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Hot Cross Buns (small batch)

Wednesday, April 2, 2025 2:01

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One thing I really enjoy about this time of year is Hot Cross Buns. When we were children, we only really had them on Good Friday, which was quite traditional. These days they are available pretty much all year round, and in a variety of flavors as well. Some being studded with chocolate chips, cherries, and all sorts.

I prefer the traditional and whilst I will don’t wait until Good Friday to enjoy them, I generally leave the enjoyment of them to the Easter season. To do otherwise takes away from the pleasure for me. When something becomes every day and common, then it just isn’t special anymore. Know what I mean?

Yes, I am very much a traditionalist when it comes to food and specifics, especially when we are talking holidays and celebration types of food. Always a turkey for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and always a Ham for New Years and Easter.

My friend Monique, of La Table de Nana had posted these Hot Cross Buns on her Instagram page the other day. The recipe comes from Moomin Makes Stuff. Monique’s posts are always so beautiful. I instantly wanted to make these buns and so I went to Moomin and got the recipe.

I did not need 12 buns however, so I cut the recipe in half to make only six. They turned out gorgeous! I will be making them again before Easter. Not only are they soft and light, but they are incredibly quick to make. You can literally be enjoying them in not much more than half an hour, which makes them perfect to throw together for breakfast on the day.

I did make a few changes. I used some of the more traditional ingredients such as mixed spice and mixed dried fruit, but other than that I left everything the same, just cutting things in half. These were fabulous! I highly recommend.

Don’t you just love my Beatrix Potter figurines? Gifts from my friend Elaine through the years, even the whistle mug. We had whistle mugs when we were children. We were only allowed to use them at Easter. That only added to the excitement of the day. We really enjoyed whistling at each other with our mugs!

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE QUICK & EASY HOT CROSS BUNS (small batch)

Just a few simple baking cupboard ingredients. I bet you already have everything you need to make these in your larder right now!

1/2 cup (120ml) warm milk
1 TBS instant yeast
3 TBS (43g) butter, melted and left to cool
1/8 cup (20ml) pure maple syrup
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups (188g) plain all-purpose flour
1 tsp mixed spice (see notes)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup (38g) raisins (I used mixed fruit)
1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tsp water

For the icing crosses:

1/2 cup (60g) icing sugar
enough milk to make a thick pipeable glaze

Make sure your milk is no more than blood temperature, or you will kill the yeast. (98.6*F/37*C) I like to make sure all of my other ingredients are at room temperature, including the melted butter. This will give you a much better result.

Large eggs in North America are medium sized eggs in Europe.

The original recipe used ground cinnamon. I went the more traditional route and used mixed spice, which is a baking mix of warm spices used frequently in the U.K. and especially in hot cross buns. (I have given you the instructions on how to make your own in the notes on the recipe card.)

The original recipe also used raisins and I chose to use a mixed fruit dry fruit mix which is what they would use in the U.K. which is a mix of raisins, currants and candied peel. Again, I was looking for a more traditional result.

I did make the icing crosses which is what we grew up with, but in the U.K. they would pipe crosses on top of the buns using a flour paste, which is much more traditional.

HOW TO MAKE QUICK AND EASY HOT CROSS BUNS

Prepare to be amazed at how very quickly you can be enjoying these delicious buns!

Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C/gas mark 6. Line a small baking tray with baking parchment. Set aside.

Whisk the milk and yeast together in a bowl. Whisk in the egg, melted butter and maple syrup, mixing everything together very well.

Add the flour, mixed spice and salt. Mix together until you have a shaggy dough. Tip out onto a lightly floured surface.

Knead gently for about 5 minutes until you have a smooth ball. You may need to add a bit of additional flour if it is too sticky.

Roll out to a rectangle. Sprinkle the raisins all over the surface of the dough. (You can soak the raisins first in some warm water to plump them but do dry them off well before using.)

Roll up tightly and then shape into a ball again. Cut into six equal pieces, and shape each piece into a ball.

Place onto the baking paper, seam side down, leaving a bit of space between each. How much space you leave will determine whether you have soft sides or not.

Brush the tops with some of the egg wash.

Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. They should be golden brown on the top and bottom. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely.

Make a thick pipeable glaze with the icing sugar and some milk. (you won’t need much milk) Pipe this over top of the buns in the iconic cross shape.

Serve and enjoy.

I was really surprised at how very quickly these went together and were in the oven. They came out soft and delicious. I would add a bit more fruit the next time I make them as I like more fruit in my buns, and I will add the flour paste cross on top as I prefer that over the icing one.

These really were nice, however. If you are looking for a quick and easy version of a hot cross bun that is also a yeasted version, you cannot go wrong with this recipe!

Here are a few more versions of the iconic Hot Cross Bun that you might also enjoy!

MARY BERRY’S HOT CROSS BUNS - You will need to set aside the better part of a day to make these, but I promise you that they are worth the effort. Nicely spiced, loaded with fruit, soft and delicious. I’d expect nothing less than perfection from Mary Berry. These have the flour paste crosses on top and are sweetly glazed.

HOT CROSS BUNS WITH SPICED FRUIT BUTTER- A sturdier version of the hot cross bun adapted from a recipe by Nigel Slater. No flour paste or sugar paste crosses on these. Simply a cross cut into the center of the roll prior to baking. They are lovely. DO make the spiced fruit butter to go with them. It is gorgeous and really adds to the deliciousness of these buns!

Yield: six buns

Author: Marie Rayner

Quick and Easy Hot Cross Buns (small batch)

Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 15 MinTotal time: 35 Min

If I had not made these myself I would not have believed how quickly they could be made. Light and fluffy, beautifully flavored, and on the table in not much more than half an hour. I kid you not.

Ingredients

1/2 cup (120ml) warm milk
1 TBS instant yeast
3 TBS (43g) butter, melted
1/8 cup (20ml) pure maple syrup
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups (188g) plain all-purpose flour
1 tsp mixed spice (see notes)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup (38g) raisins (I used mixed fruit)
1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tsp water

For the icing crosses:

1/2 cup (60g) icing sugar
enough milk to make a thick pipeable glaze

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C/gas mark 6. Line a small baking tray with baking parchment. Set aside.
Whisk the milk and yeast together in a bowl. Whisk in the egg, melted butter and maple syrup, mixing everything together very well.
Add the flour, mixed spice and salt. Mix together until you have a shaggy dough. Tip out onto a lightly floured surface.
Knead gently for about 5 minutes until you have a smooth ball. You may need to add a bit of additional flour if it is too sticky.
Roll out to a rectangle. Sprinkle the raisins all over the surface of the dough. (You can soak the raisins first in some warm water to plump them but do dry them off well before using.)
Roll up tightly and then shape into a ball again. Cut into six equal pieces, and shape each piece into a ball.
Place onto the baking paper, seam side down, leaving a bit of space between each. How much space you leave will determine whether you have soft sides or not.
Brush the tops with some of the egg wash.
Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. They should be golden brown on the top and bottom. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely.
Make a thick pipeable glaze with the icing sugar and some milk. (you won’t need much milk)
Pipe this over top of the buns in the iconic cross shape.
Serve and enjoy.

Notes

Mixed spice is a very common spice mixture used in British baking. You can easily make your own: Combine 1 TBS ground cinnamon, 1 tsp each of ground coriander and nutmeg, 1/2 tsp of ground ginger, 1/4 tsp each of ground cloves and all spice. Mix well and store in an airtight container out of the light for up to 6 months.

Did you make this recipe?

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Debunking the myths of English Cookery, one recipe at a time.
The English Kitchen
http://theenglishkitchen.blogspot.com/

Source: https://www.theenglishkitchen.co/2025/04/hot-cross-buns-small-batch.html

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