These traditional hot cross buns are an easy recipe for a delicious Easter tradition with sweet bites of raisin, lemon and honey. Topped with a cross and easy optional glaze recipe to make these a must serve.
Hot cross buns-these are among my earliest memories of Easter.
While other families ate chocolate bunnies, mine devoured these sweet homemade hot cross buns with their signature white crosses on top. (this post was originally written and shared by Andrea Sabean.)
Although the tradition of hot cross buns for Easter seems to have begun in the 12th century, the recipe I found among my great-grandmother’s collection was dated 1950.
There are several different variations, this is a more traditional hot cross buns recipe, where the crosses are marked onto the bun itself before baking, rather than piped on with frosting after cooling. Other than a tsp of sugar to proof the yeast, it’s also free from refined sugars.
The original recipe called for all-purpose flour, it was easily adapted for spelt flour or a whole wheat/all-purpose mix. Using an ancient grain flour for an old-fashioned traditional recipe just seems right, don’t ya think?
Plus, spelt is one of my favorite ancient grain flour to use. Important note: if you use spelt flour, cut the water by 2 Tablespoons.
For those who can’t imagine their buns without frosting, it would be easy to make an icing sugar glaze to pipe over the crosses after baking.
No matter how you make them, these are a delicious Easter treat!
How to Make Traditional Hot Cross Buns
Sprinkle sugar and yeast onto the water and let sit for 10 minutes. The yeast will turn foamy, letting you know its proofed and ready to go.
Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir in the milk, honey, salt, and lemon rind. The mixture should be lukewarm. Remove from heat. Pour warmed butter mixture into mixing bowl.
Stir water and yeast mixture and add to the butter mixture, along with the beaten egg. Beat mixture until well combined. Stir in raisins. Beat in 2 cups of flour until mixture is smooth. Beat in remaining flour until you have a moist, but not sticky, dough. (If using spelt flour, the dough will be wetter). Turn out onto a floured surface and knead lightly. Shape dough into a ball and place in an oiled bowl. Cover with a cloth and leave in a warm place for 2 hours, or until doubled in size.
Knead the dough a few times to release gas bubbles. Shape into 12 evenly-sized buns. Place on greased or parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving room between the buns. Cover and let rise for another hour.
Mix flour, water, and vanilla mixture for crosses. The mixture should be the consistency of a thick glaze, rather than a frosting. If it’s too thick, the crosses will crack as the bread rises. If it’s too thin, the crosses will disappear as the buns are cooked.
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Place in a piping bag, or in a plastic sandwich bag, with a small hole cut in one corner. Pipe crosses over each roll. If the mixture seems thick, add a little water. If it seems thin, add a little flour.
Bake in a 375 degree Fahrenheit oven for 16 minutes. While buns are cooking, mix milk and honey glaze. After 16 minutes, brush each bun with the glaze. Return the buns to the oven and cook for an additional 4 – 8 minutes, or until the buns are nicely browned on top, and cooked through. Cool for 10 minutes before eating.
Hot cross buns store well in an airtight container. Cover and reheat at 350 for about 5 – 10 minutes.
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Hot Cross Buns – Vintage Recipe from 1950
Ingredients
- 1 package yeast 2 1/4 tsp. if you by it in bulk
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/2 cup lukewarm water
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/2 – 3/4 cup milk 1/2 cup for spelt flour, 3/4 for wheat flour
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp grated lemon rind
- 1 egg beaten
- 3/4 cup raisins
- 3 1/2 – 4 cups flour spelt, all-purpose, or an all-purpose/whole wheat combination
- Crosses
- 2 tbsp white flour all-purpose or white rice flour, spelt can also be used but crosses will be darker
- 2.5 tbsp water
- 1/4 tsp vanilla
- Hot Cross Bun Glaze
- 1 tbsp milk
- 1 tsp honey
Instructions
- Sprinkle sugar and yeast onto the water and let sit for 10 minutes. The yeast will turn foamy, letting you know its proofed and ready to go.
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir in the milk, honey, salt, and lemon rind. The mixture should be lukewarm. Remove from heat.
- Pour warmed butter mixture into mixing bowl. Stir water and yeast mixture and add to the butter mixture, along with the beaten egg. Beat mixture until well combined. Stir in raisins.
- Beat in 2 cups of flour until mixture is smooth. Beat in remaining flour until you have a moist, but not sticky, dough. (If using spelt flour, the dough will be wetter)
- Turn out onto a floured surface and knead lightly. Shape dough into a ball and place in oiled bowl. Cover with a cloth and leave in a warm place for 2 hours, or until doubled in size.
- Knead dough a few times to release gas bubbles. Shape into 12 evenly-sized buns. Place on greased or parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving room between the buns. Cover and let rise for another hour.
- Mix flour, water, and vanilla mixture for crosses. The mixture should be the consistency of a thick glaze, rather than a frosting. If it’s too thick, the crosses will crack as the bread rises. If it’s too thin, the crosses will disappear as the buns are cooked.
- Place in a piping bag, or in a plastic sandwich bag, with a small hole cut in one corner. Pipe crosses over each roll. If the mixture seems thick, add a little water. If it seems thin, add a little flour.
- Bake buns in a 375 degree oven for 16 minutes. While buns are cooking, mix milk and honey glaze. After 16 minutes, brush each bun with the glaze.
- Return the buns to the oven and cook for an additional 4 – 8 minutes, or until the buns are nicely browned on top, and cooked through. Cool for 10 minutes before eating.
- Buns store well in an airtight container. Cover and reheat at 350 for about 5 – 10 minutes.
There you have it, an easy hot cross buns recipe for a delicious treat, do you enjoy them as part of your Easter traditions?
My daughter made these for our family this Easter—they were absolutely delicious! We didn’t have any white sugar so she used honey to activate the yeast and it worked great!
Thanks so much for this amazing vintage recipe!!
I made them and they are delicious and beautiful! I will put them on my Easter menu always…
The buns were beautiful. The recipe was easy to follow. They were more bread-like than sweet-roll. I would have preferred them a little sweeter.
I wanted to let you know that I made this recipe for Hot Cross Buns yesterday, on Holy Thursday so we would have them for this Easter weekend. They turned out wonderful!!! I ended up with hot cross buns the size of burger buns unlike the small, flattened ones from other recipes. These are the best I’ve ever made. I love that the cross is baked on the bun rather than using icing after they’re baked. This recipe is definitely a keeper! Thank you so much!!
Hi Melissa – I make these every year just like this on Good Friday. How would i convert this using fresh ground hard white wheat?
We made these this year with 1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 AP flour. They were delicious! Thank you for the perfect hot cross bun recipe.
Oh Boy — wish i could bake – hot cross-buns!!
I just wanted to share, that this recipe is amazing! I even used spelt flour, a first for me. I had such success, that I have never had with this recipe. They came out beautifully. Were absolutely delicious! I was proud I had tried this and so thankful for your wonderful caring heart to share this recipe. Prayers you had a blessed Easter! Thank you again!!
Can you make these with sour dough starter rather than the yeast?
I was wondering this as well?
You can do any recipe with sourdough instead of yeast but you have to do the alterations and adjust the flour and water to account for the flour and water in the sourdough starter. I haven’t converted this one to sourdough so you’ll need to do that yourself if you want it with sourdough. Let me know how you like it if you try it that way.
Hi Andrea!
I am keen to make a few batches of these for my family + gifts this easter. Your recipe looks fab!
Just wondering-
At the end of the final rise of 1 hour (step 6) would it work to pop the dough in the fridge over night and then into the oven the next morning….?
Eager to have the smells drifting thru our house at bfast on Good Friday and Easter Sunday…
Buuuuut
Not so eager to be up early enough to allow for these processes to occur on each of said mornings….???
Thanks in advance!
A happy easter xO
Thank you so much for this recipe!!! I adore that folks still share vintage recipes like this that seem to get lost with history. I am bound and determined in this modern world to keep traditions like these alive! I am surprised there are no spices in this recipe like cinnamon/allspice. Can’t wait to try it!
So glad you’re enjoying it Sonya, feel free to add some of the spices but I know she was making it as close to her hand written recipe as possible. I’m with you, old-fashioned all the way!!
Recipe labeled “no processed sugars”, 2nd ingredient is processed sugar….wow and a 5 star rating is the only option.
Leah, we have a note about that, it’s to feed the yeast in the proof, you’re more than welcome to swap that out for honey. As for the star rating it’s a plug-in that provides a printable version, I have nothing do to do with the ratings.
These are absolutely gorgeous and so appropriate for Easter! Thank you for sharing! Is there any way to make them gluten free and still get the same beautiful effect? Thank you again!
Casey,
Yes, use your favorite gluten free flour blend and add in 4 teaspoons of xanthan gum, 2 to 3 extra eggs, and cut back the water to 1/4 cup (because of the eggs, we need the protein from the eggs to help without the wheat flour). If you try it, let me know how it turns out. I haven’t made these gluten free, but this is how I would alter it for gluten free.
Home made biscuits made with fresh butter milk, white flour,lard.
When I was 12 my Mother & sister went to town for supplies.
They were late leaving & late returning home.
My younger sibling told me they were hunger, so I made biscuits in a 12″ X 18″ 3 inches deep pan. Dad called them cathead biscuit, because the were as big as hamburger buns.
We mixed peanutbutter & syrup, then ate lunch with ice cold fresh cows milk.
I had watch my mother make biscuits for years, she taught her boys to cook & clean.
She said”I will not dump dumb men on the world.”
She did her best to make good on that promise.
We trap/raise, clean/prepare & cook most any food out there, on dry land.
I’m so excited to try this low sugar recipe for Hot Cross buns. I make them every year in honor of my dad. He had a friend who brought them to him each year on Good Friday. He loved them. They make me think of him when I make them for my family. 🙂 Happy Easter!
How much milk do you add for regular flour?
Thank you, Nancy
Use 3/4 cup milk for regular flour.
This recipe looks amazing. Thanks, Melissa.
When my daughter was still living at home, the night before Easter, we always colored eggs as a family. (Husband/Dad included). We tried to see who was the most creative with the design of “our” eggs. It was fun and we “made memories”. That is what life is all about, making memories that will sustain us when times are tough. We also went to church on Sunday morning, and then came home (and while she was changing out of her Church dress Dad hid the eggs)our daughter hunted Easter Eggs.