Hot cross buns a simple & scrumptious Easter tradition

 

There is something irresistible about the soft texture of a yeast dough with egg. This is special occasion bread (even through it’s a humble dough, lightly spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg and studded simply with raisins and currants.)

This is a recipe from the old Crosby cookbook (origin unknown). It’s an easy dough to prepare, rises fairly fast and the buns bake quickly in a hot oven.

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Hot cross buns a simple & scrumptious Easter tradition

Molasses adds a lovely flavour to hot cross buns. It helps to keep the buns moist & is the perfect complement to cinnamon, nutmeg & cloves, the traditional spices for this seasonal treat.

  • Author: Crosby’s Molasses
  • Category: Muffins & Quick Breads

Ingredients

Scale
  • ½ cup milk
  • 1 tsp. sugar
  • ¼ cup Crosby’s Fancy Molasses
  • 1 pkg. dry yeast (1 Tbsp.)
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 2 Tbsp. soft butter
  • 2 to cups flour
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp. nutmeg
  • ¼ cup currants
  • ½ cup raisins

Instructions

  1. Heat milk to lukewarm in a saucepan.
  2. Remove to a large bowl, stir in sugar and sprinkle over yeast. Let sit for 5 min.
  3. Stir in butter, egg and molasses.
  4. Add salt, spices and about 1 3/4 cups of the flour.Stir to combine.
  5. Scrape dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead in the remaining flour (no need to use it all).
  6. Place in a greased bowl, turn to coat, cover and let rise until double (1-1.5 hours).
  7. Punch down and let rest for 5 minutes.
  8. Knead in currants and raisins.
  9. Divide dough into 9 balls. Place about 2″ apart on parchment lined baking sheet.
  10. Cover and let rise until double (about 45 min.).
  11. Just before baking cut a cross in the top of each bun (optional).
  12. Bake at 375°F about 15 min. or until brown.
  13. When cooled, pipe  a cross on each bun with a basic white icing.

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Comments

  • April 3, 2015
    reply

    Dana Griffiths

    I make these using a bread machine, but I follow your recipe with the following changes:
    Steps 1 & 2: I warm up my milk in a glass measuring cup, and use the microwave. Yeast is proofed in this cup, then poured into bread machine.
    Steps 3, 4: These ingredients (with divided flour) are added to bread machine set on dough setting, and press start.
    Step 5: Once bread machine kicks into high gear (after about 2 minutes of mixing) I slowly add rest of flour.
    Let dough setting complete. (1 1/2 hours)
    Then add raisins/currents to the bread machine pan with dough. Press start again, and let the machine mix in the fruit. When the machine kicks into high gear (after about 2 minutes of mixing), stop the machine, take out the dough, and follow steps 9 and beyond as described above.

    Perfection!

  • April 13, 2014
    reply

    Tabatha

    Hi

    Tried making these twice. First time I think I killed the yeast. Te 2nd time … not sure. I used the recipe in the Crosby’s Family Favourites.

    It did not call for sugar & had shortening instead of butter, wondering if that would make any difference?

    Made the Oatmeal Bread twice & it was AWESOME!!

    Any advice on the hot cross buns??

    Thanks! :)

  • April 1, 2013
    reply

    Kath

    Thanks for the tip

  • April 1, 2013
    reply

    Kath

    I will have to try the bread maker. Thanks for the tip.

  • March 19, 2013
    reply

    Nora

    may the dough for the hot cross buns be made in a bread maker? thanks.

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