If Christmas is synonymous with fruit cake, then Eastertime is about the hot cross bun. This slightly sweetened bun, filled with raisins and redolent with spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg, marked with a cross on top, is a treat for the palate and the olfactory senses.

Like most popular breads, hot cross buns have a long and chequered history that is equally rooted in both paganism and religious belief. We do know for certain that, from the mid-1600s onward, the buns were consumed for breakfast and dinner on Good Friday (which is two days before Easter).

While many Christians continue this tradition, the popularity of hot cross buns has surpassed Good Friday. Modern hot cross buns are viewed as an Easter treat, a fact that is apparent in the add-ons used to spruce them up, which include chocolate chips, chocolate hazelnut spread, and caramel sauce, to name just a few.

Most hot cross bun purists (myself included) shudder at the thought of such atrocities but, if you’re so inclined, then go for it! However the recipe presented here is the traditional version and one that I have made very often.

Make your own hot cross buns at home and have a very happy Easter

Many people like using a simple flour and water paste for the crosses, but I prefer the shortcrust pastry version. The sprinkling of coarse sugar on the top is a Pakistani invention by the famed Misquita Bakery in Karachi, and since this is what I grew up eating, I have added it to this recipe.

Shortcrust pastry (for the crosses)

113g flour
55g butter (cold, cut in cubes)
3 tablespoons cold water

Put the flour and cold butter in a bowl and rub together with your fingers until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Sprinkle the water over the surface and use a butter knife to bring the mixture together until it forms large clumps. Knead the dough gently for half a minute, wrap it in cling film and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Roll the shortcrust out to 5mm thick and cut out 24 strips 3.5 inch long and ½ inch wide. Keep the strips chilled until you are ready to use them.

Hot cross buns

350g all purpose flour
11g instant yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cake spice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
50g butter (diced)
Finely grated zest of one lemon
25g caster sugar
75g currant/golden raisins/black raisins
175ml lukewarm milk
1 egg
Extra beaten egg for egg wash
30g coarse sugar granules (for sprinkling)

Put the all purpose flour, instant yeast, salt, cake spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, butter, lemon zest and caster sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment, and mix on a low speed to ensure all the ingredients are combined. You can also do this by hand in a bowl using a wooden spoon.

Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients, add the milk and egg, and mix on a medium speed until the dough comes together like a ball. Add the dried fruit and turn your mixer on a medium high speed for 10 minutes. If you are doing this by hand, knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for 12 minutes until it becomes smooth.

Turn the dough out into a large, lightly oiled bowl (any vegetable oil will do), cover with a kitchen towel and leave to proof in a warm area for 90 minutes. At the end of this time, the dough should have more than doubled. Punch the dough down and fold it over itself a few times to release the gases formed during proofing and then divide it into 12 equal pieces.

It is a good idea to weigh each piece to make sure all the buns are the same weight as this will ensure even baking. Shape each piece into a ball and place on lightly floured baking trays, spacing them at least 3-4 inches apart. Press each ball down slightly and brush with beaten egg.

Lay two pieces of chilled shortcrust pastry on top of each bun in a cross pattern, brush with more egg wash and liberally sprinkle the coarse sugar granules. Leave to proof in a warm place for 30 minutes.

In the meantime, preheat your oven to 190°C. When the buns are fully proofed (they should have doubled in size and jiggle slightly when the tray moves), bake for 15-20 minutes, rotating the trays half way through the baking time.

The buns are ready when they are well-risen and golden brown. Remove the hot cross buns from the tray immediately and cool completely on a wire rack. Split them in half, spread liberally with butter, jam, cream cheese or any other spread of your choice and enjoy!

The writer is a professional chef and holds a diploma in pastry from Le Cordon Bleu.

Published in Dawn, EOS, April 17th, 2022