Hot Cross Buns
- MakesMakes 12 buns
- Cook Time13 hours
- Active time plus cooling1¼ hours active, plus cooling
- 1
Made with orange zest, bourbon (for plumping the currants and in a finishing glaze) and buttermilk instead of regular milk, our hot cross buns are deliciously light and tender, with just the right buttery sweetness. Lyle’s Golden Syrup is an amber-hued sweetener common to the U.K.; we like the butterscotch notes it adds, but honey works, too. The work is spread over a couple days so the buns can be baked and served for breakfast or brunch. If you wish to bake the buns the same day, after shaping them, let them rise at room temperature until just shy of doubled, about an hour. Halfway into rising, heat the oven and prepare the egg wash and piping mixture. Once doubled, brush the buns with egg wash and pipe on the crosses, then bake and glaze as directed. Store extra buns in an airtight container up to three days; rewarm wrapped in foil in a 300°F oven for 10 to 15 minutes.
Don’t heat the buttermilk to bring it to room temperature. Buttermilk curdles easily; it’s best to let it stand at room temperature. Don’t forget to pat the currants dry after draining their soaking liquid. Additional moisture can make the rather sticky dough difficult to handle when shaping. Finally, be sure to reserve the bourbon that remains after draining the currants. It’s used later to make the glaze.
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