Homemade hot cross buns with warm spices and a sweet glaze.
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup warm water (110 degrees f/45 degrees c)
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon instant powdered milk
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 3/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg white
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup dried currants
- 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
- 2 teaspoons milk
- Carbohydrate 37.4285978298035 g
- Cholesterol 25.9546434032956 mg
- Fat 3.89321650937212 g
- Fiber 1.57538221300568 g
- Protein 4.56074204853998 g
- Saturated Fat 2.16553073532988 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (68g)
- Sodium 426.958552119075 mg
- Sugar 35.8532156167978 g
- Trans Fat 0.362200557451509 g
- Calories 203 calories
Step-by-step
- Put warm water, butter, skim milk powder, 1/4 cup sugar, salt, egg, egg white, flour, and yeast in bread maker and start on dough program.
- When 5 minutes of kneading are left, add currants and cinnamon. Leave in machine till double.
- Punch down on floured surface, cover, and let rest 10 minutes.
- Shape into 12 balls and place in a greased 9 x 12 inch pan. Cover and let rise in a warm place till double, about 35-40 minutes.
- Mix egg yolk and 2 tablespoons water. Brush on balls.
- Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 20 minutes. Remove from pan immediately and cool on wire rack.
- To make crosses: mix together confectioners' sugar, vanilla, and milk. Place glaze in a piping bag or a sandwich bag with the corner snipped off; pipe a cross onto each roll.
Relying on a bread machine for the dough phase eliminates manual kneading fatigue while maintaining precise gluten development. Historically eaten on Good Friday across the British Isles, these spiced yeast rolls require strict temperature control to prevent yeast dormancy. Sugars and dairy proteins undergo Maillard browning reactions during baking at 375 degrees Fahrenheit, creating the characteristic golden crust.
- Water temperature must register strictly between 105 and 110 degrees Fahrenheit; exceeding 120 degrees Fahrenheit kills the active dry yeast outright.
- Add dried currants and ground cinnamon exactly five minutes before the bread machine kneading cycle completes to prevent premature fat coating from the butter, which can inhibit proper yeast activity.
- Allow the shaped dough balls to rise in a consistently warm environment until they double in volume, roughly 35 to 40 minutes, before brushing with the egg yolk and water wash.
- Invert the baked buns onto a wire rack immediately after removing them from the oven to halt bottom-crust steaming and maintain structural integrity.
Precision during the final cooling stage prevents the confectioners' sugar glaze from melting into the crust. Proper pipe consistency yields opaque crosses that hold their shape against the rich, spiced crumb.
