As it is impossible to imagine Easter in Odessa without paska (Ukrainian Easter cakes), so it is impossible to imagine one in England without these spicy buns with a cross! They are baked on Good Friday. And they are usually eaten warm. In English folklore, a lot of superstitions are associated with them: share a half with someone, and you will definitely be friends all year long, especially if you say: “Half for you and half for me, between us two shall goodwill be”. Hang a hot cross bun in your kitchen and protect yourself from fires, and you will also bake any bread perfectly! Take them on a sea voyage, and hot cross buns will save you from shipwreck! Some even kiss the cross before eating. They also say that these buns were baked long before Christianity. In honour of the goddess of the dawn and spring fertility, Eostre, there is even a version that her name gave life to the word Easter.
- Prep time: 1 hour + 11 hours for proofing and overnight for maturing
- Cook time: 30 minutes
- Serves: 12 buns
- Difficulty: easy
- Course: baking
- Cookware: piping bag, zest grater, silicone brush
- Cuisine: English
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 150 g stiff wheat sourdough starter
- 500 g strong bread flour
- 270 g milk
- 75 g sugar
- 50 g butter
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 vanilla stick seeds
- zest of 1 lemon / orange
For filling:
- 75 g raisins
For decoration:
- 3 tbsp milk
- 3 tbsp flour
For glaze:
- 1 egg
For syrup:
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp water
Cooking method
STEP 1
Pour milk into a large bowl. Add egg, sourdough, flour, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla stick seeds and zest. Knead the dough for about 7 minutes with a mixer or with your hands until smooth. Cover the bowl with a towel and let the dough rest for 45 minutes. The consistency of the dough should be stiff. If the dough is too thick, you can add 1-2 tablespoons of milk during kneading.
STEP 2
Add salt and butter to the dough. Knead the dough until it “takes” all the butter and becomes smooth and shiny, for about 7 minutes. Add raisins and knead for a few minutes more. The final dough will be soft and smooth. Grease the container for the dough with vegetable oil, lay out the dough, cover with foil and leave in a warm place for 5-6 hours or in the refrigerator for 10-12 hours. During the proofing period, the dough should double in size.
STEP 3
Cover the baking sheet with parchment paper. Sprinkle the work surface with flour. Transfer the dough to the surface. Divide into 12 pieces, form into balls and transfer to a baking sheet, leaving enough space between each one. Cover the baking sheet with foil and leave for proofing for 3-4 hours at room temperature. The buns should be visually growing and soft to the touch.
STEP 4
Preheat the oven to 180С. In a small bowl, beat 1 egg and brush each bun. Mix milk and flour until smooth. Transfer the paste to a pastry bag and draw a cross on each bun. Bake buns for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.
STEP 5
Prepare syrup: pour water into a saucepan and add sugar. Boil the mixture over low heat, stirring the syrup until the sugar is completely dissolved. When the syrup begins to thicken a little, remove from the heat and leave to cool. Pour syrup over the baked buns, transfer them to a wire rack and leave to cool.
My tips and tricks:
I have no words to tell you about the scent of cross buns! To enhance the effect and make them even more similar to the classic ones, besides cinnamon, add to the dough ½ tsp ginger, cloves and nutmeg. Kids love the chocolate version. Many people love the cross buns with honey, goat cheese, dried figs and rosemary. Every year in England there are cross buns with a new flavor, you can come up with your own too. The most popular non-classic versions are chocolate with dried cherries, cross buns with apple pieces and cinnamon, with the taste of mocha and chocolate drops, with dried fruits tortured in aromatic rum, with toffee caramel and even with Cheddar cheese and marmite.
- 150 g stiff wheat sourdough starter
- 500 g strong bread flour
- 270 g milk
- 75 g sugar
- 50 g butter
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 vanilla stick seeds
- zest of 1 lemon / orange
- 75 g raisins
- 3 tbsp milk
- 3 tbsp flour
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp water
- Pour milk into a large bowl. Add egg, sourdough, flour, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla stick seeds and zest. Knead the dough for about 7 minutes with a mixer or with your hands until smooth. Cover the bowl with a towel and let the dough rest for 45 minutes. The consistency of the dough should be stiff. If the dough is too thick, you can add 1-2 tablespoons of milk during kneading.
- Add salt and butter to the dough. Knead the dough until it "takes" all the butter and becomes smooth and shiny, for about 7 minutes. Add raisins and knead for a few minutes more. The final dough will be soft and smooth. Grease the container for the dough with vegetable oil, lay out the dough, cover with foil and leave in a warm place for 5-6 hours or in the refrigerator for 10-12 hours. During the proofing period, the dough should double in size.
- Cover the baking sheet with parchment paper. Sprinkle the work surface with flour. Transfer the dough to the surface. Divide into 12 pieces, form into balls and transfer to a baking sheet, leaving enough space between each one. Cover the baking sheet with foil and leave for proofing for 3-4 hours at room temperature. The buns should be visually growing and soft to the touch.
- Preheat the oven to 180С. In a small bowl, beat 1 egg and brush each bun. Mix milk and flour until smooth. Transfer the paste to a pastry bag and draw a cross on each bun. Bake buns for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.
- Prepare syrup: pour water into a saucepan and add sugar. Boil the mixture over low heat, stirring the syrup until the sugar is completely dissolved. When the syrup begins to thicken a little, remove from the heat and leave to cool. Pour syrup over the baked buns, transfer them to a wire rack and leave to cool.