Honey-soaked hot cross buns
The first time I heard of hot cross buns was during a piano lesson. It was early in my (very short) musical career, so I could only play songs that had a few notes all hovering close to middle C. One day, my teacher opened my book to a song called “Hot Cross Buns,” and said, “This is easy. I’m sure you can handle this.” And I could.
Along with the song being easy to play, the lyrics were also simple:
“Hot cross buns,
Hot cross buns,
One a penny,
Two a penny,
Hot cross buns.”
But like most simple yet catchy songs, it stayed in my head and I wasn’t satisfied until a few years later when I finally convinced my mom to make them for our family.
Hot cross buns are a sweet roll served at Easter time. Traditionally, they’re sold and served on Good Friday (hence the song’s lyrics, which chronicle a hot-cross bun transaction in a more-kind economy). My family, however, also ate them also on Easter morning, which is where a bite of one always transports me.
Before we’d go to church, mom would pull out of the oven a pan of these soft buns sprinkled with raisins and cinnamon. After letting them cool for a few minutes, she’d cross the tops with icing and then we’d grab them while they were still warm to the touch.
I’m kind of a fallen Episcopalian, but I still enjoy following the liturgical calendar and observing some of the traditions that accompany each celebration. Of course, hot cross buns can’t be found in the Bible or the Book of Common Prayer, but nonetheless, eating them makes me feel like I’m observing Easter the way that I was raised.
Here is my mom’s recipe for hot cross buns. They appear to be a holdover from her granola days when sugar was bad but honey was healthy. No matter, the honey makes them sweet, sticky and soft.
Of course, you don’t have to be a Christian to enjoy hot cross buns. There’s evidence that these buns hark back to pagan times, but no matter your religious affiliation, you will agree that hot cross buns are indeed heavenly.
Honey-soaked hot cross buns
Ingredients
Ingredients for the buns:
- 1 package dry yeast
- 1/4 cup warm water, plus 2 tablespoons
- 3/4 cup milk
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons of honey, plus more for glazing
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 3 eggs
- 2/3 cup raisins or currants
- 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more if needed
Ingredients for the frosting:
- 1 cup confectioner sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon honey
Instructions
- Combine the dry yeast and warm water.Warm over low the milk, butter, salt, and 2 tablespoons of honey until the butter has melted. (Do not let it come to a boil!) Add to the yeast mixture.Whisk in cinnamon, nutmeg, and eggs into the mixture. Add the raisins and slowly stir in the flour, 1 cup at a time.Knead on a lightly floured surface for 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and resilient.Let rise covered in greased bowl until double.Then punch down the dough and divide into 24 balls and place, sides touching, in a greased and floured 9x13 pan and let rise again. With a sharp knife, cut crosses into each bun.Bake at 375° F for 15 minutes.
Glaze with honey (as much or as little as you like) and bake 5 minutes more. Meanwhile, stir together the confectioner sugar, the honey and the two tablespoons of water to make the frosting. When you take the buns out of the oven, cool for 10 minutes, then cross each bun with the frosting.
Rebecca–Aren’t they wonderful?
Donna–Welcome! I look forward to seeing you again!
Kalan–Oh, no! I’m sorry they were too dense. I would definitely make sure that the milk, etc. is cooler, but it is a heavier dough so it might need a slower rise, if that makes sense. Maybe two or three hours instead of the usual one hour.
I just pulled these out of the oven and they were lovely. I used Manuka honey which gave a great flavour. In the past, I’ve found homemade hot cross buns to be too dense but these were quite light and definately fluffy. I didn’t bother letting the milk mixture cool but I let them rise for almost 2 hours. Next time I’m going to add more spices. Delish!
What a wonderful way to celebrate Easter. You cannot be a fallen Episcopalian…..it’s still on your mind, so it’s still in your heart. The belief in Christ, how could you ever stop believing….if you ever let Jesus in your heart, He’s still there, waiting for you. Happy Easter. He is risen! He is risen indeed. Remember that?
I just had to tell you, I made these on Friday and they were absolutely wonderful! The best hot cross buns I’ve ever had. This is definitely going to be my go-to recipe for Easter. Thanks for sharing it with us!
Oh, holy cow, I love hot cross buns. Having been reared a fundamentalist child in Texas, I didn’t know what Lent was, much less that you got such yummy treats. (We called the Pope “the Beast” and anything liturgical would have been seen as the markings of the Antichrist–but that’s a whole ‘nother story.) I found and snagged some hot cross buns at Amy’s last week. Man, they were good. But maybe, even with Lent over and gone, I can still whip up a batch this week.