Best 4 Julias Hot Cross Buns Recipes

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In the realm of culinary art, where the tantalizing aroma of freshly baked goods fills the air, there exists a recipe that has been passed down through generations, capturing the hearts of countless taste buds. Introducing "Julia's Hot Cross Buns," a delectable treat that holds a special place in the tapestry of traditional British cuisine. These buns, adorned with a distinctive cross made from sweet paste, are a symbol of Easter celebrations, promising a burst of flavors that will create unforgettable moments around the table.

Check out the recipes below so you can choose the best recipe for yourself!

HOT CROSS BUNS



Hot Cross Buns image

Provided by Food Network

Categories     dessert

Time 2h50m

Number Of Ingredients 18

1 scant tablespoon or 1 (1/4-ounce) package active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (about 110 degrees)
1 1/2 cups warm milk (about 110 degrees)
1/3 cup soft unsalted butter
1/2 cup light brown or raw sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
3 1/2 to 41/2 cups unbleached flour
1/2 cup currants
1/2 cup candied lemon peel or candied citron
2 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 to 2 tablespoons heavy cream

Steps:

  • In a large bowl, stir yeast into water to soften. Add milk, butter, sugar, eggs, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, pepper, and 2 cups flour. Beat vigorously for two minutes. Add the currants and lemon peel and stir to combine. Gradually add flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until the dough begins to pull away from the side of the bowl.Turn dough out onto a floured work surface. Knead, adding flour a little at a time, until you have a smooth, elastic dough. Put dough into an oiled bowl. Turn to coat the entire ball of dough with oil. Cover with a tightly woven towel and let rise until doubled, about one hour. Turn the dough out onto a lightly oiled work surface and divide into 24 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a ball and put into two well-seasoned 9 by 12-inch baking pans. Cover with a towel and let rise until almost doubled, about 45 minutes.About 10 minutes before baking, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Just before baking, cut a cross into the top of each bun. Combine the milk and sugar for the glaze and brush lightly over the top of the buns.Bake for 20 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the buns reach 190 degrees. Immediately remove buns from pans and cool on a rack for about 10 minutes.In a glass measuring cup with a pouring lip, combine the confectioners' sugar with lemon juice and enough heavy cream to reach the consistency of honey. Use to pour into the cross on the top of each bun. Bread Basket method follows.
  • Bread Basket: To shape a basket of bread "eggs" Divide the dough in half. Return 1/2 the dough to the rising bowl and cover with a towel until needed. Divide the other piece of dough into 6 pieces. Shape each piece into a 26-inch strand. Twist the strands together. Lightly grease the bottom of an oven-proof bowl or pan with no handles (I have a Pyrex bowl that measures about 8 inches across the top and is about 4 inches deep that works perfectly) and place it on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Loosely coil the twisted strands around the beginning with where the pan and bowl meet. Continue until you get to the center of the bowl bottom. If you have too much dough left, pinch it off to use when making the "eggs." Take the remaining dough and divide it evenly into golf-ball sized pieces. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet about 3 inches apart. Cover dough with a towel and let rise until almost doubled, about 45 minutes. About 10 minutes before baking, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Just before baking, lightly brush breads with glaze. Sprinkle the basket with nonpareils if desired.Bake for 25 minutes, basket, and "eggs" for 15 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the breads reach 190 degrees. Immediately remove breads from baking sheet and cool on a rack. To serve the bread basket and "eggs": Once the bread has cooled, pour the icing glaze over the eggs --scrape up what runs off and use it again. Let the glaze set, about 15 minutes. Decorate the "eggs" with decorator's icing. Allow time for the icing to set so they can be placed in the bread basket without smudging. Put dyed coconut (in a plastic bag, shake 3 cups shredded coconut with 2 or 3 tablespoons green food coloring until well coated -- spread coconut on waxed paper to dry for about 30 minutes) into the basket. If the top edge of your basket isn't pretty, you can use some of the icing glaze to paint the edge to hold coconut in place to hide the edge. Place the "eggs" in the basket and serve.

HOT CROSS BUNS



Hot Cross Buns image

With their signature crossed tops, these lightly spiced buns are a delicious symbol of the Easter season. Stories of their origin stretch back to ancient Greece and Egypt, and they're now best known as an English bun, forbidden during the reign of Elizabeth I except on Good Friday, Christmas and at burials. In the 18th century, a passage in Poor Robin's Almanack refers to "one or two a penny hot cross buns," which has evolved into well-known rhymes and songs. Some buns have a sugary icing cross. This version showcases a chewier bread with a dough cross baked right in, so you can - and should - eat them hot. Studded with raisins and candied orange peel, they're just sweet enough to be a breakfast or teatime treat. If you have orange blossom water, be sure to add it to the glossy top for its floral perfume that evokes spring.

Provided by Genevieve Ko

Categories     breakfast, brunch, breads, pastries, dessert

Time 4h30m

Yield 12 buns

Number Of Ingredients 15

1 1/4 cups/300 grams whole milk
2 1/4 teaspoons/7 grams active dry yeast (1 envelope)
1/4 cup/50 grams granulated sugar, plus 1 teaspoon
3 2/3 cups/500 grams bread flour, plus more if needed (see Tip)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon fine salt
4 tablespoons/56 grams unsalted butter, plus more for the bowl and pan
1 large egg
3/4 cup/120 grams raisins (see Tip)
1/2 cup/78 grams diced candied orange peel
1 3/4 teaspoons orange blossom water (optional)
1/3 cup/50 grams bread flour (see Tip)
1 tablespoon granulated sugar

Steps:

  • Make the dough: Heat the milk in a small saucepan over medium until steaming. Remove from the heat. Transfer 1/4 cup/60 grams hot milk to a small bowl and let cool to 110 to 115 degrees if needed, about 1 minute. It should feel lukewarm if you stick your finger in it. Stir in the yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. If the yeast doesn't foam, it's dead and won't help the dough rise. (You'll have to buy some more and start over if this happens.)
  • Meanwhile, whisk the remaining 1/4 cup sugar with the flour, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom and salt in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the butter to the milk in the saucepan and stir until it melts.
  • When the butter has melted and the milk mixture is lukewarm, pour it into the dry ingredients, along with the yeast mixture and egg. If using a stand mixer, beat with the dough hook on medium-low speed until a smooth elastic ball forms, scraping the bowl and hook occasionally, about 10 minutes. The dough should feel sticky but not stick to your hands. If working by hand, mix the ingredients with your hand until a shaggy dough forms, then knead in the bowl to form a shaggy ball. Transfer to a work surface and continue kneading until smooth and elastic, about 15 minutes. You shouldn't need to flour your surface, but, if the dough is sticking to it, lightly flour as needed.
  • Add the raisins and candied orange peel to the dough and knead them in until evenly distributed. Form the dough into a ball.
  • Generously butter a clean large bowl and transfer the dough ball to it. Turn the ball to coat with the butter, then cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel. Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.
  • Butter a 9-by-13-inch cake pan. Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and divide into 12 even pieces (90 to 100 grams each) with a bench scraper, sharp knife or your hands. Form a piece into a ball by folding it over itself and pulling the stretchy dough over the fruit bits so they're not sticking out. Once you have a smooth ball, pinch the seam at the bottom shut and place seam side down on the surface. Cup your hand over the ball and move your hand quickly in a circular motion to tighten the ball into a perfect round. Place in the prepared pan. Repeat with the remaining dough and arrange the balls in a 3-by-4 grid, spacing evenly apart. At this point, you can cover the pan tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 1 day.
  • Open a large, clean unscented produce, recycling or garbage bag and slip the pan into it. Fill a tall glass with hot water, place next to the pan in the bag and tie the bag shut. (This creates a warm, steamy environment for the dough to rise.) Let the balls rise until their sides are touching, about 1½ hours (longer if the dough has been chilled).
  • When the dough is almost done rising, heat the oven to 400 degrees.
  • Prepare the topping: If using orange blossom water, stir 1½ teaspoons into ¼ cup/60 grams water in a small bowl. Add the flour and stir into a smooth paste. Transfer to a pastry bag or resealable plastic bag and snip a ⅓-inch hole in one corner. Pipe lines across the centers of the balls in one direction and then again in the opposite direction so that each ball has a cross.
  • Bake until risen and browned, 20 to 22 minutes. The internal temperature of a center bun should register 190 degrees. While the buns are baking, heat the sugar and 1 tablespoon water in a small saucepan over medium until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining ¼ teaspoon orange blossom water, if using. As soon as the buns come out of the oven, brush the syrup evenly over them. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.

JULIA'S HOT CROSS BUNS



Julia's Hot Cross Buns image

I adapted this for a bread machine from an old recipe. We always have these on Easter morning.

Provided by Julia

Categories     Yeast Bread

Yield 15

Number Of Ingredients 14

⅜ cup milk
⅜ cup water
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
⅓ cup white sugar
4 tablespoons margarine
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon orange zest
3 cups bread flour
1 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast
½ cup raisins
¾ cup confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon water

Steps:

  • Place milk, 3/8 cup water, egg, salt, white sugar, butter or margarine, cinnamon, nutmeg, peel, bread flour, yeast, and raisins in the pan of the bread machine. Select the Dough setting, and Start.
  • Form into 15 rolls. Place into a greased 13 x 9 inch pan. Let rise for one hour.
  • Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 20 to 25 minutes. Cool.
  • Make icing with confectioners' sugar and 1 tablespoon water. Drizzle over buns in the shape of cross.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 91.7 calories, Carbohydrate 15.4 g, Cholesterol 12.9 mg, Fat 3.3 g, Fiber 0.3 g, Protein 1 g, SaturatedFat 0.7 g, Sodium 196.2 mg, Sugar 13.9 g

JULIA'S HOT CROSS BUNS



Julia's Hot Cross Buns image

I adapted this for a bread machine from an old recipe. We always have these on Easter morning.

Provided by Julia

Categories     Yeast Bread

Yield 15

Number Of Ingredients 14

⅜ cup milk
⅜ cup water
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
⅓ cup white sugar
4 tablespoons margarine
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon orange zest
3 cups bread flour
1 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast
½ cup raisins
¾ cup confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon water

Steps:

  • Place milk, 3/8 cup water, egg, salt, white sugar, butter or margarine, cinnamon, nutmeg, peel, bread flour, yeast, and raisins in the pan of the bread machine. Select the Dough setting, and Start.
  • Form into 15 rolls. Place into a greased 13 x 9 inch pan. Let rise for one hour.
  • Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 20 to 25 minutes. Cool.
  • Make icing with confectioners' sugar and 1 tablespoon water. Drizzle over buns in the shape of cross.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 91.7 calories, Carbohydrate 15.4 g, Cholesterol 12.9 mg, Fat 3.3 g, Fiber 0.3 g, Protein 1 g, SaturatedFat 0.7 g, Sodium 196.2 mg, Sugar 13.9 g

Tips:

  • Use fresh, high-quality ingredients for the best flavor. Active dry yeast is the best choice for hot cross buns, as it is easy to use and produces reliable results.
  • Make sure the milk is lukewarm, not hot, before adding the yeast. Hot milk will kill the yeast and prevent the buns from rising.
  • Knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. This will help to develop the gluten in the flour and make the buns light and fluffy.
  • Let the dough rise in a warm place until it has doubled in size, about 1 hour. This will give the yeast time to work and produce carbon dioxide gas, which will cause the buns to rise.
  • Shape the dough into buns and place them in a greased baking dish. Leave some space between the buns so that they have room to rise.
  • Let the buns rise again for about 30 minutes, or until they have almost doubled in size. This will help to ensure that they are light and fluffy.
  • Bake the buns in a preheated oven at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 20-25 minutes, or until they are golden brown.
  • While the buns are still warm, brush them with a simple syrup made from sugar and water. This will help to keep them moist and give them a shiny glaze.
  • Pipe a cross on the top of each bun using a piping bag filled with white icing. You can also use a knife to make a cross.

Conclusion:

Hot cross buns are a delicious and traditional Easter treat. They are easy to make and can be enjoyed by people of all ages. With a little planning and effort, you can make your own hot cross buns that are sure to impress your family and friends.

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