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With Easter upon us, these buns are perfect for an Easter breakfast, dessert, or just something sweet for everyday brunch.
Let me start off by saying these hot cross buns didn’t turn out as aesthetic as I wanted them to but that were delicious. That’s what really matters after all. It’s not all about looks!
Hot cross buns are similar to a sweet roll with delicious frosting on top. Ideally, the frosting should be piped in a cross shape on top of the buns. Hence the name hot cross buns. I still need to work on my piping skills, lol!
This recipe comes from a Southern Cast Iron magazine my sweet husband picked up for me. I could not find the recipe on their website, but the magazine is a few years old.
To amp up the buns slightly, I added some raisins.
I love cooking with cast iron. They add a rustic, I cooked all day feel to any recipe.
Let’s get to the buns!
Grab your ingredients:
For the buns:
3/4 cup of warm milk
1/2 cup of granulated sugar, divided
2 packages (.25 oz) active dry yeast
5 2/3 cups of all-purpose flour
4 1/2 Tsp salt
1 Tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 Tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 Tsp ground allspice
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
3 large eggs, room temperature and divided
1 cup raisins
For the Icing:
1 Tbsp water
1 1/4 cup confectioners sugar
3-4 Tbsp heavy whipping cream
1/2 Tsp vanilla extract
First thing to do is soak 1 cup of raisins in water. Let them set while you get everything else ready.
Combine the 3/4 cup of warm milk, 1/4 cup of sugar and a pack of active dry yeast. Let stand until foamy about 5 or 10 minutes.
In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, mix 2 3/4 cups of flour, 4 1/2 tsp salt (this seemed like a lot of salt, so I used half), 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp allspice, and 1/4 cup of sugar.
Add the yeast mixture and 1/2 cup of orange juice to the dough.
Next, Beat in 1/3 cup of unsalted melted butter, and 2 eggs.
Gradually add in 2 3/4 cup of the flour, beating until combined. You may need to stop every now and then and scrape down the sides if you are using a stand mixer.
Once everything is combined, switch to the dough hook on your stand mixer and mix at a low speed until the dough is smooth and elastic for about 12-15 minutes.
Add more flour if the dough is too sticky, a little at a time. I always err on the side of sticky because when you take the dough out to knead on the counter you will use more flour then as well.
Once the dough is ready, turn it out onto a well flour surface and knead by hand for about 2 minutes. Shape the dough into a round ball.
Lightly oil a large bowl and place the dough in the bowl turning to grease the top of the dough. Loosely cover and let rise in a warm draft-free place until doubled in size, about an hour.
Lightly spray a 12-inch cast iron skillet. The recipe says to coat with flour but I just sprayed with olive oil.
Punch down the dough and turn out onto a lightly flour surface.
With your hands press the dough out into a rectangle and add in as much of the raisins as you want. Then carefully knead the dough to incorporate the raisins.
Work the dough back into a ball shape.
Divide the dough into 12 portions.
Roll each portion into a ball and place about 1/4 inch apart in the cast iron skillet. Yes, mine are touching, I bake haphazardly.
Cover and let rise until puffed and buns are touching each other, about 45 minutes to an hour.
Go ahead and preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
In a small bowl, whisk together 1 egg, and 1 Tbsp of water. Brush on top of the rolls.
Bake until golden brown about 35 minutes.
Let cool in pan for 30 minutes.
How To Make The Icing:
In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 1/4 cup confectioners sugar, 3 Tbsp heavy whipping cream, and 1/2 Tsp vanilla. Whisk in another 1 Tbsp of cream if needed.
Using a piping bag or small resealable bag and cutting off a corner, pipe the icing onto the rolls using your best cross making skills.
As you can see, mine need a little work. That’s ok, I’ll do better next time! Honestly, I think either the icing was too runny or the buns were still too warm.
Serve warm and enjoy!