Last year I did a post on hot cross buns and despite the fact that they are still doing really well, I thought I would make this an annual thing and do a new recipe each year. This year I’ve tried to make something even my son will eat. But I’ve failed. Like Mr Kidgredients, hot cross buns just aren’t for him. These apple and cinnamon hot cross buns taste amazing and are just as perfect with a cup of tea as they are as a yummy breakfast.
Hot cross buns basically appeared in the shops on Boxing day again this year and I haven’t bought any yet. Now that my daughter loves cooking so much, she is super keen to make things herself and hot cross buns are one of them. I put the dough for these on for its first rise before I did school pickup yesterday. We came home to a bowl of dough that had risen so high she thought it was a giant cupcake.
I enlisted her help to shape the individual buns, because that is some thing that she really excels at after years of baking together! She rolls them in her hands…and drops them into the baking dish like a pro! We love our apple and cinnamon hot cross buns slightly warm with a little (lot) of butter on them.
I also recommend if your family likes a lot of hot cross buns, to double batch this recipe and make 24. It means you’ll have enough for a few weeks and you can freeze them. Just defrost overnight in the fridge or in the microwave in the morning.
I’ve used sugar in these buns, not much, but there had to be some, and I’ve used raw sugar so it isn’t as refined, but choose your own weapon! These ones also only use unbleached plain (not wholemeal flour) and the reason for this is simple. I didn’t have any wholemeal. So feel free to switch one cup for wholemeal flour if you would prefer.
Love sultanas in your hot cross buns? Then put them in! There’s nothing else to change, just put them in at the same time as the apple.
Buns are always easy to prepare, at the same time, they are yummy. Check out my other bun recipes:
Apple and cinnamon hot cross buns
Ingredients
Buns
- 1 tbsp dried yeast
- 2 tbsps sugar I used raw, use whatever takes your fancy
- 1 cup body temp water
- 4 tsps cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon mixed spice
- 4 cups plain flour
- 75 grams butter- softened
- ½ cup milk
- 1 granny smith apple peeled and grated
Crosses
- ½ cup plain flour
- 1 tbsp raw caster sugar
- 4 tbsps water
Glaze
- 1 tsp apricot jam
- 1 tsp water
Instructions
- In a jug mix the cup of body temp water, 2 tbsps sugar and the yeast.
- Allow to rest until frothy.
- Combine the cinnamon, mixed spice and flour in a bowl.
- Add the butter and milk to the yeast mixture and pour onto the flour.
- using a dough hook on your mixer (or do it by hand), knead for 1 minute on low. Add the apple and knead for 3 minutes on medium.
- Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel and set aside in a warm place for 30 minutes to rise.
- Divide the dough into 12 pieces and knead into balls, then pop into a lined tray, just touching each other. (I used a 33x22.9x5.1 cm pyrex baking dish, - 13x9x2in)
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees.Allow buns to rise 20 minutes more.
- Mix the flour, sugar and water to form a paste. Using a piping bag or a ziploc with the corner trimmed off, pipe each row of lines in one go.
- Bake at 180 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden.
- Remove from oven and leave in the tray.
- Warm the apricot jam and use to glaze the tops of the buns.
- Serve with butter. These freeze well.
Brigit says
Hi, would strawberry jam taste just as well instead of the apricot jam?
kidgredients says
Yeah, it would taste slightly different, but the same concept!
Adele says
Hi! Just wondering if i can sub the plain flour for gluten free plain flour?
Thanks
kidgredients says
I haven’t tried them as gluten free!
Wren says
Your recipe calls for 1/2 tsp mixed spice.” What is mixed spice?
kidgredients says
Mixed spice is bought premixed here and in the Uk, a quick google suggests:
Mixed spice includes a balance of some or all of the following ground spices: cinnamon, coriander seed, caraway, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, allspice, and mace.