The Ultimate Hot Cross Buns

Sugar and spice, and all things nice.

- Lisa Featherby

There’s something inherently comforting about the smell of freshly baked hot cross buns. Perhaps it’s the nostalgic scent of rising dough, the festive aroma of warm spices, or even the sweet perfume of orange and sugar bubbling away atop a kitchen stove for the glaze. Straight from the oven or lightly toasted, these fruit-studded buns are a Good Friday breakfast ritual, one dating back more than 700 years. But which ingredients and methods produce the best bun? Does fresh or dried yeast work best? Caster or brown sugar? How sticky should the glaze be? We tested three recipes, then combined them to create our ultimate hot cross bun.

Elizabeth David

ENGLISH BREAD AND YEAST COOKERY

Elizabeth David has explored the history of the hot cross bun throughout her food literature. Her version calls for fresh yeast and strong baker’s flour, with the addition of eggs, milk, light brown sugar and softened butter. The dough is flavoured with mixed spice and currants, rested for 2 hours, then rolled and proved again in bun tins (we used a muffin tin). David cuts the cross into the dough rather than making a paste, and uses a simple glaze of equal quantities milk and caster sugar.

The verdict:

The result is an old-school style of English bun with subtle spice levels, a golden outer crust and a light, yet slightly dry crumb. Also contributing to the lack of moisture are the currants, which remain shrivelled as they weren’t soaked before being added to the dough. This is a fairly simple yet classic recipe.

Natalie Paull

BEATRIX BAKES