Skip to main content
Dessert

Hot Cross Buns II

A yeasted sweet bun with sultanas, candied peel, and a cross of flour and water, glazed with sugar and gelatin.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 18 ingredients
Jump to recipe ↓

Why it works: Milk and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 81,283 recipes. Both carry (z)-4-heptenal, which smells biscuit, cream. The science ↓

Hot Cross Buns II

Oven200 °C
Time20 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Make the dough

  1. Place the yeast, sugar, and milk in a large bowl and set aside for 5 minutes (the mixture should begin to foam).

  2. Once the yeast mixture is ready, add flour, spices, butter, oil, egg, extra sugar, and dried fruit, then mix to combine.

  3. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 5-10 minutes or until the dough feels smooth and elastic.

  4. Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover, and set in a warm spot for at least 45 minutes, or until doubled in size.

  5. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead lightly.

  6. Divide into 12 balls of equal size and place them on a greased baking sheet.

  7. Cover and put in a warm position until doubled in size.

Bake and glaze

  1. Preheat the oven to 200 °C.

  2. Mix together the flour and water for the crosses.

  3. Place the mixture in a piping bag and pipe crosses onto the buns.

  4. Place the buns in the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until springy to the touch.

  5. Meanwhile, place the sugar, gelatin, and water in a saucepan and stir over medium heat for 2 minutes or until the gelatin has dissolved.

  6. Brush the still-warm buns with glaze.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

958Calories
28 gProtein
40 gFat
122 gCarbs

Counts 7 of 8 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 7 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Milk1 cup (244ml) whole149
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Cinnamon1 tsp ground (2.6g)6
Waternot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together81,283 recipes

    Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).

  2. Flour + cinnamontop 9% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together17,341 recipes

    Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

  3. Milk + cinnamontop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together12,655 recipes

    Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).

  4. Sugar + cinnamontop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together30,779 recipes

    Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

  5. Cinnamon + olivetop 11% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together3,501 recipes

    Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).

Sugar and cinnamon barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 30,779 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Plain flour
Forms the gluten network that gives the dough its structure and chew.
Yeast (in the method)
Produces gas as it ferments, causing the dough to rise and become airy.
Egg
Adds richness and helps bind the dough, contributing to a tender crumb.
Butter
Adds fat for softness and a rich flavour in the crumb.
Caster sugar
Feeds the yeast and adds sweetness and browning during baking.
Gelatine
Sets the glaze so it gives the buns a glossy, sticky finish.

The step that matters

Proving the dough until doubled. Under-proofed dough will not rise well and gives dense buns, while over-proofed dough can collapse. Warmth and time let the yeast produce enough gas to expand the gluten structure.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

More hot cross buns recipes

London 3 See all 75 →

You might also like

Cinnamon RollsCinnamon Rolls71 recipesCinnamon CakeCinnamon Cake42 recipesWhite CakeWhite Cake431 recipesPound CakePound Cake373 recipes