Earl Grey tea-infused raisins combine with orange zest-flavoured buns to produce a delicious hot cross bun! Topped with a traditional flour cross. They freeze beautifully for making ahead and adding to your Easter table.
I can’t imagine an Easter without hot cross buns. I’ve enjoyed a lifetime of traditional hot cross buns, but have enjoyed some flavour variations over the last few years, from lemon hot cross buns to blueberry hot cross buns.
These Earl Grey Hot Cross Buns will definitely be repeated. The Earl Grey tea flavour infuses the raisins in a subtle, but wonderful way and combines perfectly with the orange-zest flavoured bun.
Ingredients and substitutions
A few notes about the key ingredients …
Earl Grey tea bags – A classic tea, flavoured with oil of bergamot. You can start with loose tea that you bag yourself or regular tea bags.
Sultana Raisins – Sultana raisins are perfect for hot cross buns, though Thompson raisins would also work if that’s what you have on hand.
Orange zest – You’ll want to start with one orange to obtain the zest that you need for the buns.
How to make Earl Grey hot cross buns
This is a visual summary of the steps to make this recipe. Scroll down to the Recipe Card below for the complete list of ingredients and instructions.
Step 1: Add the raisins and Earl Grey tea bags to a bowl, then add the boiling water. Let stand 1-2 hours.
Step 2: Mix the basic dough and knead it. Cover the bowl with a towel and let stand 30 minutes.
Step 3: Knead in the raisins, cinnamon and orange zest. Remove and form into a ball.
Step 4: Add the dough to a greased bowl and let it rise until doubled, about 60-90 minutes.
Step 5: Portion the dough into 12 equal pieces (a scale is helpful).
Step 6: Form the dough pieces into balls by pinching them together tightly, then flipping them over.
Step 7: Place all the buns on a parchment-lined baking sheet, a couple of inches apart.
Step 8: Cover tightly with greased plastic wrap and allow to rise until puffy and about doubled, about 1 hour.
Step 9: Once risen, brush the buns with an egg wash.
Step 10: Place the flour cross mixture into a plastic sandwich bag. Snip a tiny bit off the corner of the bag to allow piping the mixture.
Step 11: Pipe crosses onto the buns. Bake the buns.
Step 12: Once out of the oven, brush the hot buns with the sugar syrup, then let cool completely.
Recipe tips!
- For a more full-on Earl Grey flavour, add a tea bag to the boiling milk (before adding the butter) and let it steep for 4 minutes in the milk. Squeeze the bag and remove it, then add the butter and let it cool to lukewarm.
- An instant-read thermometer is useful for checking the doneness of the buns. I like to bake them to just 190F internal temperature, which ensures a tender and moist bun.
- It can be difficult to fit sliced hot cross buns in a toaster, unless you have especially wide slots. You can slice on pop under the oven broiler to toast them, as well.
Making ahead, storing and freezing
Hot cross buns are best enjoyed within 24 hours of baking, or freeze for longer storage.
Hot cross buns freeze beautifully, so they are perfect for baking ahead and freezing. Thaw in the wrapping at room temperature.
Store baked buns at room temperature, not quite tightly covered. (Cover but not airtight, as the sugar glaze tends to sweat if stored in an airtight container.
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Get the Recipe: Earl Grey Hot Cross Buns
Ingredients
For the hot cross bun dough:
- 1 cup boiling water
- 3/4 cup sultana raisins, or Thompson raisins
- 2 Earl grey tea bags
- 1 1/4 cups 2-3% milk, boiled then cooled to lukewarm
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry or instant yeast
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/3 cup white granulated sugar
- 1 large egg , lightly beaten
- zest of 1 orange, about 1 – 1 1/2 Tbsp
- 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 3 1/2 -4 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and levelled
For the egg wash:
- 1 large egg
- 2 Tablespoons milk
For the flour crosses:
- 8 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 4 Tablespoons white granulated sugar
- 4 Tablespoons water, room temperature
For the sugar glaze (after baking):
- 4 Tablespoons white granulated sugar
- 4 Tablespoons water
Instructions
- Combine the boiling water, tea bags, and raisins in a medium bowl, then let stand for 1-2 hours. Drain, then pat dry. Set aside until needed.
- Heat the milk in a saucepan or the microwave until boiling. Add the butter, then let the milk stand until it has cooled to lukewarm (about 105F). Be sure the milk is sufficiently cooled, or it could kill the yeast. Add the lukewarm milk to the mixer bowl, fitted with the kneading hook (or a large bowl). Add the yeast, stir and let stand 5 minutes. Add the white sugar, salt and egg to the bowl and mix to combine. Add 3 cups of the flour. Mix to combine, then begin adding the remaining 1/2-1 cup of flour, adding in small increments and kneading in before adding more. Add only enough flour to make a moist, but not sticky dough that cleans the bowl and wraps the kneading hook. Once the dough has reached that point, knead for about 5 minutes more. Cover the bowl with a tea towel and rest the dough for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, add the cinnamon, orange zest and knead in. Add the drained and dried raisins and knead in, adding a Tablespoon of flour to the bowl if the raisins are slipping around the bowl.
- Remove the dough to a lightly-floured work surface and knead briefly. Form the dough into a ball and place it into a greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, 60-90 minutes.
- Remove the dough to a lightly-floured work surface and gently deflate. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces (mine were 86g each). Form each piece of dough into a ball by stretching and pinching together the bottom. Place onto a large, parchment-lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
- Spray some plastic wrap with cooking spray and tightly cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap (you may need 2 sheets), placing the plastic wrap sprayed-side down. Allow the buns to rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven 400F (non-convection setting/not fan-assisted).
- Make the paste for the flour crosses by combining all the ingredients in a small bowl and stirring well until smooth. The mixture should be fluid (not pasty), similar in texture to syrup. It should be pipeable.
- Transfer the flour cross mixture to a plastic, zipper-type sandwich bag and set aside.
- When the buns have risen, remove the plastic wrap and brush the buns with the egg wash. Use scissors to snip the corner of the plastic sandwich bag (only about 1/8-1/4 of an inch). Squeeze the flour cross mixture toward the corner and then pipe onto the buns, forming a cross pattern on each bun.
- Bake immediately for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown and the internal temperature of the buns reaches 190F.
- While the buns are baking, make the sugar syrup by combining the water and sugar in a small bowl and microwaving until boiling (or use a saucepan instead). Set aside.
- As soon as the buns are removed from the oven, brush the top of the buns with the sugar syrup. Allow the buns to cool completely.
- Store baked buns loosely covered at room temperature and enjoy within 24 hours. You can also tightly wrap and freeze for up to 2 months. To thaw, keep in the wrapping and thaw at room temperature.
Notes
More hot cross bun recipes to love!
Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress free, rewarding and of course, delicious!
