Get the Recipe: Earl Grey Hot Cross Buns
Hot cross buns infused with Earl Grey tea and citrus flavours and studded with raisins. Wonderful plain or toasted with butter. They freeze beautifully, too.
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.
I like to weigh the dough ball, and then I divide by 12 to get the target weight for each piece of dough. Consistent bun size will ensure even baking.
Notes
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 tea bag and remove it, then add the butter and let the milk cool to lukewarm.
Be sure to read the notes above this Recipe Card for more tips on making this recipe. You'll also find step-by-step photos that you might find helpful.
Serving: 1bun, Calories: 186kcal, Carbohydrates: 35g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 38mg, Sodium: 238mg, Potassium: 166mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 15g, Vitamin A: 135IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 51mg, Iron: 1mg
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