Get the Recipe: Lemon Hot Cross Buns
Classic hot cross buns with a lemon twist. Lemon zest flavours the buns and the tops are brushed with lemon curd when warm from the oven.
Ingredients
- 3 1/2-4 cup (425-500 g) bread flour, spooned and levelled *see Note 1 below
- 1/3 cup butter, cold, cut into cubes
- 1 cup + 1 1/2 Tablespoons (275 ml) milk, warmed lukewarm, about 105F
- 2 1/4 teaspoons Active dry or instant yeast
- 3 Tablespoons white granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- 1 teaspoon mace, can omit and add 1/3 tsp more of the other spices instead
- 2-3 teaspoons lemon zest
- 1 1/2 cups sultanas (raisins), plumped
- 1/4-1/3 cup mixed citrus peel, optional *see Note 2 below
Flour crosses:
- 1/4 cup (60 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and levelled
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) water, room temperature
For brushing after baking:
- 3-4 Tablespoons lemon curd, *see Note 3 below
Instructions
- Place the raisins in a small bowl and cover with hot water. Let soak while you start the dough. If using the mixed peel, add it to the bowl with the raisins.
- Heat the milk in the microwave or a small saucepan until just lukewarm (105F). Add the yeast to the milk, stir and let stand.
- Add 3 1/2 cups to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or to a large bowl if making by hand). Add the cubed butter to the flour and use the paddle attachment on low speed to rub the butter into the flour until the mixture has a breadcrumb texture. If making by hand, rub the butter in with your fingertips.
- Add the milk to the bowl with flour, along with the spices and lemon zest. Mix together with the paddle attachment until combined. Remove the paddle attachment, scraping any dough on the paddle back into the bowl. Place the kneading hook onto the mixer.
- Knead the dough with the kneading hook on Speed 2 for 5 minutes. As the dough starts to come together, it should begin wrapping the kneading hook and clearing the bowl. If it is not, start adding additional flour in small increments, kneading in between additions until you have a smooth, moist but not sticky dough that wraps the dough hook and cleans the bowl.
- Drain the raisins (and peel, if using) and pat dry. Add to the dough and knead them in until well distributed in the dough. Sometimes adding a Tablespoon of flour with the raisins helps them incorporate more easily.
- Remove the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Knead briefly, adding additional flour only if the dough is sticking to your hands or the work surface. Form the dough into a ball and place it into a greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.
- TIp! If making your own lemon curd, you can easily cook it up while the dough is rising. Transfer the lemon curd to the refrigerator until needed.
- Remove the dough to a lightly floured work surface and gently deflate. If you have a kitchen scale, weigh the dough ball, then calculate the weight for 12 pieces and weigh the individual pieces out. If you don't have a scale, divide the dough ball into 12 equal-sized pieces.
- Form each piece of dough into a ball by pinching together underneath, creating a smooth and tight top. Place the balls onto the baking sheet pinched-side down. Place the dough balls in four rows of 3 across, evenly spacing them on the baking sheet. There should be an inch or so between them.
- Line a 9x13-inch baking sheet with parchment paper. set aside.
- Spray a large sheet of plastic wrap with cooking spray. Place the plastic wrap sprayed side down over the top of the baking sheet and buns. Allow to rise until puffy and almost doubled, about 45-60 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 400F (non-convection/not fan-assisted).
- Tip! The consistency of the flour paste for the crosses should not be too thick or too thin. If it is too thick, it will be hard to pipe and may become hard and tough when baked. If it is too thin, it will run off the buns when piped. Start mixing the paste by adding the flour to the bowl and adding just as much water as needed to get the right consistency.
- When the buns have risen, remove the plastic wrap. Add the flour for the flour crosses to a small bowl. Add the water a bit at a time, stirring together until smooth and an easily pipe-able consistency. Spoon the paste into a disposable piping bag or a zipper bag with the end or corner snipped off to make a 1/4-inch opening. Pipe the crosses on top of the buns.
- Place the tray of buns into the oven and bake until deep golden and at least 195F internal temperature, about 25 minutes.
- Remove from the oven. Transfer the buns to a wire cooling rack. Spoon with lemon curd while still hot. Allow to cool completely before slicing.
- Hot cross buns are best enjoyed on the day they are baked. Store in an airtight container for another day. Reheating in the microwave will soften them up. You can also freeze the baked buns. Wrap tightly and freeze for up to 3 months.
Notes
Note 1: Bread flour is recommended for best results. You could substitute all-purpose flour in a pinch. You may need a bit more flour overall to get the dough to the correct consistency.
Note 2: Mixed citrus peel is dried and sugared lemon, orange and lime peel, often found in containers in the baking aisle at grocery stores. You can also find it at Bulk Barn in Canada. You can omit the peel. You may want to add a touch more lemon zest if omitting the peel.
Note 3: You can use store-bought lemon curd or make your own with my easy whole egg lemon curd recipe in the Recipe Card. Make a 1/2 batch (use the "1/2" button in the recipe card to halve the ingredients). Use the bit of extra lemon curd for spooning onto the buns instead of butter.
Tips and Variations!
You can do an overnight second rise if you like and bake off in the morning. but be warned, you need to take them out of the fridge to warm and rise for at least a couple of hours before baking, so plan for that.
If you don't feel like making lemon curd, you can make a lemon and sugar simple syrup and brush it on top after baking instead. Simply bring 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup white granulated sugar to a boil in a saucepan. Once boiling, remove from the heat and stir in the juice of 1/2 a lemon.
You can skip the flour crosses and ice these with an icing sugar and lemon juice icing cross instead.
Be sure to read the notes above this Recipe Card for substitution suggestions and step-by-step photos that you might find helpful.
Serving: 1bun, Calories: 286kcal, Carbohydrates: 51g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 15mg, Sodium: 70mg, Potassium: 248mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 7g, Vitamin A: 200IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 42mg, Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Leaving a review is always helpful and appreciated by fellow cooks!
