Hot cross buns are a staple for the Easter season, but as a beginner baker I find the idea of yeast and raising dough completely intimidating. This recipe uses self-rising flour, which is simply all-purpose flour that has a bit of salt and baking soda added, which forgoes the need for yeast. Self-rising flour used to be more common in the UK but now it can be found in the baking sections of most supermarkets.
Recipe Ingredients:
- 3 cups self-rising flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ cup candied peel
- ¼ cup raisins
- ½ stick of butter
- 5 tablespoons sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 teaspoon gelatin
How to Make It:
- Preheat oven to 425 ° and grease a baking tray. In a large bowl combine self-rising flour, salt, raisins, peel and spices and then break in butter, rubbing it into the flour mixture until it resembles crumbs. In a small bowl beat egg and mix in 4 tablespoons of sugar. Add egg and sugar mixture to flour mixture and just enough milk to form into a ball of soft dough.
- Knead lightly on a floured surface and press out to about ½” thickness and cut into about 8 buns.
- In a small cup, mix together ½ cup all-purpose flour and 1/3 cup water. Pour into a plastic bag, cut the corner off and pipe a cross on top of each bun.
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until golden brown.
- To make the glaze, dissolve gelatin and 1 tablespoon of sugar in hot water. When you remove the buns from the oven, brush lightly with the glaze before serving.
What is candied peel and where can you buy it?
Hi there! Candied peel is citrus peel that has been glazed with a sugar coating. You should be able to find it in the baking section of most supermarkets or in bulk food stores. You can also use glace cherries in the recipe. And if you can’t find candied peel in stores, there are many recipes online for making your own with citrus peel, sugar and water. Good luck! – Mandy
I think the glaze should be sugar and water not flour and water, that would be awful, please double check that before baking.
Although some recipes add sugar to the cross, we get the sweetness from the sugar in the glaze we add afterward. The flour and water mixture is used to achieve the color for ‘painting’ on the cross. Enjoy! – Mandy
Sorry but I would not pipe flour and water across the bums, it should be powdered sugar and milk.
Hmm, I was asking myself the same question, what is candied peel? And where do you get candied peel? I don’t like to feed my children stuff I do not know.
Better make that citrus peel organic or your buns will also contain pesticide.
This sounds great! The flour mixture on top is authentically British–I’ve been looking for an easy recipe that doesn’t have sweet icing on the top and has the right spices in the buns. My South African husband is going to be so excited. Thanks!
I already have orange peel so can I use this instead of citrus peel?
These look wonderful and I am going to try them. I have had these type of buns where you pipe on the flour based crosses BEFORE you bake them, and this way they are much easier to store and carry to give to a friend since there is no sticky icing on top. Yummmm. Thank you for sharing.
I tried this ….everyone liked them but had the same comment as myself…this is not a bun…is it a biscuit or scone…my grandmother would have liked this…
Yum!