Hot cross buns
Works in the UK and the US. This version uses UK words and measures (hob, grams, gas marks); the US version uses stove, cups and °F. · US version of this page
Soft, spiced fruit buns marked with a cross and glazed with honey – the Easter bake, teaching kneading, proving and shaping an enriched dough.
- Makes 12
- About 3 hr
- Oven
- Best for: KS2 (ages 7–11)
- Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 500 g strong white bread flour – contains gluten
- 2 tsp fast-action dried yeast, one 7 g sachet
- 1 tsp salt
- 50 g caster sugar
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon, or mixed spice
- 250 ml milk – contains milk
- 50 g butter, melted – contains milk
- 1 medium egg – contains eggs
- 100 g raisins or sultanas – contains sulphites
- 75 g plain flour, for the crosses – contains gluten
- 5 tbsp water, for the crosses
- 2 tbsp runny honey, to glaze
Need a different amount? Use the recipe finder to change the servings.
Equipment
- digital scales
- measuring jug
- large mixing bowl
- wooden spoon
- clean tea towel
- 2 baking trays
- baking parchment
- small bowl
- freezer bag
- scissors
- pastry brush
- oven gloves
- cooling rack
Safety first
- Wash your hands with soap for at least 20 seconds, tie back long hair and put on a clean apron.
- Ask about allergies before anyone cooks or tastes. This recipe contains: gluten, eggs, milk, sulphites.
- Wash your hands after cracking eggs.
- Do not eat raw dough or cake mixture – raw flour and raw egg can carry harmful bacteria.
- Use dry oven gloves for anything that has been in the oven or under the grill.
Allergens: Cereals containing gluten, Eggs, Milk, Sulphur dioxide and sulphites. Always read every label and ask about allergies before anyone cooks or tastes.
Method
- Put the flour in the bowl. Add the yeast on one side and the salt on the other (salt touching yeast slows it down), then mix in the sugar and cinnamon.
- An adult warms the milk in the microwave until just hand-warm – too hot and it kills the yeast.
- Add the milk, melted butter and egg (check for shell) and mix to a soft, sticky dough. Wash your hands.
- Knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth and stretchy. (10 min)
- Put the dough back in the bowl, cover with the tea towel and leave somewhere warm until doubled in size. (1 hr)
- Knead in the raisins, divide the dough into 12 and roll each piece into a smooth ball. Space them out on the lined trays.
- Cover and leave to rise again until puffy. (40 min)
- An adult turns the oven on to 220 °C (200 °C fan, gas 7).
- Mix the plain flour and water to a thick paste, spoon it into the freezer bag, snip off a corner and pipe a cross over each bun.
- An adult puts the trays in the oven. Bake until golden brown – a bun sounds hollow when tapped underneath. (18 min)
- An adult warms the honey and brushes it over the hot buns. Cool on the rack.
What this recipe teaches
Weighing and measuring, The melting method, Mixing, Kneading and shaping dough, Proving dough, Shaping and rolling, Using an oven safely, Presenting food. Steps marked “Adult” are always done by an adult; steps marked “Teacher-led” are done by an adult for primary-age children.
Nutrition per serving
| Energy | 1103 kJ / 264 kcal |
|---|---|
| Fat | 4.8 g |
| of which saturates | 2.7 g |
| Carbohydrate | 51.4 g |
| of which sugars | 13.5 g |
| Fibre | 2.3 g |
| Protein | 7 g |
| Salt | 0.61 g |
Worked out from the raw ingredients (optional ones and pinches not counted) using CoFID 2021 (McCance and Widdowson’s Composition of Foods Integrated Dataset, Public Health England). Brands vary – check labels. Figures for semi-skimmed milk (the recipe finder shows the other choices).
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0: McCance and Widdowson’s The Composition of Foods Integrated Dataset 2021, Public Health England.
Eatwell Guide groups in this recipe: Fruit and vegetables; Potatoes, bread, rice, pasta and other starchy carbohydrates; Beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat and other proteins; Dairy and alternatives. Learn about the Eatwell Guide.
Foods high in fat, salt or sugar sit outside the Eatwell Guide – enjoy them less often and in small amounts.
Curriculum links
- KS2 D&T – Cooking and nutrition: “understand and apply the principles of a healthy and varied diet”
- KS2 D&T – Cooking and nutrition: “prepare and cook a variety of predominantly savoury dishes using a range of cooking techniques”
Try the interactive lesson
Step by step: a quick safety check, questions marked by Classfern, timers for each cooking step, then an honest look at how it went – a teacher or parent judges the cooking, and learners rate their own work. Photos of the finished dish stay at home.
Use the code your teacher gave you – never your name. Progress is kept on this device.