Eggless Hot Cross Buns
These are soft, lightly spiced, and sweet buns studded with raisins. Enjoy these warm buns flavored with cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, orange, and dash of vanilla for a comforting breakfast.
Ingredients
For The Buns
- 3 cups All purpose flour + 2 tbsp
- 1 tbsp Active dry yeast
- 1 tbsp Orange zest optional
- 1 cup Raisins
- 1 tsp Cinnamon powder
- 1/2 tsp Nutmeg powder
- 1/4 tsp Cardamom powder
- 1/2 cup Sugar + 1 tsp
- 3/4 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla extract
- 1 cup Milk warm, I used 2%
- 3 tbsp Butter unsalted, melted
- 1 tsp Oil for greasing
For The Crosses
- 6 tbsp All purpose flour
- 4 tbsp Water
For The Glaze
- 1.5 tbsp Orange juice
- 2 tbsp Sugar
Instructions
Activating The Yeast
- In a bowl, add warm milk (about 105℉), 1 tsp sugar, and active dry yeast. Mix and cover the bowl. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes and allow the yeast to bloom.
Soak The Raisins
- In a bowl, soak the raisins with a hot cup of water for 10 minutes for extra plump and moist raisins. Afterwards remove all the water from the raisins and set them aside.
Making The Dough
- In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, spices, orange zest, sugar, and salt. Mix everything well.
- Add the vanilla extract, yeast mixture, and begin to mix the dough with a hand mixer or a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment for 3-5 minutes on a low speed. You can mix the dough with the back of a wooden spatula as well.
- Next, add some melted butter to the dough and keep kneading the dough for about 3 minutes.
- Transfer the raisins to the dough mix and keep mixing the dough with your hands. If you find the dough is a little sticky and pulling away from the sides of the bowl, mix in additional 1 tbsp flour at a time.*I used 2 tbsp of additional flour.
- Keep kneading the dough for another 5-6 minutes with your hands in the bowl itself or on a lightly floured surface or on a dough mat. Knead the dough by pushing with the base of your palm and bring the dough back to you to reform into a ball.
- Knead the dough until it is soft or springs back to touch.
Proofing The Dough
- Grease some oil into a large bowl. Transfer the dough to the bowl. Spread some oil on the top of the dough. Cover it with a kitchen towel. Allow the dough to proof in a warm place for about 1 to 1 ½ hours or until it rises double in size. In colder temperatures, you can keep the bowl covered in an oven by keeping the light on, which will help the dough rise faster.
Shaping The Buns
- Lightly punch the dough down with your fist and transfer it to your clean countertop or dough mat. Divide the dough into 12 equal parts using a sharp knife or dough cutter.
- To get an even shape and size you can weigh the dough on a kitchen scale. Divide it evenly to get 12 equal sized buns.
- Roll each dough ball and set aside.
- Line the bottom of a 13 x 9 inch baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- Take one part of the dough, lightly knead it for 10 seconds, and pinch the dough at the bottom to form a roundel.
- Cover the roundel with your palms and make circular movements to create a smooth and round-shaped bread.
- Transfer the bun to the baking tray. Repeat these steps with the rest of the dough balls, keeping some space between them to rise.
Proofing The Buns
- Cover the baking pan with a kitchen towel and allow the buns to proof for about 45 minutes or until they double in size.
Add The Cross
- In a small bowl, whisk the flour and water little at a time to make a thick but pipeable paste.
- Transfer the paste to the piping bag or zipped top bag with a spoon. Snip off a small piece at the corner of a bag.
- Pipe a line at the center of each row of the buns, then repeat the other direction to create a cross design.
- Baking The Bread
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375℉/180℃
- Bake the buns for 20-25 minutes, or until they turn golden on the top. Take them out of the oven and let the pan sit on a cooling rack.
Orange Glaze
- While the buns are baking, prepare the orange glaze. In a small microwave safe bowl, mix together the glaze ingredients, and cook for 35-40 seconds, stirring halfway through.
- When the buns are still warm, generously brush some orange glaze on the top of them and serve them warm.
- Transfer the buns to a cooling rack and let them cool completely before storing them.
Notes
- Activate the active dry yeast before proceeding to the next steps. If the yeast is not active do not proceed.
- Measure the ingredients correctly. Do not add too much flour or else your bread will turn hard.
- Lightly flour the work surface with some flour before kneading the dough. I highly recommend using a dough mat for kneading the dough - I have found that the dough will not stick to it and is easy to handle.
- Use a sharp knife or a dough cutter for dividing the dough into equal parts and avoid tearing the dough with your hands - it will reduce the gluten strands which you have formed while kneading the dough.