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Orange & Cranberry Hot Cross Buns

The bright flavors of the orange and cranberries are speckled through these delicious sweet buns making them a delightfully treat for Easter. Serve these orange and cranberry hot cross buns, freshly baked or toasted and topped with a generous amount of butter.
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 30 minutes
Rest Time 4 hours
Total Time 5 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 12 Buns
Course: Baking, Breakfast

Ingredients
  

Dough
  • 1/3 cup dried cranberries roughly diced
  • Zest of 1 1/2 oranges
  • Juice of 1 1/2 oranges 1/2 cup
  • 50 g butter melted
  • 3/4 cup water warm
  • 1 tablespoon yeast
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/3 cup cornflour
  • 3 cups flour
Oil for greasing your bowl/hands
Crosses
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 2 tablespoons icing sugar
  • 3 tablespoons water
Glaze
  • 30 grams apricot jam or orange marmalade
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 tablespoon water

Method
 

Dough
  1. Combine the cranberries with the orange zest and juice in a cup, microwave for one minute and then set aside for 10 minutes to allow the cranberries to soak.
  2. In a large bowl, combine your butter, warm water, and yeast. Set this aside for 10 minutes to allow the yeast to activate.
  3. Add the cranberry mixture to your large bowl along with sugar and egg. Mix well to combine.
  4. In a medium sized bowl, place the spices, flour and cornflour. Mix together until well combined.
  5. Add half of your dry ingredients into your wet ingredients and give it a good stir. Add 1/2 of the remaining dry ingredients and continue mixing for about 3 minutes before combining in the remaining dry ingredients.
  6. Mix your dough until it forms a smooth but slightly sticky ball of dough.
  7. Drizzle a little oil on top of your formed dough and flip the dough in the bowl. Cover the surface of the dough with a little more oil and make deep indents into the dough using your fingertips
  8. Set dough in a warm place to rise for 1 1/2 hours, or until doubled in size
  9. Once the dough has risen, knock the dough down and roll it out on a clean surface (the dough should not stick so don’t be tempted to add flour) roll into a large square shape. Fold your square of dough in thirds lengthwise and then fold in thirds again the other way. Place the dough back into your bowl and allow to rise for another hour or until doubled in size.
  10. Once the dough has completed its second rise, knock down the dough again and split into 12 evenly sized sections (each piece should weigh between 90 and 100 grams each if you want to be accurate)
  11. Cover your hands in a thin layer of oil and form the dough balls into buns. Making sure to place the smoothest edge of the dough on top.
  12. Line a large rectangle baking pan with baking paper and arrange your buns in 3 rows of 4 with a little bit of space between each
  13. Leave the buns to rise in a warm place for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.
  14. Preheat your oven to 160 degrees
Crosses
  1. Combine the flour and icing sugar with enough water to form a thin paste. Spoon the paste into a small ziplock bag or piping bag. Seal bag and cut off one corner to create a hole for piping.
  2. Pipe crosses onto the buns
Baking and serving
  1. Place into a preheated oven and cook at 160 degrees for 30 minutes or until fully baked through
  2. Once the buns are cooked, place all of your glaze ingredients into a small saucepan.
  3. Heat on a medium heat until the butter and jam are melted and bubbling. Stirring occasionally.
  4. Brush the glaze over your freshly baked buns
  5. Serve warm with butter and jam

Notes

These are best eaten the day that they are made, but they will store well in a sealed container for a couple of days.
Toast in the oven or reheat in the microwave and serve with butter.
These hot cross buns will also freeze well.