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5 from 1 vote

Hot Cross Cinnamon Buns

These delicious hot cross cinnamon buns have all the irresistible flavours of a traditional hot cross bun with the soft, gooey layers of a homemade cinnamon roll, all finished with a sweet sticky glaze.
Servings 12 servings
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Proving Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 55 minutes

Ingredients

For the dough

  • 150 ml (½ cup + 2 tbsp) whole milk, lukewarm
  • 25 g (2 tbsp) caster sugar
  • 1.5 tsp dried active yeast
  • 500 g (3 ½ cups + 1 tbsp) strong white bread flour
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 0.75 tso nutmeg
  • 0.5 tsp cloves
  • 75 g (¼ cup + 1 tbsp) unsalted butter, cubed
  • 150 g (½ cup + 2 tbsp) thick yogurt (I used Greek)
  • 1 orange, zest only
  • 150 g (1 cup + 1 tbsp) mixed dried fruit

For the filling

  • 50 g (3 tbsp + 2 tsp) unsalted butter, softened
  • 75 g (¼ cup + 2 tbsp) dark brown sugar
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 50 g (¼ cup + 2 tbsp) mixed dried fruit

For the cream cheese crosses

  • 60 g (¼ cup) cream cheese
  • 3 tbsp icing (powdered) sugar

Instructions

For the dough

  • Mix the milk, yeast and sugar in a jug. Set this aside in a warm place for about 20 minutes until the surface is covered with froth. Whisk again and use immediately.
  • While the yeast is activating, mix together the flour and salt in a large bowl. Tip in the butter and rub in until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs and there are no large clumps of butter remaining.
  • Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients. Pour in the frothy milk mixture and the yogurt. Gradually incorporate all the flour, bringing the dough together into a ball. Knead, using a stand mixer or by hand, until the dough is soft and smooth. This will take about 5-10 minutes with a stand mixer or 10-15 minutes if done by hand. Shape into a smooth ball.
  • Lightly dust a large bowl with some flour. Place the ball of dough in the bowl and cover with cling film. Place the bowl in a warm place (I use my proving drawer) for the dough to double in size. This can take anything from 40 minutes to a couple of hours, depending on how warm the space is.

For the filling and assembling the cinnamon rolls

  • While the dough is proving, prepare the filling ingredients. In a small bowl, soften the butter so it is easily spreadable. Separately, stir together the brown sugar and cinnamon.
  • Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and knead a little to smoothen again. Dust a work surface with a little flour, then roll the dough out into a rectangle about 1.5 cm thick.
  • Spread the butter evenly all over the rolled out dough. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar evenly over the butter, then scatter over the dried fruit.
  • Starting from one long side of the rectangle, roll the dough into a spiral, encompassing the filling within the log. Let the log rest with the seam underneath and press the two ends towards the centre. Use a length of floss to cut the log into twelve spirals using this method: cut the whole log in half, then each half into two again to get four equally sized logs. Cut each of these smaller logs into three to make a total of twelve.
  • Place each of the twelve spirals into the oven safe dish, spiral side up. Cover loosely with a tea towel and leave to prove until doubled in size.
  • Once the rolls have doubled in size, preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Optional: brush the rolls with a little beaten egg before baking. This will give them a beautiful golden colour on top. Bake the rolls for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

Piping the cross pattern

  • While the cinnamon rolls are baking, make the cream cheese cinnamon rolls frosting. Simply place all the ingredients together in a bowl and mix until smooth. Spoon into a piping bag and snip a small hole in the end of the bag. Set aside until required.
  • Once the cinnamon rolls are baked, allow them to cool completely before piping on the crosses. Pipe lines down the middle of the rolls and then across them to make the signature hot cross bun cross, then serve and enjoy!

Notes

  • Use warm, not hot, milk when activating the yeast. If the milk it too hot, it will kill the yeast. If it is too cool, the yeast will not activate. I microwave the milk in 10 second intervals until it is warm to the touch.
  • Ensure you use yeast that is at room temperature and in date. Both these factors will affect the effectiveness of the yeast in making the bread dough.
  • When kneading the bread dough, ensure it is soft and smooth before leaving for the first proof. Do the stick test: press it into the surface of the dough with a clean, dry finger. If it sticks to your finger, keep kneading. If it bounces back with a clean finger, then your work is done!
  • Always always proof bread in a warm space. The warmth is what helps the yeast work to help the dough grow to a pillowy softness.
  • Use floss to cut the rolls out! I PROMISE it is a total GAMECHANGER!!
  • Pipe the cream cheese cross on top of the rolls. So much easier to get a neater finish! Alternatively, if you are not too fussed about a cross, simply slather the cream cheese frosting over all the buns using a knife or offset spatula.
  • Author: Andrea
    Calories: 300kcal
    Course: Breakfast, Snacks
    Cuisine: American, British
    Keyword: Easter Cinnamon Rolls, Hot Cross Bun Hybrid, Hot Cross Cinnamon Buns, Spiced Hot Cross Buns, Sticky Cinnamon Buns

    Nutrition

    Calories: 300kcal