Soft, fluffy, brioche-like spiced Apricot Hot Cross Buns, are brushed with a sweet, fruity jam and finished with a thick rich icing. Make this simple flavorful bun part of your Easter breakfast or brunch traditions!
This delicious recipe is brought to you in partnership with Bob’s Red Mill. Thank you for supporting the brands that support RosalynnDaniels.com.
Hot Cross Buns are more than just a nursery rhyme! They are an important part of many springtime holiday celebrations around the world. And for many, Easter would not be Easter without these delicious sweet treats.
But I have to admit, when it comes to baking, it is not my ministry (my Grandmother Rosa would be so sad to read this!). In all honesty, I’m that gal who likes to find the easiest way to bake with the best possible outcome.
And when it came to making these easy apricot hot cross buns, I tested so many different variations so that this recipe was easy for every non-baker like me, to follow! And while making fresh, homemade Hot Cross Buns can seem intimidating to make, I’m here to tell you, that if you follow my recipe, you’ll be a pro at making these Easter time treats in no time!
Plus, you may get a dose of confidence once you’re done that you may be encouraged to bake some more.. just maybe!
What ingredients do you need to make Hot Cross Buns?
Make these easy sweet buns with simple ingredients, many you may already have in your pantry. Here’s what you’ll need to have on hand or to grab from the store when you’re ready to start baking:
Bob’s Red Mill Unbleached White All-Purpose Flour
Using high-quality ingredients when baking will produce exceptional results. Bob’s Red Mill Flour is organic and versatile, being able to be used in bread, pizza, cakes, cookies, and even these hot cross buns! This flour also includes malted barley which enhances the rise when using yeast and I found produces the lightest, fluffiest, sweet bun.
If you need to use gluten-free flour, I highly recommend using Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour or Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour.
Instant Yeast
Also known as Rapid Yeast, Quick-Rise, Fast-Acting, or even Bread Yeast, this type of yeast can be mixed directly into the dry ingredients – no need to activate and bloom when you use instant!
Spices: Cardamom and Nutmeg
Cardamom offers these buns an intensely sweet, floral flavor liken to subtle hints of lemon. Pair that with the slightly sweet, warm spicy notes of the nutmeg these buns’ spices are addicting.
If you are not a fan of the floral notes of cardamom, feel free to swap in cinnamon for an equally delicious pairing with the nutmeg.
Milk
Feel free to use regular or lactose-free milk. If you need to use dairy-free milk, use your favorite brand of soy milk.
Butter
The salt content in butter varies greatly from brand-to-brand and overly salty baked goods results in poorly flavored products. I always recommend using unsalted butter so you can control the amount of salt that goes into your product; however, if you only have salted on hand, feel free to use just reduce the additional salt by a 1/4 teaspoon.
If you need to use a dairy-free butter, swap in your favorite vegan-based butter in the same amount.
Dried Apricots
While this recipe calls for dried apricots, cut to the size of raisins, feel free to use your favorite dried fruit of choice such as raisins, currents, or dried cranberries.
Orange Zest
Be sure to wash and dry the orange before zesting. When zesting, use a microplane zester and avoid reaching the white pith, as it has a bitter flavor. The orange flavor from the zest adds an incredible brightness to these sweet springtime buns.
Additional Ingredients
- Eggs
- Salt
- Sugar
- Jam
- Powdered Sugar
How to make Hot Cross Buns
Step 1: Prepare ingredients. Melt butter and allow to cool to room temperature. Warm milk. Zest half an orange. Cut dried apricots into smaller pieces.
Then, to a stand mixer, fitted with a dough hook attachment, mix flour, yeast, sugar, cardamom, and salt for about 2 minutes.
Step 2: Turn off the mixer, add warm milk, egg, melted butter, dried apricots, and orange zest. Mix on level 4 speed and continue to mix for 8 minutes or until the dough easily separates from the bowl and no longer completely sticks to your fingers.
Step 3: Cover the bowl with cling wrap and place the bowl in a warm place to allow your dough to rise for an hour. When done, the dough will be double its size.
Step 4: Gently punch your hand into the dough to deflate.
Step 5: Flour your workstation and roll out the dough into a log approximately 18-inches long. Cut log into 12 equal slices.
Step 6: Take a slice of dough, slightly flatten, then fold each side so that you can pinch the ends together, then roll into a smooth ball. Take each ball and place it on a lined 9×13 baking dish or cookie sheet.
Step 7: Cover the baking dish with cling wrap and allow buns to rise for 45 minutes.
Step 8: While buns are rising, preheat the oven to 350°F. Once buns finish rising, gently brush the tops with an egg wash, then bake for 25 minutes.
Step 9: Once the buns are removed from the oven, immediately brush the top of each bun with jam. Allow them to cool for 5-10 minutes.
Step 10: While the buns are cooling, make the icing. In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar and milk until thick and smooth. Once the buns are cooled, put a cross of icing on top of each and enjoy!
Storage and Reheating
- Storage – Store any leftover apricot hot cross buns for up 5 days at room temperature in an airtight container.
- Reheating – To reheat, place on a cookie sheet, and warm in a 350°F oven.
FAQs
Sure can! Shape the buns and place them in a prepared baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. When ready to bake off, remove from the fridge 2 hours before baking. Allow to rise, brush with simple egg wash, bake according to the recipe!
You bet! Allow baked buns to cool completely. Once cooled, wrap individually in cling wrap and place in a Ziplock freezer-safe bag. Place in freezer for up to 3 months.
When ready to enjoy, all the hot cross bun to thaw at room temperature or to speed up the process, put in the microwave until warmed through.
While cardamom is a traditional, fragrant spice used in Hot Cross Buns, it’s not typically used in everyday baking or cooking. So, if you don’t have any in your spice cabinet or would prefer to not purchase, feel free to replace with equal parts cinnamon and nutmeg.
The icing needs to be thick so that it can stay in place on the bun. However, if you find that it is too thick, feel free to add a little more milk, a tablespoon at a time, until the desired consistency is reached. If it happens to be too runny, add in a little more powdered sugar to thicken it up.
Hot Cross Buns are traditionally eaten on Good Friday with each part of this pastry signifying something important. The warm spices used in the dough represent the melting away of winter’s cold. The citrus reminds us that there is light even in the darkest of times. The rising of the yeast represents life returning and the Resurrection. And finally, the cross on the top represents the Crucifixion.
Additional recipes to try:
Pressure Cooker Brown Sugar Ham
Rack of Lamb in the Oven or on the Grill
Asparagus Puff Pastry Pocket Squares
Have you tried this recipe?
If you have tried this recipe, please take a moment to rate it 5 stars below. Also, please leave a comment to let me know your thoughts on this recipe. You can also stay in touch with me on Instagram (that’s where I hang out the most). Tag me @RosalynnDaniels or #RosalynnDaniels if you post a photo of your dish, and I will share with my audience through Instastories.
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Easy Apricot Hot Cross Buns for Beginners
- Total Time: 2 hours 25 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
Description
Soft, fluffy, brioche-like spiced Apricot Hot Cross Buns, are brushed with a sweet, fruity jam and finished with a thick rich icing. Make this simple flavorful bun part of your Easter breakfast or brunch traditions!
Ingredients
5c Bob’s Red Mill Unbleached White All-Purpose Flour
1tbs Rapid or Instant Yeast
1/2c Granulated or Castor Sugar
2tsp Cardamom or 1tsp Cinnamon and 1tsp Nutmeg
1/2tsp Salt
1 1/2c Warm Milk
1Egg Room Temperature
4tbs Butter Melted
1 1/2c Dried Apricot, cut to the size of a raisin if they are still big.
Zest of 1/2 and orange
Jam of choice (I used a passion fruit and pineapple jam)
Icing
1 1/4c Powdered Sugar
3tbs Whole Milk
Instructions
In a stand alone mixer, using your dough hook attachment, add flour, yeast, sugar, cardamom, and salt to the bowl and begin to mix on speed 1 for 2 minutes.
Turn off mixer and add to your bowl warm milk, egg, butter, apricots, and 1/2 orange zest.
Turn up the speed on your mixer to 4 and continue to mix for about 8 minutes. This will knead your dough for you. You will know when it’s done kneading when the dough easily separates from the bowl.
Cover your bowl with cling wrap and sit the bowl in a warm place.
Let your dough rise for an hour. It should be double the size when this process is done.
Gently punch your hand into the dough to deflate.
On a floured surface, roll out your dough into a log about 18 inches long. Cut dough into 12 equal slices.
Roll each slice into a ball and place in a lined 9×13 baking dish or cookie sheet. When rolling the dough, first you want to take one slice, flatten it a little, then fold each side so that you can pinch the ends together, then roll into a smooth ball.
Cover the dish with cling wrap and let your buns rise for about 45 minutes.
Once rising is complete, take off cling wrap and gently brush egg wash on top of each bun.
Bake buns at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.
After you take the buns out of the oven, lightly brush the top of each bun with your jam of choice, then let them cool for 5-10 minutes.
While waiting for your buns to cool, begin making your icing. Mix your powdered sugar and milk. Keep in mind that the icing should be thick so that it can stay in place on the bun. If you find that it is too loose, simply add a little more powdered sugar to thicken it up. If you find that it is too thick, then you just want to add a little more milk.
Once your buns are cooled, put a cross of icing on top of each bun.
Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
I just discovered your site from Jessica at How Sweet Eats in her Currently Crushing On post. And I immediately signed up for your emails! These look delicious and I look forward to making your recipe, I have never seen hot cross buns with apricot. Apricots definitely blow raisins and currents out of the water!