If you're looking for a fruity twist on the Classic Hot Cross Buns recipe, this Orange Hot Cross Bun is just what you're looking for!
It's perfect for Lent season, especially Good Friday; the recipe is also complemented by a combination of spices, dried raisins, and zesty orange and lemon zest.
The orange zest and the raisins add an extra fruity flavor, making this recipe stand out from the classic take on it.
These buns are also topped with the traditional cross, made of white flour paste, symbolizing the crucifixion of Jesus, and it's lightly glazed with apricot preserves for a sweet and sticky finish.
Whether enjoyed warm from the oven or toasted for breakfast, these Orange Hot Cross Buns are sure to satisfy and become a new Easter classic in your home.
For a more classic take on the hot cross bun recipe, check out our Classic hot cross buns recipe.
Or, if you want a healthier alternative to the Easter treat, try our whole wheat hot cross buns!
How to Make Orange Hot Cross Buns
Note: The full instructions are provided in the recipe card below.
Combine the sifted flour, sugar, spices, and salt in the center of a clean work surface or a 30 qt. standard-weight mixing bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture.
Add the yeast and the warm milk to the well and mix well until the yeast dissolves.
Add the beaten eggs to the wet mixture, followed by the softened butter, vanilla extract, and honey. Begin to incorporate the flour, starting with the inner rim of the well.
The dough will come together in a shaggy mass when about half of the flour is incorporated. Continue kneading until smooth and elastic, about 15 minutes.
Add the raisins and orange zest to the dough and knead them until evenly distributed. Form the dough into a ball.
Generously butter a large clean bowl and transfer the dough ball to it. Turn the ball to coat with the butter, then cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel.
Let the dough rise warmly until doubled, about 1 to 1-½ hours.
Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and divide it into 12 even pieces (about 90 to 100 grams each) with a bench scraper or sharp knife.
Form each piece into a ball and place it in the prepared pan.
Cover the pan tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for up to 1 day, or cover the dough with a clean kitchen towel and let it rise until doubled again, about 1 to 1-½ hours.
(longer if the dough has been chilled). Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.
Prepare the topping: In a small bowl, combine the flour, sugar, softened butter, and vanilla. Slowly add milk to form a smooth paste.
Transfer the paste to a pastry or zip-top bag and snip a ⅓-inch hole in one corner. Pipelines across the centers of the balls in one direction and then again in the opposite direction so that each ball has a cross.
Bake the orange hot cross buns until risen and browned, 25 to 30 minutes. The internal temperature of a center bun should register 190 degrees.
While the buns are baking, cook the orange marmalade or apricot preserves and water in a medium pot over medium heat.
Stir with a fork as it cooks until the mixture is a thin, shiny liquid, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat. When the buns come out of the oven, brush the syrup evenly. Serve the Orange Hot Cross Buns hot, warm, or at room temperature.
Related Recipes
- Hot Cross Buns
- Bread for Tortas
- Whole Wheat Hot cross buns
- Orange Hot Cross Buns
- Potato Bread
- Passover Bread
- Telera Roll
Recipe
Easy Orange Hot Cross Buns
Tools
Ingredients
For the Buns:
- 500g (4 cups) bread flour or all-purpose flour spooned , leveled & sifted
- ¾ teaspoons Saigon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg freshly grated
- A pinch allspice
- 80g granulated sugar
- 20g honey
- 10g (2-½ teaspoons) kosher salt
- 80g unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 225 ml whole milk (100 F-115 F) or as needed
- 11g instant dry yeast
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk room temperature
- 60g raisins hydrated
- 15 ml pure vanilla extract
- Zest from 2 oranges
For the Cross paste:
- 50g sugar
- 100g flour
- ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 40ml fresh orange juice, milk, or water , or as needed to make a pipeable paste
- 50g unsalted butter , softened at room temperature
- zest from ½ orange
For the Apricot glaze:
- 165g (½ cup) Orange Marmalade or Apricot Preserves such as Bonne Maman
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Combine the sifted flour, sugar, spices, and salt in the center of a clean work surface or a 30 qt. standard-weight mixing bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Add the yeast and the warm milk to the well and mix well until the yeast dissolves.
- Add the beaten eggs to the wet mixture, followed by the softened butter, vanilla extract, and honey. Begin to incorporate the flour, starting with the inner rim of the well.
- The dough will start to come together in a shaggy mass when about half of the flour is incorporated. Continue kneading until smooth and elastic, about 15 minutes. Add the raisins and orange zest to the dough and knead them until evenly distributed. Form the dough into a ball.
- Generously butter a large clean bowl and transfer the dough ball to it. Turn the ball to coat with the butter, then cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel. Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 to 1-½ hours.
- Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and divide it into 12 even pieces (about 90 to 100 grams each) with a bench scraper or sharp knife.
- Form each piece into a ball and place it in the prepared pan. Cover the pan tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for up to 1 day, or cover the dough with a clean kitchen towel and let it rise until doubled again, about 1 to 1-½ hours (longer if the dough has been chilled). Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.
- Prepare the topping: In a small bowl, combine the flour, sugar, softened butter, and vanilla. Slowly add milk to form a smooth paste. Transfer the paste to a pastry bag or zip-top bag and snip a ⅓-inch hole in one corner. Pipe lines across the centers of the balls in one direction and then again in the opposite direction so that each ball has a cross.
- Bake the orange hot cross buns until risen and browned, 25 to 30 minutes. The internal temperature of a center bun should register 190 degrees. While the buns are baking, cook the orange marmalade or apricot preserves and water in a medium pot over medium heat. Stir with a fork as it cooks until the mixture is a thin, shiny liquid, about 3 minutes.
- Remove from the heat. As soon as the buns come out of the oven, brush the syrup evenly over them. Serve the Orange Hot Cross Buns hot, warm, or at room temperature.
Notes
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods, and portion sizes per household.