20. March 2026
Sourdough Hot Cross Buns
Hot cross buns are an Easter staple but honestly, I firmly believe they deserve a place in our kitchens all year round. Think of them as fruit toast… just better.
There’s something about the warm aroma of cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg, paired with a generous spread of butter, that feels just right every time.
This is my go to traditional hot cross bun recipe, but if you’re after something a little more indulgent, you can find my chocolate hot cross bun version here.
I find that making this in the evening when I get home from work is best as they are ready to bake the next morning.
Ingredients
For the buns
- 240g Light milk (full cream works fine too!)
- 500g Bread flour
- 50g Sugar
- 10g Sea salt
- 115g Soft salted butter
- 100g Active sourdough starter
- 1 Large egg
- 80-100g Dried mixed fruit (I like the variety but you can use just raisins)
- 2tsp Vanilla extract
- 1tsp Cinnamon
- 1tsp Mixed spice (something that contains cloves, nutmeg and cardamon)
For the cross
- 75g Plain flour
- 5tbsp Water
For the glaze
- Honey (you can use something like jam or male syrup if you want)
Method
1. Combine milk, salt, egg and sourdough starter.
2. Add flour and sugar, knead until smooth. I like to do this in a stand mixer as you only need one bowl.
3. Whilst kneading, add the butter bit by bit until fully incorporated.
4. Toss in the mixed fruit/raisins along with the spices and mix lightly.
5. Cover and rest overnight or until the dough is roughly triple in size.
6. Divide the dough into balls, for 6 buns use 98g, for 9 buns use 65g, for 12 little buns use 48g.
7. Place the balls into a lined dish and leave for another couple of hours for them to puff up.
8. When ready to cook, heat a fan forced oven to 175 degrees Celsius.
9. Make the paste by combining the flour and water, I use a sandwich bag to pipe it onto a cross shape ontop.
10. Bake for 25-35 minutes, watching for colour.
11. Once out the oven, immediately brush with honey (or your glaze of choice) and enjoy!