Brioche Hot Cross Buns

What better way to celebrate the upcoming Easter than with hot cross buns?

I can’t believe it’s March already! Easter will be at the end of this month and I’ve already been makings some Easter sweet treats, including brioche hot cross buns. These delicious, buttery buns are a step up from traditional hot cross buns, with a rich flavor and tender, soft texture.

They’re made from enriched dough with lots of eggs and butter and spiced with cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg. Fresh orange juice, zest, and raisins bring some sweetness and texture. The dough can undergo overnight cold proof or be made all in one day.

Brioche dough is pretty sticky, so making this one with a stand mixer is easiest.

You can find the printable recipe for this one on the blog here!

Dough Ingredients

• 140g (1 cup) raisins

• 60g (1/4 cup) orange juice

• Zest of an orange, finely grated

• 120g (½ cup) lukewarm milk (95-104°F / 35-40°C)

• 2 1/4 teaspoons (1 sachet) instant yeast or active dried yeast

• 80g (1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon) granulated sugar

• 530g (4 ¼ cups*) all-purpose flour

• 3 large eggs

• 1 ½ teaspoon salt

• 1 tsp vanilla extract or paste

• 1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

• ½ teaspoon ground ginger

• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

• ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves

• 170g (¾ cup) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature and cut into cubes

Paste

• 32g (¼ cup) all-purpose flour

• 30g (2 Tablespoons) water

Glaze

• 30g (2 ½ tablespoons) granulated sugar

• 45g (3 Tablespoons) boiled water

Notes

*The cup sizes given are US-sized cups. Note that these are smaller than metric cups. For best results, use a kitchen scale and measure in grams.

Method

Add the orange juice, raisins, and zest in a small bowl. Heat it in the microwave for 30-40 seconds and stir. Leave the raisins to sit and hydrate while the dough is made.

Pour lukewarm milk into the bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle yeast and a tablespoon of sugar over the milk. If using active dry yeast, let this sit for around 5-10 minutes until it becomes foamy; if using instant yeast, this step can be skipped.

Add the flour, remaining sugar, spices, vanilla, salt, and eggs to the milk mixture. Fit the stand mixer with a dough hook attachment and mix on low speed until a thick and shaggy dough forms.

Add in the cubed butter, a few pieces at a time. Turn the mixer on medium speed and keep it mixing until the sticky dough strengthens and comes together, pulling away cleanly from the sides of the bowl.

Mix the dough for the best gluten development and brioche crumb for at least 15 minutes. Proper gluten development will allow you to stretch the dough so thin you can almost see through it. This is called a 'window pane.'

Add in the raisins and the orange juice. This will make it sticky again, but they will mix in easily because you've already developed the gluten. Keep mixing until the juice is incorporated. 

Pull the dough from the bowl onto a lightly floured work space and form it into a ball. I like to tuck the dough under itself a few times to capture all the raisins.

Place the dough ball into a large, greased bowl. Cover it with a lid or plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm spot for approximately 1 ½ - 2 hours until doubled in size. 

Punch down the dough and refrigerate it for 8-12 hours for the best flavor, then shape the next day. Alternatively, go right to shaping.

SHAPING

Grease or line a 9x13-inch pan.

Pull the dough from the bowl onto a lightly floured work surface. If the dough is refrigerated overnight, it will feel stiff and clammy.

Weigh the dough, then cut it into 12 equal pieces. Shape each piece of dough into a tight ball. Add them to the prepared pan. Let them rise in a warm place until doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 350°F/ 180°C standard oven. Mix the ingredients for the crosses into a paste. Scoop it into a small piping bag with a small tip or a ziplock bag with the tip cut off. Pipe the crosses onto the tops of the buns.

Bake the buns for approximately 28-30 minutes until deep golden brown. In a small bowl, combine sugar and hot water. Stir until the sugar has dissolved.

Use a pastry brush to brush the hot baked buns with this sugar glaze when they come from the oven. Leave the buns to cool for about 20 minutes before eating.

Notes

*The cup sizes given are US-sized cups. Note that these are smaller than metric cups. For best results, use a kitchen scale and measure in grams.

I hope you have a fantastic rest of the week!