Making hot cross buns can get complicated. Take these first three sentences from Martha Stewart’s ‘Hot cross buns with dried cherries’ recipe:
Heat 1 cup milk in a small saucepan over medium heat until it registers 110 degrees on a candy thermometer. Pour milk into a mixer bowl, and fit mixer with a dough hook. With mixer on low speed, add granulated sugar, yeast, butter, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, the nutmeg, cinnamon, and eggs.
Candy thermometer… Dough hook… Yeast… By this point, you may have already decided to buy your Easter breakfast at the grocery store.
But wait!
Making hot cross buns isn’t always so rigorous. You just need to find the right recipes. Here are two recipes that I’ve found that are basic enough for me to make.
1. Hot Cross Muffins via The Sweetest Kitchen.
True, they’re not buns per say—but they’ve kept the crosses and are therefore traditional enough to serve on Easter without being a complete cop-out. No yeast means that they prepare faster and require no kneading.
And, most importantly, they taste excellent. (See the recipe.)
2. Hot Cross Buns with a Bread-maker via Spin Spin.
Homemaking purists might view bread-makers as the tainted edge of homemade—like owning a factory at home—but unlike certain other bread-maker recipes, these buns do not finish as rectangular blocks. It’s actually the best hot cross bun recipe Spin Spin has tried so far. (See the recipe.)
Enjoy!
And happy Easter.
Do you have an easy way to make hot cross buns for Easter? Share with us in the comments below.
Also check out these Easter tips:
