Spiced with a dash of nutmeg and freshly grated orange zest, these hot cross buns are perfectly sweet and such a treat! Find step-by-step instructions below for making hot cross buns from scratch two ways: same day or days beforehand.

Nine hot cross buns on a serving board.

Just as Holly’s challah can be twisted into babka and Nigella’s Danish pastry can be spiraled into croissants, Molly Wizenberg’s cinnamon buns can be rolled into hot cross buns.

Here, I’ve used Molly’s cinnamon bun recipe as a base, adding a few dashes of nutmeg as well as freshly grated orange zest, both of which impart the buns with warmth and spice.

These buns can be mixed and baked on the same day, but isn’t it more fun to pull a pan from the fridge, pop it in the oven, and tend to fussy toddlers relax with the paper while the smell of freshly baked sweet buns fills the air?

Find instructions for how to make hot cross buns from scratch two ways below: same day and days beforehand

PS: All of my favorite Easter Recipes right here. And remember: if you’re making a ham, don’t forget the ham sauce! Seriously, it’s the most delicious sauce ever.

PPS: I’ve updated this post with new photos, but I can’t get myself to delete this photo 🥰

dividing dough

Hot Cross Buns, Step by Step

Gather your ingredients: Flour, salt, sugar, instant yeast, nutmeg, orange (for the zest), milk, egg, and melted butter:

The ingredients to make hot cross buns on a countertop.

Place all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl:

The dry ingredients to make hot cross buns in a large bowl.

And whisk to combine:

The dry ingredients to make hot cross buns whisked together.

Whisk together the milk, egg, and melted butter:

The wet ingredients to make hot cross buns all whisked together in a 2-cup measure.

Then add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients:

The wet ingredients for hot cross buns added to the dry ingredients for hot cross buns.

Mix with a spatula until you have a shaggy dough ball:

A bowl of hot cross bun dough mixed with a spatula.

Then turn the dough out onto a floured work surface, reserving the bowl …

Crumbly hot cross bun dough on a countertop ready to be kneaded.

… and knead briefly, about 60 seconds, until the dough comes together in a cohesive mass:

Kneaded hot cross bun dough on a countertop.

Return the dough to the bowl and slick with oil to coat:

A glass bowl holding just mixed hot cross bun dough, sliced with olive oil.

Cover the bowl and let it rise in a warm or draft-free area for 2 to 3 hours:

A glass bowl covered with a red top holding hot cross bun dough.

The dough will not have doubled in volume, but it will be poofier and feel light to the touch:

A glass bowl filled with risen hot cross bun dough.

Turn out onto a floured work surface:

Hot cross bun dough turned out onto a counter top after its first rise.

Then divide each into 9 portions:

Nine portions of hot cross bun dough.

If you’d like to be precise, each portion should weigh roughly 101-102 grams:

Nine portioned pieces of hot cross bun dough.

Ball up each portion:

Nine balled-up dough balls of hot cross buns.

Then transfer to a buttered 9- or 10-inch baking dish:

A 9-inch square pan filled with 9 dough balls of hot cross buns.

At this point, you can let the dough rise at room temperature, or you can cover the pan or stick it in a large ziptop bag and place in the fridge overnight:

A pan of hot cross buns in a ziplock bag ready to be placed in the fridge overnight.

The following morning or the next, remove the pan from the fridge:

A pan of hot cross buns in a ziplock bag.

And let the dough rise at room temperature while the oven preheats the pan. The balls are ready for the oven once they are filling the pan and feel light to the touch. Brush with an egg wash:

A pan of egg washed hot cross buns, ready for the oven.

Then bake @ 375ºF for 25-30 minutes:

Just-baked hot cross buns.

Out of the oven, if you wish, you can brush the buns with a very simple orange glaze: I just the clementine I use for its zest, and stir in an equal amount of sugar (roughly 2 tablespoons juice and 2 tablespoons sugar):

A small bowl of orange glaze.

Brushing the glaze over the just-baked buns gives them the loveliest sheen:

A pan of just-baked hot cross buns.

While the buns cool, make the icing for the cross: cream together cream cheese, confectioners sugar, vanilla and salt.

A hand-held mixer atop a bowl filled with just whipped cream cheese icing.

Using a ziplock bag with the corner snipped or a piping bag, pipe a cross across each bun:

A pan of nine hot cross buns.
A sideview of a pan of hot cross buns.

Transfer to a board for serving, if you wish:

Nine hot cross buns on a serving board.
A side view of a just baked hot cross bun.

Variations: Hot Cross Buns with Currants or Raisins

If you wish to add currants or raisins, see the recipe notes for details. It’s simply a matter of adding 1 cup of either to the dry ingredients. You also can make smaller buns if you wish. See photos below:

Just baked Currant hot cross buns.
A halved hot cross bun on a plate.
A buttered and halved hot cross bun on a plate.
Frosted hot cross buns.
A cross section of hot cross buns in their baking dish.
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Nine hot cross buns on a serving board.

Spiced Hot Cross Buns (Overnight or Not)

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Description

Spiced with a dash of nutmeg and freshly grated orange zest, these hot cross buns are perfectly sweet and such a treat! Find step-by-step instructions below for making hot cross buns from scratch two ways: same-day or days beforehand.

Notes:

  • Updates! This post has been updated 4/10/2025 — please let me know if you have questions! In sum, I reduced the sugar from 1/2 cup to 1/3 cup, added orange zest (such a lovely flavor), added a brief knead (makes all the difference), and added a simple orange glaze made from the juice of the clementine I use for zest. 
  • Measure Accurately: For best results, please use a scale to measure.
  • Warm Place to Rise: If you need a warm spot, preheat your oven for one minute, then turn it off — it shouldn’t get warmer than 100ºF or so and you should be able to press your hands on the grates without burning yourself. Place bowl of dough, covered, in this warm spot for 2 to 3 hours.
  • Salt: If using a scale to measure, use 12 grams of whatever salt you are using. If you are using measuring spoons, use half as much if you are using Morton kosher salt or fine sea salt. 
  • If using active-dry yeast: Boil 1/3 cup of the milk and combine it with 2/3 cup cold milk — this should give you a nice lukewarm temperature. Test with your finger. Add a teaspoon of the white sugar and sprinkle the yeast over the top. Let stand for 15 minutes or until foamy. You can then whisk the egg into this mixture, and you can whisk in the melted butter, too, so long as it has cooled a bit. Then proceed with the recipe. 
  • Smaller Size Buns: In previous versions of this post, I divided the buns into 16 60-gram portions. If this is more appealing to you, go for it. You could also do 12 portions or really any size you like. There is something I find visually appealing about nine hot cross buns. 

Ingredients

For the dough:

  • 3½ cups (450 g) or more unbleached bread flour or all-purpose
  • 1/3 cup (65 g) sugar
  • 2 teaspoons (8 g) instant yeast, see notes above
  • 2.5 teaspoons (12 g) Diamond Crystal kosher salt, see notes above
  • zest of 1 clementine or orange
  • nutmeg, about 1/4 teaspoon, or freshly grated, see instructions
  • 1 cup (100 g) of dried currants or raisins, optional
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 cup (256 g) whole milk or 2%
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted or salted butter, melted, plus more for greasing the pan

For the egg wash:

  • 1 egg beaten with 2 teaspoons water

For the glaze (optional):

  • juice of 1 clementine or orange to yield 2 tablespoons of juice
  • 2 tablespoons of sugar

For the cross (See notes below for another option) 

  • 4 ounces softened cream cheese
  • 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • pinch flaky sea salt

Instructions

  1. Make the dough: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. Using a microplane grater, grate in nutmeg to taste (about 1/4 teaspoon). Using the grater again, zest the clementine into the bowl. Whisk to combine. Add the currants or raisins, if using, and whisk one last time to combine. Set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg and the milk (no need to heat) together. Add the melted butter and whisk to combine. 
  3.  Add the milk-egg-butter mixture to the bowl with the flour mixture. Use a spatula to combine all ingredients until flour is absorbed and you have a shaggy dough ball. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface (reserving the bowl) and knead briefly, about 60 seconds, using flour as needed until you have a cohesive ball. Return the dough to the bowl and slick the dough lightly with olive oil, rubbing to coat. 
  4. Let the dough rise: Cover the bowl with a lid, a cloth bowl cover, or plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm draft-free area until it has puffed considerably and is light to the touch, 2.5 to 3 hours. (See notes above for creating a warm place for your dough to rise.)
  5. Portion and proof: Butter an 8- or 9-inch square or round baking pan. For easy removal of the buns, line it with parchment paper, too. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Sprinkle the surface of the dough lightly with flour; then, using a bench scraper, divide it into 9 equal portions (roughly 102 grams each; see notes above if you wish to make smaller portions). Using flour as needed, ball up each portion. 
  6. Place the balls equally spaced into the prepared pan. At this point, you can cover the pan with plastic wrap or stick it in a large 2-gallon ziptop bag and place it in the fridge overnight; or, if baking immediately, let the buns rise again (covered) until they have puffed considerably and are squishing against each other, about 60 minutes (or more depending on how cold your kitchen is).
  7. Eggwash and bake: Preheat the oven to 375ºF. If you are doing the refrigerator rise, remove the pan an hour (if possible) before baking. Ideally, the buns should be puffed, filling the pan, and light to the touch but it’s fine if you don’t see much of a change — they will puff in the oven. Brush the rolls with the egg wash. Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until the rolls are evenly golden brown.
  8. While the buns bake, make the optional glaze and the not-optional icing: 
    • The glaze: Juice the clementine or orange you used for zest in step 1. You need roughly 2 tablespoons of juice. Stir in 2 tablespoons of sugar with a spoon until it mostly dissolves. 
    • The icing: In a stand mixer or with a handheld mixer, beat the cream cheese with the confectioners’ sugar until combined. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla and a pinch of sea salt. (Alternatively, if your cream cheese is very soft, you can mix this with a spatula.) Taste, and adjust with more sugar and salt to taste. Transfer to a piping bag or small ziplock bag. 
  9. Remove the buns from the oven and place on a cooling rack. Brush with the orange glaze immediately. 
  10. Frost the buns: Let buns cool for at least 15 minutes before icing: Snip off a corner of the storage bag, if using, and pipe a cross over each bun. Serve immediately.

Notes

If you’ve made these previously and used and liked the confectioners’ sugar frosting, here’s the recipe:

  • 1 1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
  • 2 tablespoons milk or buttermilk
  • pinch sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  1.  Stir confectioners’ sugar, milk, salt, and vanilla to form a glaze.
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Category: Breakfast
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: American