Get ready to bake the most incredibly soft sourdough hot cross buns you’ve ever tasted! This recipe brings together the classic flavors and comforting texture of traditional hot cross buns with the delightful tang and tenderness that only sourdough can provide. It’s a truly special treat that’s perfect for sharing.
These buns are designed to be super soft, making every bite a pure joy. We’ll walk you through each step, ensuring your baking experience is stress-free and results in a batch of perfectly spiced, fruit-filled, and beautifully crossed buns that will impress everyone.
Table of Contents
- What You’ll Love About This Quick And Easy Recipe
- Everything You Need To Make This Recipe Without Stress
- Time Needed From Start To Finish
- How To Make It Step By Step With Visual Cues
- Easy Variations And Serving Ideas That Fit Real Life
- Common Slip-Ups And How To Avoid Them
- How To Store It And Make It Ahead Without Ruining Texture
Super Soft Sourdough Hot Cross Buns
- Total Time: 3 hours 45 minutes - 4 hours 5 minutes
- Yield: 12 buns 1x
Description
This recipe creates incredibly soft and flavorful sourdough hot cross buns, combining traditional spices and fruit with the unique tang and tenderness of sourdough. Perfect for a special breakfast or treat, these buns are designed to be easy to make and will impress everyone.
Ingredients
Instructions
1. 1. Combine wet ingredients for the dough: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the active sourdough starter, warm milk, granulated sugar, room temperature egg, and melted and cooled unsalted butter until well combined. The mixture should look slightly frothy from the starter.
2. 2. Mix in dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, salt, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and ground cloves. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing with a wooden spoon or a stand mixer with a dough hook until a shaggy dough forms.
3. 3. Knead the dough: Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8-10 minutes, or use a stand mixer on medium speed for 5-7 minutes, until the dough is smooth, elastic, and no longer sticky. It should pass the windowpane test (stretch a small piece thinly without tearing).
4. 4. Incorporate dried fruit and first rise: Gently knead in the mixed dried fruit until evenly distributed. Form the dough into a ball, place it in a lightly oiled bowl, turn to coat, and cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel. Let it rise in a warm place for 2-3 hours, or until doubled in size.
5. 5. Shape the buns and second rise: Punch down the risen dough gently. Divide it into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a smooth ball and arrange them on a parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving a little space between each bun. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a towel and let them rise again in a warm place for 45-60 minutes, or until visibly puffy. Preheat your oven to 375 F (190 C) during the last 15 minutes of this rise.
6. 6. Prepare and pipe the crosses: While the buns are on their second rise, prepare the cross mixture by whisking together 1/2 cup all-purpose flour and 4-5 tablespoons of water until a thick, smooth paste forms. Transfer this mixture to a small piping bag with a tiny hole cut at the tip, or a Ziploc bag with a corner snipped off. Once the buns have risen, pipe a cross onto the top of each bun.
7. 7. Bake the buns: Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown on top and cooked through. They should sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.
8. 8. Glaze and cool: While the buns are still warm, gently heat the apricot jam with 1 tablespoon of water in a small saucepan or microwave until melted and smooth. Brush the warm glaze over the tops of the baked buns. Let them cool slightly on a wire rack before serving.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20-25 minutes
- Category: bread
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: british
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bun
Keywords: sourdough, hot cross buns, baking, bread, sweet bread, easter, fruit buns, homemade, soft buns, spiced
What You’ll Love About This Quick And Easy Recipe
This recipe is a true winner for anyone looking to elevate their baking game without feeling overwhelmed. You’ll adore how incredibly soft and fluffy these sourdough hot cross buns turn out, a texture that’s often hard to achieve with conventional recipes. The sourdough not only contributes to that amazing tenderness but also adds a subtle depth of flavor that complements the traditional spices and dried fruit beautifully. It’s perfect for a weekend baking project, a special breakfast, or an afternoon treat with a cup of tea. Families will appreciate the comforting aroma filling the kitchen and the delicious results, making it an instant favorite. This recipe is designed for home bakers who want to create something truly special and satisfying, offering a delightful twist on a beloved classic.
Everything You Need To Make This Recipe Without Stress
Gathering your ingredients beforehand makes the baking process smooth and enjoyable. You’ll find that most of these items are likely already in your pantry, or easily found at any grocery store. The key to these super soft buns lies in the quality of your ingredients and following the measurements carefully.
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 cup active sourdough starter (fed and bubbly)
- 1 cup warm milk (about 100-110°F)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 cup mixed dried fruit (raisins, currants, candied peel)
- For the cross: 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, 4-5 tablespoons water
- For the glaze: 1/4 cup apricot jam, 1 tablespoon water
For simple substitutions, you can easily swap the mixed dried fruit for just raisins or currants if that’s what you have on hand or prefer. If you don’t have apricot jam for the glaze, any light-colored fruit jam like apple or peach will work just as well to give that shiny finish. Using good quality spices will really make a difference in the flavor profile of your buns, so try to use fresh spices if possible.
Time Needed From Start To Finish
While sourdough baking often implies a long process, this recipe focuses on creating super soft buns efficiently. The active sourdough starter does much of the heavy lifting, reducing hands-on time significantly compared to some other sourdough recipes.
- Prep time: 20 minutes
- Rise time: 2-3 hours (first rise) + 45-60 minutes (second rise)
- Bake time: 20-25 minutes
- Total time: Approximately 3 hours 45 minutes to 4 hours 5 minutes (plus cooling)
How To Make It Step By Step With Visual Cues
Creating these super soft sourdough hot cross buns is a rewarding process. Follow these steps carefully for the best results.
- Combine wet ingredients for the dough: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the active sourdough starter, warm milk, granulated sugar, room temperature egg, and melted and cooled unsalted butter until well combined. The mixture should look slightly frothy from the starter.
- Mix in dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, salt, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and ground cloves. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing with a wooden spoon or a stand mixer with a dough hook until a shaggy dough forms.
- Knead the dough: Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8-10 minutes, or use a stand mixer on medium speed for 5-7 minutes, until the dough is smooth, elastic, and no longer sticky. It should pass the windowpane test (stretch a small piece thinly without tearing).
- Incorporate dried fruit and first rise: Gently knead in the mixed dried fruit until evenly distributed. Form the dough into a ball, place it in a lightly oiled bowl, turn to coat, and cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel. Let it rise in a warm place for 2-3 hours, or until doubled in size.
- Shape the buns and second rise: Punch down the risen dough gently. Divide it into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a smooth ball and arrange them on a parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving a little space between each bun. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a towel and let them rise again in a warm place for 45-60 minutes, or until visibly puffy. Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C) during the last 15 minutes of this rise.
- Prepare and pipe the crosses: While the buns are on their second rise, prepare the cross mixture by whisking together 1/2 cup all-purpose flour and 4-5 tablespoons of water until a thick, smooth paste forms. Transfer this mixture to a small piping bag with a tiny hole cut at the tip, or a Ziploc bag with a corner snipped off. Once the buns have risen, pipe a cross onto the top of each bun.
- Bake the buns: Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown on top and cooked through. They should sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.
- Glaze and cool: While the buns are still warm, gently heat the apricot jam with 1 tablespoon of water in a small saucepan or microwave until melted and smooth. Brush the warm glaze over the tops of the baked buns. Let them cool slightly on a wire rack before serving.
Easy Variations And Serving Ideas That Fit Real Life
These super soft sourdough hot cross buns are wonderfully versatile. For a kid-friendly twist, you can omit the candied peel from the mixed dried fruit and use only raisins or chocolate chips. A sprinkle of pearl sugar on top before baking can also add a fun crunch and sweetness that kids love.
If you’re serving these for a brunch or buffet, they pair beautifully with a variety of spreads. Think cream cheese, butter, or even a dollop of lemon curd. For an extra special treat, serve them warm with a side of homemade whipped cream. You can also experiment with different spices; a pinch of cardamom or allspice can add another layer of flavor. For those who prefer a less sweet bun, you can slightly reduce the sugar in the dough, but remember it also contributes to the tenderness.
Common Slip-Ups And How To Avoid Them
Even experienced bakers can encounter small challenges, but these tips will help you avoid common pitfalls when making sourdough hot cross buns.
- Using inactive starter: Your sourdough starter needs to be active and bubbly for the buns to rise properly. If it’s sluggish, feed it 4-6 hours before you plan to mix the dough. An inactive starter will result in dense, heavy buns.
- Over-flouring during kneading: Adding too much extra flour while kneading can make the dough stiff and dry, leading to tough buns. Use just enough flour to prevent sticking, and rely on the kneading process to develop gluten.
- Not letting the dough rise enough: Rushing the rise times will lead to dense buns. Sourdough can be slower than yeast, so be patient. Look for visual cues like doubling in size for the first rise and becoming visibly puffy for the second. A warm, draft-free spot is ideal for rising.
- Overbaking the buns: Baking for too long can dry out the buns, making them less soft. Keep an eye on them towards the end of the baking time. They should be golden brown and sound hollow when tapped.
- Cross mixture too thin or too thick: If the cross mixture is too thin, it will run off the buns. If it’s too thick, it will be hard to pipe and might crack. Adjust consistency with small amounts of flour or water until it’s a pipeable paste.
How To Store It And Make It Ahead Without Ruining Texture
To keep your super soft sourdough hot cross buns fresh and delicious, proper storage is key. Once completely cooled, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2-3 days. This will help maintain their wonderful soft texture. For longer storage, you can freeze the baked and cooled buns. Wrap each bun individually in plastic wrap, then place them in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 1 month.
To enjoy frozen buns, simply thaw them at room temperature, then warm them gently in a microwave for 15-20 seconds or in a preheated oven (300°F/15
FAQs
- Can I make these ahead? Yes—prep ahead, refrigerate, then serve when ready.
- How long do leftovers last? Store covered in the fridge for 3–4 days for best texture.
- Can I adjust sweetness? Yes—add more or less sweetener to taste.
- Can I change the fruit? Yes—swap strawberries for blueberries, raspberries, or sliced banana.
