Hot Cross Buns

By tulawdog

Ingredients

• Buns
• 2 cups Milk (I used Nonfat, but you can use whichever)
• 1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
• 1/2 cup + 3 tablespoons Sugar, Divided
• 1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) Active Dry Yeast
• 4 cups + 1/2 cup All Purpose Flour, Divided
• 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 2 teaspoons Salt
• 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
• 1/2 cup Small Dried Fruit (I used dried Blueberries and Cherries)
• 1 Egg White, For Egg-Wash
• 1 teaspoon Milk, For Egg-Wash
• Icing
• 1 Egg White
• 1 cup Powdered Sugar, More if needed
• 3 tablespoons Milk, More if needed

Preparation

Step 1

To make the buns, whisk together the milk, vegetable oil, and ½ cup sugar in a medium pot. Heat up the mixture until it’s very warm, and then remove from the heat to cool until just warm to the touch. Add the yeast and 4 cups of flour; stir to combine. Cover the pot with a clean towel and let sit in a warm place for 1 hour.

Add ½ cup flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to the dough. Stir until it is fully combined.

In a small bowl, combine the 3 tablespoons of sugar and cinnamon. Set aside until needed.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Using your hands, carefully flatten the dough until it’s about ¼ inch thick, adding more flour if it becomes too sticky to handle. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the cinnamon-sugar mixture on the top of the dough, and then scatter 1/3 of the dried fruit on top. Fold the dough on top of itself to seal in the cinnamon-sugar and dried fruit. Repeat the process of adding the cinnamon-sugar and dried fruit, and then folding the dough over itself, two more times.

With floured hands, pull off small, golf-ball-sized pieces of dough. Roll the piece of dough into a ball and then place on a baking pan lined with parchment paper, or a silicone mat. Repeat with the remaining dough.

Cover the baking pans with a clean towel and let sit in a warm place for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg white and milk for the egg wash. Lightly brush the egg-wash on the top surface of each bun. Place the baking sheets in the oven and allow the buns to bake until they turn golden brown, about 15 minutes.

Remove the buns from the oven and immediately transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.

While the buns are cooling, make the glaze. Whisk together the egg white, powdered sugar, and milk in a small bowl. Whisk until the glaze is thick, but pliable enough to pipe. If needed, add more powdered sugar to thicken the glaze, or milk to thin it out.

Place the glaze in a plastic bag and then seal the top. Cut a small piece of the corner off the bag. Pipe a cross design (1 vertical line and 1 horizontal line) on top of each bun. Allow the glaze to harden before serving.

These last up 1 week in a sealed container.