Mennonite Girls Can Cook is a collection of recipes which were posted daily for a period of ten years from 2008 to 2018. We have over 3,000 delicious recipes that we invite you to try. The recipes can be accessed in our recipe file by category or you can use the search engine.

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Hot Cross Buns


Hot Cross Buns, Hot Cross Buns
One a penny, two a penny
Hot cross Buns
If you have no daughters,
Give them to your sons,
One a penny, two a penny
Hot Cross Buns!

Always a favourite at our house, I tried and tweaked recipes
until I came up with one I like. These have the dough crosses on them and a honey glaze.
  • 2 cups scalded milk
  • 1/2 cup warm water
  • 1/2 cup butter or margarine
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 3 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 7 1/2 - 8 1/2 cups flour, divided
  • (you can use about 2 cups whole wheat flour if you like)
  • 2 tablespoons instant yeast
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon allspice
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon cloves
  • 2/3 cup sultana raisins, washed and patted dry
  • 2/3 cup fruitcake mix (candied fruit, with or without peel)
  • grated rind of 1 orange
  1. Mix warmed milk, margarine and water until margarine melts.
  2. In large bowl of mixer, combine 4 cups flour, yeast, salt, sugar and spices.
  3. In medium bowl, dredge fruit and raisins in 1/2 cup flour. Set aside.
  4. Pour in milk/margarine mixture.
  5. Using beater attachment of mixer, turn on mixer and gradually add beaten eggs.
  6. Change to dough hook and add floured raisins and fruit and grated rind.
  7. Mix and gradually add flour until mixture begins to form a ball.
  8. Mix for 5 minutes or knead by hand until dough is smooth and elastic.
  9. Place in greased bowl cover with greased plastic and a clean towel and let rise in a warm place until double in bulk.
  10. Grease two 9 x 13 inch pans and one 9 x 9 inch pan. or 3  9 x 13 inch pans.
  11. Form buns and place in pans.
  12. Cover again and let rise until doubled.
Mix dough for crosses:
  • 1 cup flour
  • 5 tablespoons shortening or lard
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • dash of salt
  • about 1/2 - 2/3 cup water
  1. Cut shortening into flour, sugar and salt.
  2. Add water and stir well - dough should be sticky and somewhat soft.
  3. Place dough into a piping bag with a 1/4 inch tip. Set aside.
  4. Brush buns with 1 egg yolk whisked together with 1 tablespoon water.
  5. Pipe crosses on, using a knife to cut off the dough from the tip.
  6. Bake at 400 degrees F for 17- 20 minutes.
  7. Remove to rack. Cool for 1/2 hour.
Mix honey glaze in microwave safe bowl:
  • 1 Tbsp. honey
  • 2 tbsp. water
  1. Microwave for 1 minute.
  2. Brush over buns.
  3. These freeze well.





12 comments:

  1. Bev, I was going to put these on .. and your recipe is nearly identical. We love them too .. my mom took great pains to put a icing X across her's. . so yummy.

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  2. I've never made these, but I thought that the crosses were made of icing... so I inwardly smiled when I saw Lovellas comment. Seeing these in the store has never really made me want to try them, but homemade, I think I will.

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  3. Yum....I love hot cross buns and everyone has a slightly different version of the same goodness. I'm with Lovella...I never heard of the dough forming the crosses. I always thought they were 'snipped' and then an icing cross placed in the 'furrows'. Grin...at least that is how I make mine.

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  4. Well I grew up not knowing about hot cross buns..a little farm kid from the boonies..hehe
    So just maybe I will need to try these..I love buns with raisins and spices.

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  5. your food looks amazing...so glad you visited and i clicked over.
    can't wait to try the buns!!
    it's nice meeting u :)

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  6. Thank you for stopping by to visit. I am so glad you liked my post on Miracles & the one with the wisteria! I love wisteria too & the smell was so sweet. Almost like a big pitcher of Koolaide. I want to come back & visit your site. It looks very interesting. My mother was raised a Mennonite in western Kansas. And you are right... Mennonite girls can cook!

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  7. oh so many good recipes to try...so little time and too little will power......they look sooo good bev!
    i never made them and always thought the x was icing..hmm who knew.

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  8. This recipe looks great and I can't wait to try making it. In regards to some of the comments about the crosses on top, I have never had a hot cross bun that had frosting/icing for the cross. Its traditionally always made with the dough for the cross on top. I worked at a bakery when I was a teenager and Hot Cross Buns were a Easter time favorite, and I remember piping the dough on top before the buns went in the oven. Maybe different countries have variations.

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  9. I want to make these! About how many buns does this make? (how many do you put in each pan?) Thanks :)

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    Replies
    1. Just so others know, I put 12/pan which resulted in 3doz largish buns :) They are in the oven now, and smell amazing!

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  10. I've made these every year since discovering the recipe, and we love them! I use currents instead of raisins though because they're smaller!
    (I've always known the dough crosses!)

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