Sourdough Hot Cross Buns

Catholic Easter is right around the corner, and there is still time to make the most delicious sourdough hot cross buns for Easter brunch. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients

Sweet Stiff Sourdough Starter 

• 8 g sourdough starter
• 30 g water
• 65 g bread flour
• 10g sugar

Dough

• 140g lukewarm milk(46%)
• 1 egg+1 yolk
• 90g sweet stiff starter(30%)
• 60g brown sugar (20%)
• 300g bread flour (100%)
• 45g soft butter or oil without flavor (15%)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp all spices
• 0.5 tsp nutmeg
• 6g salt (2%)
• zest of 1 orange
• 0.5 g dry yeast (optional, to reduce sourness)
• 1/2 cup raisins

Crosses 

• 50g flour
• 50g water
• 10g oil
• 5g salt
• 5g sugar

Glaze

• 1 tbs apricot jam
• 2 tbs water

Directions 

Day 1

Starter

• 10 pm dissolve sugar in the water, add starter and whisk together, add flour, mix well, form a ball, place in jar, cover let sit at room temp 74-78F until it increases in volume in 2 or more times.
• Stiff sweet starter will have lower hydration than regular liquid starter and will help us to lower the acidity of final product (learn how to make sourdough starter from scratch here).

Day 2

Dough

• 8 am in a bowl of stand mixer mix lukewarm milk, an egg+ egg yolk, sugar, stiff sourdough starter, yeast (optional ) add flour, all spices and orange zest and let autolyse for 1 hour.
• During the autolyse period the flour becomes fully hydrated. This activates gluten development.
• 9 am mix dough on low speed of your mixing machine for 2-3 minutes, or KitchenAid on speed 3 for 3-4 minutes until well incorporated.
• Add salt mix for a couple more minutes. The dough should form a ball.
• Add soft butter or oil, increase the speed of mixer, mix for 10 more minutes until the dough is well incorporated and comes up together. You will be able to perform windowpane test. at the end of mixing add raisins.

• Cover and let it proof for 3-4 hours at 76-80F/ 24-28C.
• During that time perform 2 stretches and folds.
• The dough should become slightly puffy.
• 1 pm transfer the dough to the fridge for cold fermentation for 6-9 hours.
• 10 pm Remove the dough from the fridge.
• Divide on 12 equal pieces (about 55g each)
• Pinch all edges to the bottom of a roll, try to round it tightly.
• Transfer the shaped rolls into the square baking pan.
• Cover rolls and let them proof overnight on the counter for 8 -10 hours 70-74F /20-23C until they double in volume.

Day 3

• 7 am Preheat the oven to 375F.
• Prepare paste for crosses by mixing all ingredients together, use ziplock bag, put all paste inside the bag, close tightly, cut one corner of the bag.
• Pipe crosses on top of buns.
• Bake for 30 minutes until golden brown.
• Meanwhile prepare the glaze by mixing apricot jam with water.
• When buns are ready, spread glaze on top of hot buns.
• Let them cool down.

Enjoy!

Sourdough Hot Cross Buns

223kcal

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Prep 45 minutes mins

Cook 30 minutes mins

Rise & Rest Time 1 day d 4 hours hrs

Total 1 day d 5 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

This recipe delivers incredibly soft, fragrant, and perfectly spiced sourdough hot cross buns ideal for holiday celebrations. By utilizing a low-hydration sweet stiff sourdough starter, you drastically reduce natural dough acidity while enhancing its structural integrity to hold rich inclusions like raisins and fresh orange zest.

Servings 12 Uniform Buns

Cuisine British

Ingredients

1x2x3x

Sweet Stiff Sourdough Starter (Night Before)

• ▢ 8 g Sourdough starter culture
• ▢ 30 g Water
• ▢ 65 g Bread flour
• ▢ 10 g White sugar

The Enriched Main Dough

• ▢ 90 g Sweet stiff sourdough starter (From the stage above)
• ▢ 140 g Lukewarm milk (46%)
• ▢ Whole egg + Egg yolk 1 Whole egg + 1 Egg yolk
• ▢ 300 g Bread flour (100%)
• ▢ 60 g Brown sugar (20%)
• ▢ 45 g Soft unsalted butter or flavorless oil (15%)
• ▢ 6 g Salt (2%)
• ▢ 0.5 g Active dry yeast (Optional, used exclusively to minimize sour profiles)
• ▢ 1 tsp Ground cinnamon
• ▢ 1 tsp Ground allspice
• ▢ 0.5 tsp Ground nutmeg
• ▢ Zest of 1 whole orange
• ▢ 1/2 cup Raisins

The Flour Crosses

• ▢ 50 g All-purpose flour
• ▢ 50 g Water
• ▢ 10 g Vegetable oil
• ▢ 5 g Salt
• ▢ 5 g Sugar

The Sticky Apricot Glaze

• ▢ 1 tbsp Apricot jam
• ▢ 2 tbsp Water

Equipment

• ▢
  Stand Mixer (Crucial for handling the intensive, high-speed enriched dough mixing stages)
• ▢
  Square Baking Pan (A standard 9×9-inch or 10×10-inch baking dish works beautifully to crowd the buns for high-rising, pull-apart edges)
• ▢
  Ziploc Bag or Piping Bag (To cleanly pipe the paste for the signature flour crosses)
• ▢
  Pastry Brush (For spreading the sweet apricot glaze over the hot buns)
• ▢
  Kitchen Scale

Method

Prevent Sleep ModePrevent Sleep Mode

Night Before – Stiff Starter Initialization

1. 10:00 PM – Sweet Stiff Starter Build: Dissolve your 10g of sugar directly into the 30g of water, then whisk in your 8g of sourdough starter culture. Mix in the 65g of bread flour thoroughly and gather it together with your hands to form a stiff dough ball. Place it into a clean glass jar, cover loosely, and let it sit at room temperature 74–78°F (23–26°C) overnight for 8 to 10 hours until it expands significantly (at least doubling or tripling in volume).

Day 2 – The Enriched Autolyse & High-Speed Mixing

1. 8:00 AM – The Enriched Autolyse: In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine 140g of lukewarm milk, 1 whole egg plus 1 extra egg yolk, 60g of brown sugar, 90g of your prepared sweet stiff starter, and the optional 0.5g of dry yeast. Whisk together briefly, then dump in 300g of bread flour, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp allspice, 0.5 tsp nutmeg, and your fresh orange zest. Mix with a spoon just until a rough dough forms and no dry spots remain. Cover and let it autolyse for 1 full hour to fully hydrate the flour particles and activate gluten structures.
2. 9:00 AM – Developing Gluten & Fat Integration: Attach the dough hook and mix the autolysed dough on low speed for 2 to 3 minutes (or on a KitchenAid using speed 3 for 3 to 4 minutes) until the base elements are fully incorporated. Add the 6g of salt and continue mixing for a couple of minutes until a cohesive ball forms.
3. Butter & Fruit Addition: With the mixer still running, gradually add the 45g of soft butter or flavorless oil. Increase the speed to medium-high and mix for a full 10 minutes until the fat is completely absorbed, the dough smoothly cleans the sides of the bowl, and it passes a clear windowpane test. Turn the mixer to low, add the 1/2 cup of raisins, and mix just until they are evenly distributed.
4. Bulk Fermentation & Stretch-and-Folds: Cover the mixing bowl tightly and let it proof for 3 to 4 hours in a warm environment kept at 76–80°F (24–28°C). During this window, perform 2 gentle rounds of stretches and folds (spaced roughly 1 hour apart) to build vertical structure. The dough should look visibly puffy and aerated by the end.
5. 1:00 PM – Cold Fermentation Retard: Transfer the entire covered proofing container directly into the refrigerator for a slow cold fermentation lasting between 6 to 9 hours.

Day 2 (Night) – Shaping and Final Pan Proof

1. 10:00 PM – Dividing & Rounding: Remove the chilled dough from your refrigerator. Tip it onto a lightly dusted surface and divide it cleanly into 12 equal pieces (aiming for roughly 55g per portion).
2. Pan Setup & Overnight Rise: Take each individual piece, pinch all the loose outer edges cleanly down into the bottom center, and roll it firmly on your counter using a cupped hand to create a taut, smooth sphere. Place the 12 shaped rolls side-by-side into a square baking pan. Cover the pan loosely with a damp towel or plastic wrap and leave them out to proof overnight on your counter for 8 to 10 hours at room temperature 70–74°F (20–23°C) until they double in size.

Day 3 – Cross Piping, Baking, and Glazing

1. 7:00 AM – Preheating & Paste Setup: Preheat your home oven to 375°F (190°C). Prepare your flour cross paste by whisking together 50g of flour, 50g of water, 10g of vegetable oil, 5g of salt, and 5g of sugar until smooth. Transfer the wet paste into a Ziploc bag, close it tightly, and snip off a tiny corner.
2. Baking: Pipe continuous lines of the flour paste across the rows of the fully risen buns to form their signature crosses. Slide the pan into the preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes until the buns are deep golden brown.
3. Glazing & Cooling: While the buns are baking, combine 1 tbsp of apricot jam with 2 tbsp of water in a small bowl to form your glaze. The moment the buns come out of the oven, use a pastry brush to spread the apricot glaze evenly across their hot tops. Let them cool slightly in the pan before separating and serving!

Nutrition

Calories223kcalCarbohydrates39gProtein5gFat5gSaturated Fat2gPolyunsaturated Fat1gMonounsaturated Fat1gTrans Fat0.1gCholesterol11mgSodium130mgPotassium128mgFiber1gSugar7gVitamin A119IUVitamin C1mgCalcium31mgIron1mg

Notes

• Why the Sweet Stiff Starter Method is Superior: Traditional liquid sourdough levains feature high hydration levels that promote a sharp, lactic acidity that can easily overpower delicate pastries. This specialized formula opts for a tight, low-hydration sweet stiff starter instead. Adding a small hit of sugar directly to the starter environment slows down acid production while strengthening the yeast, allowing you to secure an explosive rise without any lingering sour notes.
• Mastering the Enriched Windowpane Test: Incorporating high levels of fats (like dairy and butter) can act as a barrier to early gluten development, which is why this recipe utilizes a two-stage mixing process. Giving the dough an untouched 1-hour autolyse hydrates the starches completely before the fat arrives. Only add your softened butter after the initial dough mass forms a tight ball; this ensures your structural matrix stays strong enough to trap gas bubbles cleanly.
• Adjusting Timelines with Commercial Yeast: If your home kitchen runs cool or you find yourself on a tight baking schedule, don’t hesitate to utilize the optional 0.5g of active dry yeast during step 2. This small addition acts as an insurance policy that guarantees a robust, predictable rise during the final room-temperature overnight pan proof without diminishing any of the complex flavors developed during the cold retard stage.

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