I’m known to bake hot cross buns any time of year, except maybe summer. Since Easter isn’t a huge holiday for us, Good Friday usually sneaks up on me. This year, I’m ready.
Over the last few years, I’ve tweaked a Donna Hay recipe and finally settled on it as my go-to. You can do a lot of things to fancy up hot cross buns, but I tend to stay fairly traditional using golden raisins or currants. And my one must-have along with the candied citrus is crystallized ginger.
Most of the time, I don’t even put the crosses on, so sometimes they’re not cross buns. Either way, they’ve got a ton of fruit, a mix of warming spices and they’re perfect with a cup of coffee. I like them baked in individual buns, rather than tucking them shoulder-to-shoulder in a cake pan, but if that’s more than you want to sign up for, you can also do a not cross loaf bread version. It’s a different recipe, but it’s just as delicious, and arguably better, since you can toast up the slices a day or two later.
RECIPE: Not Cross Bun Loaf Bread