Tangzhong Hot Cross Buns

Packed with fruit, these traditional Hot Cross Buns are your Easter must-have. Tangzhong, a flour paste, makes these buns soft, fluffy, and absolutely scrumptious!

It’s my opinion that Easter isn’t complete without hot cross buns. As a kid I cared about the chocolate, but nothing gives me a stronger sense of nostalgia than these spiced, currant buns. They clearly made an impact.

There’s a few steps to these hot cross buns but don’t be intimidated. My recipe relies on the tangzhong method to create soft and fluffy buns. That means we’ll start by cooking a small portion of flour and water into a paste. This paste keeps these buns super hydrated throughout the baking process, resulting in a pillowy texture. You won’t find an icing cross here either, but we will be brushing a lightly sweet glaze on the warm buns once baked.

What’s Tangzhong?

Tangzhong is a technique for producing ultra fluffy, soft bread with a fine crumb. It’s asian in origin, and I’ve found this method in Chinese and Japanese bread recipes. You should plan to make the tangzhong first so it has time to cool. If it’s too hot, it may kill your yeast when it comes into contact with your dough and your bread won’t rise as expected.

How to make Tangzhong

You’ll take a small portion of the water and bread flour from the dough recipe, and heat in a pan until a gloopy paste forms. It’s really that simple!

The tangzhong does not fare well overnight, so you cannot make it too far in advance. I would say to make it within 2 to 3 hours of when you plan to mix the dough.

Does Tangzhong really make a difference?

Yes! It’s the best way to get that asian-bakery-style bread without using any of the commercial additives and dough conditioners those bakeries use.

Proofing Tips

After the bulk proof (or first rise of the dough) you’ll want to portion the dough into 12 balls. Place these on a tray either in wreath form (like my photos) or in a high-sided tray like you would cinnamon rolls. The balls should not be touching, you’ll want to put them about an inch apart to give them room to grow.

How will I know they’re ready to bake?

I use the “finger poke test” to check when bread is ready to bake. Press the side of a bun gently to make an indent in the dough. If the dough bounces back and fills in quickly, it needs more time. If the dough fills in slowly or only part way, the bread is proofed and ready to be baked.

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Tangzhong Hot Cross Buns

Light and fluffy but packed with fruit, these traditional Hot Cross Buns use the tangzhong method to achieve a perfect bun.

Prep Time2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Cook Time25 minutes mins

Course: Afternoon Tea, Dessert

Servings: 12 buns

Author: Adele

Ingredients

Tangzhong

• 25 g bread flour
• 125 g water

Dough

• 350 g bread flour
• 60 g sugar
• 5 g salt
• 1 egg room temperature
• 125 ml milk warm (95°F)
• 2¼ tsp Active Dry Yeast
• 30 g salted butter room temperature
• ½ tsp coriander
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• ½ tsp allspice
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• ¼ tsp cloves
• ¼ tsp nutmeg

Fruit Mix-ins

• 90 g raisins
• 60 g currants
• zest and juice of 1 lemon

Crosses

• 60 g all-purpose flour
• 63 g milk

Method

Make the Tangzhong

• Cook flour and water over medium heat, stirring constantly, until water is absorbed and a thick paste forms (texture should be similar to pudding). Set aside to cool.

Prepare the Fruit

• Add raisins, currants, zest and juice to a pot and cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently until juice is absorbed and fruit is plump. Set aside to cool.

Make the Dough

• Activate yeast in warm milk for 5 to 10 minutes. Yeast should be foamy.
• Whisk together Bread Flour, sugar, salt, and spices, and add to the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment.
• Add egg, milk and yeast mixture, and all of the cooled tangzhong to the dry ingredients. Mix until dough pulls away from the side of the mixer and gluten forms a window. This could take 15 to 20 minutes.
• Add the butter in small chunks and mix until the dough is no longer sticky.
• Fold in fruit using hands until well distributed through the dough.
• Place Dough into an oiled bowl, flipping once so top is covered in oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap or lid and proof in a warm spot until doubled, ~40 minutes to an hour.

Shape the Buns

• Once doubled, turn dough out onto a lightly oiled surface and divide evenly into 8 to 12 pieces.
• Roll each piece into a ball and place seam-side down in a casserole dish or brownie pan, something that has high sides. The balls should be almost touching, but leave room for growth as it proves. Once it bakes, the rolls will fuse together. Alternatively, place on a sheet tray evenly spaced, not touching.
• Cover with a plastic wrap or a damp towel and prove for an additional 40 minutes, until rolls are puffy and pass the poke test.
• Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°F, with rack positioned in the middle.

Make the Crosses

• Mix the flour and milk together to form a paste.
• Pipe onto proved rolls in cross shapes when you are ready to bake.

Bake!

• Bake at 350°F for 20+ minutes, until the buns are golden brown and the interior temperature reaches 205°F
• Brush the tops of the buns with a glaze of melted apricot jam, sugar simple syrup, or warm golden syrup immediately after removing from oven for a nice shine.