Sourdough Hot Cross Buns

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These sourdough hot cross buns put a naturally leavened spin on the classic Easter treat. Soft and fluffy, they're filled with warm spices, citrus zest, and raisins, then finished with a sweet apricot glaze. A must-bake recipe for spring!

Prep Time12

Cook Time40

Total Time12 40

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Servings: Servings

Calories: 266kcal

Author: Lynn Polito

Equipment

Ingredients

For the dough

200 g Whole Milk
60 g Butter Softened
450 g All purpose flour
50 g Sugar
8 g Salt
150 g Active Sourdough Starter Bubbly
1 large Egg
100 g Raisins
5 g Vanilla Extract
2 g Cinnamon
2 g Pumpkin Pie Spice
2 Oranges Zested and Juiced

For the Cross

60 g Flour
50 g Hot Water More if necessary

For the Glaze

30 g Apricot Jam
15 g Hot Water

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Make sure your sourdough starter is active and bubbly.
In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the sourdough starter, warm milk, and sugar until dissolved. Add the flour, softened butter, egg, vanilla extract, spices, and salt. Mix until a rough dough forms.
Meanwhile, soak the raisins in the orange zest and juice for 2–3 minutes.
Add the raisins and juice to the bowl with the dough. Turn the mixer on medium speed and mix for 4-5 minutes until a smooth dough forms. You can also knead the dough by hand for 6-8 minutes on a lightly floured surface.
Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let it rise at room temperature for 10-12 hours, or until it doubles in size. Don’t rush it, good things take time! If your kitchen is cold, this might take up to 12 hours to rise. It is most important that it doubles in size. Overnight is a great option.
After the dough has doubled in size, punch down the dough and divide it into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a smooth ball and put them into a greased baking dish, leaving a little space between them.
Cover and let the buns proof for 1-2 hours at room temperature. They should puff up nicely and start to touch each other.
Mix the flour and water into a paste, then pipe a cross onto each bun using a piping bag or a zip-top bag with the corner snipped.
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Bake the buns for 35-40 minutes until they’re golden brown.
While the buns are baking, heat the apricot jam and water together until smooth. When the buns are done baking, brush this glossy mixture over the warm buns for that perfect finish.
Let the buns cool slightly before serving. They’re best fresh out of the oven.

Video

Notes

This is an enriched dough, meaning there is butter, milk, and eggs in the dough. This will cause the dough to rise slowly. It can take up to 12 hours for the dough to rise completely, so make sure to give yourself at least a full day to make this dough. I promise, it's worth it!
Once the buns have been divided and risen in the baking dish, you can place them in the refrigerator to rest until you are ready to bake them. They can hang out in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours before you will need to bake them.

Nutrition