Spiced Chocolate Chip Hot Cross Buns

Course: Bread, Desserts, Snacks

Cuisine: Australasian, European

Prep Time: 1

Cook Time: 40

Proofing time: 2

Total Time: 1 40

Servings: buns

Calories: 282kcal

Author: Dini Kodippili

Soft, fluffy, spiced buns packed with chocolate. These spiced chocolate chip hot cross buns are the perfect treat for Easter this year! Foolproof & Easy!

Intermediate - This recipe involves several techniques (tangzhong, flour paste, glaze). All techniques are simple. These are beginner-friendly too, just make sure to read the instructions well before proceeding.

Makes 15 medium / standard sized buns or 24 small hot cross buns

US based cup, teaspoon, tablespoon measurements. Common Measurement Conversions. I highly recommend following weight measurements as they will provide the most consistent results.

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Ingredients

For the tangzhong

120 mL milk or water ½ cup
24 g flour 2 ½ tbsp

For the dough

120 mL warm milk ½ cup
7 g active dry yeast 2 ¼ tsp, 1 standard packet
100 g granulated white sugar ½ cup
56 g unsalted butter melted 4 tbsp
2 large eggs
15 mL vanilla extract 1 tbsp
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cardamom
425 g AP flour 3 ⅓ cups, measured by spoon and level method
1 tsp salt
170 g bittersweet chocolate chips chopped, you can also use semisweet chocolate or a mixture of your favorite chocolate chips or chocolate bars

Flour paste for the cross

20 g confectioner's sugar 2 tbsp
62 g AP flour ½ cup, measured by spoon and level method
45 - 75 mL water 3 - 5 tbsp

For the glaze

60 mL honey ¼ cup
3 - 4 cardamom pods

Instructions

Making tangzhong

Whisk the 2 ½ tbsp of AP flour with the ½ cup milk (or water) until there are no lumps.
120 mL milk or water, 24 g flour
Heat the flour-milk mix over medium heat while whisking constantly. In a few minutes, the flour-milk mix will start to thicken. Keep whisking well until you have a runny paste. Remove from the heat. The tangzhong paste is now ready. (It should weigh about 130 to 140 g - about ½ cup.)
Place the tangzhong in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, making sure the plastic wrap is touching the surface of the paste. Let it cool down to room temperature before using.

Activating yeast

Place the warm milk in your mixer bowl and dissolve about ½ - 1 tbsp of sugar in it. Sprinkle the yeast over the milk and gently stir. Let the yeast activate for about 10 - 20 minutes until it looks frothy and foamy.
120 mL warm milk, 7 g active dry yeast

Flour paste for the crosses (prepare this while hot cross buns are proofing for the final time)

Place the flour and confectioner's sugar in a bowl and whisk together.
20 g confectioner's sugar, 62 g AP flour
Add water, 1 tbsp at a time, until you have a smooth paste that's runny enough to pipe easily, but will not run off the sides of the buns either. (For me, this is about 3.5 - 4 tbsp of water).
45 - 75 mL water
If it get’s too runny, adjust the consistency with a little extra flour.
Place the flour paste in a small piping bag or a ziploc bag and set aside.

For the sweet glaze (make this when the hot cross buns are almost done baking)

Place the honey, water, and cardamom in a saucepan. Heat over medium heat until the mixture comes to a simmer, while mixing. Turn off the heat and let the cardamom infuse into the glaze.
60 mL honey, 3 - 4 cardamom pods
Keep it warm until the hot cross buns are ready.

Hot cross bun dough

Into the mixing bowl with the activated yeast - add the sugar, eggs, melted butter, tangzhong, and vanilla. And add the flour, spices, and finally the salt, as well.
100 g granulated white sugar, 56 g unsalted butter , 2 large eggs , 15 mL vanilla extract, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1 tsp ground cardamom, 425 g AP flour, 1 tsp salt
Mix all the ingredients together to form a scraggly dough.
With the kneading hook attached to the stand mixer - knead the dough until you have a cohesive dough (about 2 - 3 minutes). Check the consistency of the dough. It should be very sticky. When kneading the dough at medium speed, the dough should still stick to the bottom, but not to the sides of the bowl.
Knead the dough for a further 15 - 20 minutes on medium speed. You can alternate between medium speed (5 - 6) for about 2 minutes, and then low speed (2) for about 1 minute. The medium speed is necessary to develop gluten properly. Remember to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl a few times while kneading.
How to tell the dough is kneaded enough - The dough will change from being sticky and lumpy, to smooth, shiny, and tacky to the touch. The dough will initially be leaving behind pieces of dough on the sides of the bowl, and then the sides of the bowl will start to look clean when the dough is kneaded well. If you try to lift the dough out of the bowl with the hook, the dough should come cleanly out of the bowl. The dough will also almost pass the windowpane test at this stage.
When the dough is smooth and shiny and well kneaded, shape it into a smooth ball and put it back in the bowl. Cover the bowl and let it proof in a warm place until it has increased 1.5 - 2 times. This can take 40 - 60 minutes, depending on the temperature.

Laminating in the chocolate chips

While the dough is proofing, chop the chocolate chips / bar into small pieces. Set aside until needed.
170 g bittersweet chocolate chips
Remove the proofed dough from the bowl and place it on a lightly floured work surface. Use lightly floured hands to evenly stretch out the dough. It's OK if there is some tearing, but the dough should stretch out really well if it was properly kneaded.
The dough should be stretched out to a rough shape of 2 x 1.5 ft, and be fairly evenly thin. It doesn't have to be exact and the edges might be thinner than the middle.
Sprinkle ⅔ of the chopped chocolate over the surface of the stretched dough. Then fold roughly ⅓ of the dough over the middle, and the remaining ⅓ of the dough over the center as well. See pictures in the post for reference.
Sprinkle the remaining ⅓ chopped chocolate chips on top of the folded dough. Fold or roll up the dough to enclose the filling in the dough. Fold the dough to form a ball shape. You can use the dough right away if you like, but I prefer to let it chill overnight so that it'll be easier to shape.
Overnight proof - Place the chocolate chip dough ball in the mixer bowl. Cover and let the dough proof in the fridge overnight (8 - 12 hours).

Shaping the buns

When the dough has proofed, press to deflate the dough. Weigh the dough to get the weight. You can decide if you want to make 15 medium buns, or up to 24 small buns, and divide the dough weight by the number of portions you need.
Approximate weights.
About 70 - 75 g for 15 medium buns (similar to store-bought bun size). OR 45 - 47 g for 24 smaller buns.
Line a half sheet baking pan with parchment paper.
Place each dough portion on a very lightly floured surface. Flatten it slightly and fold over the edges towards the middle to form a dough that feels taut. Then pinch these edges together to seal to form a smooth ball. Flip the dough ball over so that the seam is at the bottom. Gently roll the ball of dough on your work surface (seam side down) with a cupped palm to shape the dough ball into a smooth ball. Make sure the work surface doesn't have any flour to allow the dough to tighten into a smooth ball.
Place each of the dough balls on the prepared baking pan in a 3 x 5 configuration, or 4 x 6 configuration. Leave about ½ inch of space between the dough buns.
Cover the hot cross buns loosely with plastic wrap and let them proof until doubled in size before baking. On a cold day, this takes me about 90 minutes, and on a hot day, about 45 minutes.
Finger indentation test - The way I test for proofing is by gently pressing my fingertip into a couple of the buns, about 1 cm deep. If the indentation springs back up completely, then it’s not ready. If the dough springs back about 50% of the way, and a shallow indentation remains, then they are sufficiently proofed and are ready to be baked.

Baking the hot cross buns

While the dough is proofing, prepare the flour paste for the crosses, and preheat the oven to 350°F / 180°C.
Snip off the tip of the piping bag (make sure the opening is smaller than the desired thickness of the lines that you want to pipe). Pipe the flour paste over the hot cross buns. First pipe along the middle of the buns in one row at the same time (all 3 rows), then pipe across all 5 rows in the other direction. See pictures in the post for reference.
OPTIONAL - If you prefer to skip the glaze, you can glaze the tops with an egg wash instead at this point. Whisk together an egg yolk + 2 tbsp milk, and using a pastry brush, brush the tops of the buns BEFORE piping the flour paste. Then pipe the flour crosses on top.
Place the buns in the preheated oven and bake for 25 - 30 minutes, or until the buns are a golden brown color, and the internal temperature registers at 190 - 200°F. If needed, rotate the tray once, half way through baking.
While baking, prepare the glaze, and keep it warm.
As soon as the buns are done baking, remove the baking tray from the oven, and brush the warm glaze over the buns. Let them cool down slightly.
Carefully transfer the buns onto a wire rack and let them cool down further.
These are best eaten warm or lightly toasted with a little butter.

Notes

Storage instructions

Keep the buns in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 - 2 days. If you want to keep it for longer, transfer them to the freezer for up to 1 month.

Egg wash recipe

1 egg yolk + 2 tbsp milk, mixed together.

Vegan options

Use almond milk instead of regular milk.
Instead of 2 eggs, add 1/4 cup apple puree and another extra 3 tbsp almond milk.
Use vegan butter in place of regular butter.
Use dairy free / vegan chocolate chips.
Instead of honey, use corn syrup or maple syrup.

Nutrition