Celebrate Easter with these delicious Gluten-Free Hot Cross Buns! They are fresh, fluffy and are sure to impress your family and friends. Prepare them in 15 minutes and bake for just 20 minutes. Serve with butter or any other spread of your choice.
About this Recipe
Make these sweet and glossy Easter Buns in no time at all! They are great for Easter and are easy to customize to suit your taste. If you want savory buns then skip the sugar and if you want sweet buns then add sugar. This recipe includes sugar and sultanas.
Hot cross buns are inspired by Good Friday. For Christians, the cross on the bun represents the crucifixion and they are made by mixing a flour and water mixture. Also, the spices in the bun symbolize the embalm used to bury Jesus at his burial.
In addition, hot cross buns can include raisins, chocolate chips, dried cranberries and other dried fruit. Serve these buns with salted caramel, butter, eggs, fruit, jam and more. Belgian buns are another delicious bun recipe that you can try.
Gluten-Free Hot Cross Buns Ingredients
- Self Raising Gluten-Free Flour: Use good quality gluten-free flour for this recipe.
- Milk: Any milk of your choice will do for this recipe but make sure it is warm. Also, bare in mind that the type of milk you use will affect the flavor of the buns.
- Dry yeast: Has a long shelf life and is used in baking.
- Orange extract: To add some citrusy flavor.
- Egg: Helps the dough to rise.
- Salt: To balance out the sweet flavors.
- Sultanas: Adds a burst of fruity flavor.
- Cane sugar: Adds sweetness to the bun.
- Orange zest: Will be added to the dough to add a citrusy flavor.
- Ground cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg: These spices add delicious warming, woody flavors to the buns.
- Coconut oil: Adds moisture to the buns.
- Sweet water for greasing buns: To give the buns a gorgeous glossy finish.
Easy Gluten-Free Hot Cross Buns Recipe
- Preheat oven at 200C/400F. Grab a large bowl and combine self-raising gluten-free flour, dry yeast, sugar, salt, orange zest, and spices (cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg). Reserve a few tablespoons to paint crosses on the bun later.
2. Next, prepare the wet ingredients. Add an egg, melted coconut oil, and warm milk to the bowl of dry ingredients. Then, start kneading the dough. Make sure the dough doesn’t get too sticky. If it does then add a little flour.
3. Then, add the sultanas next. If they are too dry then pour boiling water and soak them for half an hour to soften them. Then squeeze the excess water out and add them to the dough.
4. Make 6-8 small buns, place them on a cutting board, cover them with cling film and store them in a warm place for an hour. The buns should grow in size.
5. Then, add criss-cross cuts on top of the buns using a knife. Brush the water and sugar mixture on each bun using a silicone brush.
6. Mix the remaining flour and a spoonful of water, then draw two criss-cross lines on the buns. Put the buns in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes.
7. Once the buns are done feel free to grease them with a jam and water mixture. This will give the buns an appetizing glossy appearance and make them slightly sweeter.
8. Finally, allow the buns to cool and serve them with tea, butter and jam during your Easter celebration.
Tips and Tricks
- Knead dough: Make sure you get the dough right for this recipe. It should not be too dry or too wet. Somewhere in between is good.
- Alternatives: If you are not a fan of sultanas then go plain or add chocolate chips, dried cranberries or any other dried fruit of your choice instead.
- Quantity: Feel free to double, or triple this recipe if you would like to serve more people.
- Storage: If you want to save these buns for later then cover them with a plastic wrap or towel to prevent them from drying out.
FAQs
Gluten-free buns do not include wheat, rye and barley. Cornstarch, rice flour, tapioca and potato flour are typically used instead. They are a great alternative for people with gluten intolerance and can be found in some supermarkets.
Hot cross buns get their name from the crucifixion of Jesus. They are served hot and crosses are added to the bun with a flour and water mixture before baking.
The crosses on the top of cross buns were originally cut into the tops of the buns, as they are with Traditional Irish Soda Bread, but now are most commonly made by piping a flour and water paste on the top of the risen buns before they are baked.
It is believed that Thomas Rocliffe invented the hot cross bun in the 14th century.
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Gluten-Free Hot Cross Buns
Equipment
- Large Bowl
Ingredients
- 250 g Self Raising Gluten Free Flour
- 120 ml Milk
- 10 g Dry yeast
- 1 tsp Orange extract
- 1 Egg
- 2 pinches Salt
- 2 tbsp Dried cranberries
- 80 g Cane sugar
- 1 tsp Orange zest
- 1 tsp Ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp cardamom
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 50 ml Coconut oil
- 50 ml Sweet water for greasing buns
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 200C/400F. Combine self-raising gluten-free flour, dry yeast, cane sugar, salt, orange zest, spices (cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg) in a large bowl. Save two tablespoons of flour to paint the crosses on the buns later.
- Add the egg, melted coconut oil, and warm milk to the bowl of dry ingredients. Then, start kneading the dough. If it gets too sticky then add a little flour.
- When the dough is ready, add the sultanas. If they are too dry then pour boiling water over them and leave them to cool for half an hour. Make sure you squeeze out the excess water, dry it and add it to the dough.
- Create 6-8 small buns from the dough. Place them on a cutting board, cover with cling film and store them in a warm place for an hour and allow the buns to rise.
- Cut a cross along each bun. Then brush a sweet sugar and water mixture on each bun using a silicone brush.
- Mix two tbsp of flour and a spoonful of water, then add the mixture to the cross lines on each bun. Put the buns in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes.
- Once the buns are ready grease them with a jam and water mixture. This will make them sweeter and give them a glossy finish. Serve hot with tea.
Notes
- Knead dough: Make sure you get the dough right for this recipe. It should not be too dry or too wet. Somewhere in between is good.
- Alternatives: If you are not a fan of sultanas then go plain or add chocolate chips, dried cranberries, or any other dried fruit of your choice instead.
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