I’ve updated my Hot Cross Buns recipe to make it egg free and vegan. A few years ago someone commented on my old Cross Buns recipe saying that it really shouldn’t have eggs because Cross Buns are typically eaten on Good Friday, a day when most people eat vegan meals. I thought about it for a while and realized that I could still make my cross buns delicious without eggs. I tried it and was successful and from that point on I started excluding eggs from my cross buns. Then recently I thought, why not just go ahead and make it vegan, and so I did. I promise you that it still has the most amazing texture and taste without any animal product.

The Difference between the two recipes

The old recipe includes, eggs, butter or shortening and milk. To make this recipe vegan, I simply left the eggs out, substituted the butter for coconut oil and swapped the milk for water. The cross buns have the same texture and same delicious flavor with fewer ingredients. In my old recipe I also used mixed fruits I had soaking in wine. For this recipe I used raisins and prunes soaked in some pineapple juice and then blended to a smooth paste. Finally, I am using my hands to knead the dough instead of  my stand mixer which makes this recipe accessible to everyone.

Make the Recipe your own:

• You can swap the coconut oil for other kinds of fat or oil, including butter if you choose
• Use coconut milk instead of water for a rich coconut flavor
• Swap the mixed fruits for currants or just raisins
• Instead of simple syrup brush the top with maple syrup, or fruit jam. Apricot jam works really well here.

The Video Tutorial:

The Printable Hot Cross Buns Recipe:

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Hot Cross Buns {Updated, Vegan Recipe}

 

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Prep time

1 hour 45 mins

Cook time

25 mins

Total time

2 hours 10 mins

 

A sweet Easter bun top with a sticky simple syrup that is typically enjoyed on Good Friday

Author: Althea Brown

Recipe type: Bread

Cuisine: Caribbean

Serves: 9 Buns

Ingredients

• 4 cups of flour plus ½ cup for dusting
• 1 tablespoon instant or rapid rising yeast
• ¼ cup coconut oil
• 1¼ cup warm water
• ¼ cup of brown sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ¼ cup of pineapple or apple juice
• 8 prunes
• ¼ cup of raisins, washed

Simple Syrup topping

• ½ cup of water
• ¼ cup of granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence

Instructions

1. Combine flour, yeast, salt, ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg in a large mixing bowl and mix together well
2. Next add coconut oil and rub into the dry ingredients with your finger tips
3. Then form a well in the center of the dry ingredients and set aside
4. Next, mix together the brown sugar and 1¼ cup of warm water until the sugar dissolves and set aside
5. Then add the raisins, prunes and pineapple juice to a blender and blend until a smooth paste forms
6. Next add the sugar and water mixture, followed by the blended dried fruit paste to the mixing bowl with the dry ingredients
7. Mix together well combining the wet and dry ingredients to form a soft dough
8. You may add a bit more flour to the dough if it is sticky
9. Then knead for 5 to 10 minutes until it becomes a smooth ball
10. Place the smooth dough ball into a clean and greased mixing bowl, cover with a damp paper towel and set aside in a warm place to allow the dough to rise
11. Let the dough rise for 45 minutes or until it doubles in size then turn onto a floured surface and knead for 1 to 2 minutes
12. Then separate a small piece of dough, about the size of a tennis ball and set aside
13. Next divide the remaining dough into 9 equal pieces
14. Knead each of the 9 dough pieces into a tight, round and smooth dough ball or bun
15. For the cross element on top of the bun, using your rolling pin roll the tennis ball size piece of dough you set aside earlier into a flat disk
16. Then cut the disk into 18 strips, 2 strips per bun
17. Next, place the two strips over each bun to make a cross, tucking the ends of the cross under the buns
18. Repeat until all 9 buns have crosses
19. Then place all of the buns on a greased baking sheet and cover with a kitchen towel
20. Let rise for 30 minutes before baking
21. While dough is rising, preheat your oven to 350 °F
22. When you are ready to bake (after the dough rested for 30 minutes) place the cross buns uncovered into the oven and bake for 25 minutes

Making the syrup

1. While the cross buns are baking, make the simple syrup topping by combining ½ cup water, ¼ cup granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence in a small saucepan on medium heat
2. Stir until the sugar crystals dissolve, then bring the solution to a boil
3. Continue to boil until the solution reduces to ½ the amount. This should take no more that 5 minutes
4. Remove from the heat and set aside.
   

Finishing Touches

1. Remove the cross buns from the oven after 25 minutes and allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes
2. Then brush the top of the cross buns with the simple syrup
3. Enjoy your cross buns warm or hot if you like

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