The best gluten free hot cross buns have the familiar flavor and texture of the traditional recipe! Now I can have my hot cross buns and cheese on Good Friday and not feel sick immediately after eating. If you are Guyanese and gluten-free like me, this recipe is for you. Happy Easter!
Gluten Free Hot Cross Buns
My main concern when making my favorite bread recipes gluten free is getting the texture right. The failings of many gluten free bread recipes is a crumb that isn’t quite right. But I’m happy to say that that’s not the case with this easy gluten free hot cross buns recipe.
It has a soft, tender crumb that’s as close to the traditional hot cross buns recipe as you can get!
- Gluten Free Hot Cross Buns
- Why You’ll Love This Gluten Free Hot Cross Buns Recipe
- Ingredients for Gluten Free Hot Cross Buns
- How to Make Gluten Free Cross Buns
- The batter dough
- Baking the Gluten Free Hot Cross Buns in a loaf pan
- Storage
- Tips for the Best Gluten Free Hot Cross Buns
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Save it for Later!
- Gluten Free Hot Cross Buns
Why You’ll Love This Gluten Free Hot Cross Buns Recipe
- Great Taste and Texture: This recipe is comparable to traditional hot cross buns made with gluten. Although we use different ingredients, we achieve similar results so those with a gluten allergy can still enjoy this classic Easter treat.
- Tried and True Recipe: I’ve tested different ingredients and methods while making this recipe and after some trials and errors, I’ve developed the perfect recipe for gluten free hot cross buns.
- Very Versatile: You can make this recipe, vegan, in the traditional bun form, or even as a loaf.
Ingredients for Gluten Free Hot Cross Buns
The key to soft gluten free cross buns is a dough that’s batter-like. With quality ingredients and a few helpful tips, you’re well on your way.
- Dry Active Yeast: I let the yeast get a full bloom before adding it to the other liquids.
- Brown sugar: This sweetens the bread and activates the yeast.
- Warm water: Remember to ensure it’s not too hot or too cold.
- All Purpose Gluten Free Flour: I use Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 All Purpose Gluten Free Flour for this recipe.
- Ground Cinnamon: The cinnamon gives these buns the traditional hot cross buns or spiced bun taste and is not an optional ingredient.
- Freshly Grated Nutmeg: For this recipe, I highly recommend using freshly grated nutmeg. It gives these gluten-free hot cross buns a deeper spiced taste.
- Psyllium husk: Although there is xanthan gum already in the all-purpose flour blend, I add some psyllium husk to give the buns a doughy taste and texture. This helps to bind the molecules in the gluten-free all-purpose flour, similar to what gluten does for wheat, therefore making this dough easier to work with.
- A pinch of salt: To balance the flavors.
- Evaporated milk: I tested this recipe with regular milk, evaporated milk, and evaporated coconut milk and there were no differences in the results so use what you want.
- Melted butter: I tested this recipe with melted butter and melted coconut oil and the results were exactly the same. Use coconut oil as a dairy-free alternative.
- Egg: This recipe contains one egg. I tried it without the egg and the Hot Cross Buns were a bit denser. I prefer it with the egg but if you can’t do eggs, the recipe works without it.
- Oil: This prevents the dough from crusting while proofing.
For the fruits:
- Prunes: Pitted
- Raisins: Rinsed.
- Pineapple juice: Use this liquid to form a fruity paste.
For the glaze:
- Water
- Granulated sugar
- Vanilla essence
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Gluten Free Cross Buns
Blooming your yeast
Mix 1 tablespoon of brown sugar with 1/4 cup of warm water until dissolved. Then add dry active yeast, cover, and let it bloom for up to 10 minutes.
For this recipe, I highly recommend dry active yeast versus instant or rapid rising yeast. I got better results when I allowed the yeast to bloom for 10 or more minutes or until it had a thick head as seen in the picture below. For the perfect bloom, use warm water (110°F) along with 1 tablespoon of sugar and 1 tablespoon of dry active yeast.
Mix well and then cover it with a kitchen towel until the yeast is activated and begins to bloom. Then, uncover it and allow the blooming to form a thick head (see photo below). To learn more about how to bloom yeast click here.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, ground cinnamon, grated nutmeg, and salt.
Blend raisins, prunes, and pineapple juice into a smooth paste. In another bowl, combine warm evaporated milk, melted butter, egg, and remaining sugar, mixing until sugar dissolves.
The batter dough
The dough for these Gluten Free Hot Cross Buns is much more like a batter than a dough, but if you are familiar with gluten free baking, then you know that this is what you need for the softest baked goods. During the first proofing the dough/batter will get light and fully. Simply mix together with your spatula before shaping into the buns.
Having a soft dough batter like this makes it tricky to shape rolls or buns, so for this recipe, I used my 1/2 cup dry measuring cup, to scoop the batter and place it on a greased baking sheet. Then I used my rubber spatula to smooth the top of the dough. You can also use damped fingertips to smooth the dough out a bit.
After the dough rested for about an hour after shaping, it flattened out a bit. This is perfectly normal and you can just bake this as is, but for the blog photos and the video, I pushed them back up a bit to give them some height. Again this is completely unnecessary. Then just before baking, I used the spatula to press a cross into the top of the buns. I have a full video on how I did this on my Instagram. Click here to watch.
Baking the Gluten Free Hot Cross Buns in a loaf pan
If you don’t have a preference for bun or loaf you can pour the dough/batter into a greased and lined loaf tin after the first proofing. Let it proof again for an hour, then bake it into a delicious loaf. It tasted exactly like the traditionally shaped hot cross buns but with less work.
Storage
Guyanese gluten free cross buns taste best when served immediately. But you can store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Reheat them in the microwave for about 15 seconds to soften and refresh them.
Tips for the Best Gluten Free Hot Cross Buns
- Feel free to swap the spices and dried fruits. Try cardamom, dried apricots, or raisins.
- Gluten-free dough tends to be stickier, so keep your hands and utensils moist when handling it. Consider using oiled parchment paper for easier shaping and rolling.
- Ensure the buns have adequate space to expand without touching or overlapping. If they’re too close together, they won’t properly evaporate and may become heavy.
- The cross buns may not get golden brown like the regular buns, so be careful not to overcook them in search of that color. Alternatively, if the buns appear to be browning too quickly, cover them with aluminum foil and continue baking.
Frequently Asked Questions
Hot cross buns require yeast in order for the dough to rise. This gives the bread its characteristic light and fluffy texture.
Yes, you can prepare the dough ahead and refrigerate it overnight for a slow rise. Alternatively, you can freeze baked buns and reheat when ready to serve.
You may be able to order gluten free hot cross buns from your local bakery as a seasonal product. But if you want to enjoy them year-round or with specific dietary adjustments, your best bet is making them from scratch at home.
Save it for Later!
Gluten Free Hot Cross Buns
Equipment
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Whisk
- Blender
- Loaf Pan or Baking Sheet
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Dry Active Yeast
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup warm water
- 2 3/4 cups All Purpose Gluten Free Flour
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
- 3 teaspoons psyllium husk
- pinch of salt
- 1 cup warm evaporated milk
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 1 egg
- 1-2 teaspoons oil
For the fruits:
- 8 prunes pitted
- 1/4 cup raisins rinsed
- 1/4 cup pineapple juice
For the glaze:
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
Instructions
- Mix together 1 tablespoon of brown sugar with 1/4 cup of warm water until the sugar dissolves, then add the dry active yeast and mix together.
- Then cover the yeast and allow it to bloom. This may take up to 10 minutes.
- Next in a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, ground cinnamon, grated nutmeg and salt.
- Next mix together well with a whisk and set aside.
- Then add the raisins, prunes and pineapple juice to a blender and blend until a smooth paste forms and set aside.
- Then combine the warm evaporated milk, melted butter, egg and remaining sugar together and mix together well until the sugar dissolves.
- Next add the bloomed yeast to the milk mixture and mix together well.
- Then make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the milk mixture and the blended fruits and mix together to form a very soft dough (I typically start the mixing off with a whisk, then when it gets to a pancake batter stage, I use my rubber spatula to bring the dough together).
- Just before letting the dough rest, rub 1-2 teaspoons of oil over the top of the dough. This prevents the dough from crusting while proofing.
- Next let the dough rest for about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- Then use your spatula to mix the dough for a minute or two (this is the equivalent of punching dough regular dough).
Shaping into buns
- Use a 1/2 cup dry measuring cup to scoop the soft dough and place it on a greased baking sheet.
- After all shaping all of the buns, you may smooth the top of each bun with your rubber spatula or by damping you finger tips with warm water and rubbing the top of the buns.
- Allow the buns to proof for another 45 minutes to 1 hour before baking.
- Then just before baking use your rubber spatula to press crosses into the top of the dough,
Making a loaf
- To make a loaf instead of buns, pour the soft dough into a greased and parchment lined loaf pan.
- Then allow the loaf to proof for 1 hour before baking.
Baking your Gluten Free Cross Buns
- When you are ready to bake preheat your oven to 350 °F.
- Then place the cross buns uncovered into the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
- If you are baking a loaf, bake uncovered in the oven for 50 minutes to 1 hour or until a tooth pick inserted into the loaf comes out clean.
Making the syrup
- While the cross buns are baking, make the glaze topping by combining ½ cup water, ¼ cup granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence in a small saucepan on medium heat.
- Stir until the sugar crystals dissolve, then bring the solution to a boil.
- Continue to boil until the solution reduces to ½ the amount. This should take about 5 minutes.
- Then remove from the heat and set aside.
Finishing Touches
- Remove the cross buns from the oven after 30 minutes. The cross buns may not get golden brown like the regular buns, so be careful not to overcook them in search of that color.
- Allow the cross buns to cool for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Then brush the top of the cross buns with the glaze.
- Enjoy your cross buns warm, preferably with a slice of cheese.
Notes
Nutrition
The information listed in the recipe card is an estimate provided by an online nutrition tool. The tool evaluates ingredient names and amounts then makes calculations based on the number of servings listed for the recipe. It is provided as a general guideline and not as a precise calculation. For precise nutrition information please feel free to add the ingredients to your preferred nutrition calculator or consult a doctor or licensed nutritionist.
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