Hot Cross Buns
 

I'm having company for dinner tomorrow so I thought I'd serve some hot cross buns. I always use to make them on Good Friday but haven't done it in years and years. I really didn't feel like dealing with yeast dough .... rising, etc. so I thought I could buy some ready made. I went to three grocery stores today that had bakeries within them. In two of them the people who worked in the bakery had never heard of them. In the other one they didn't have any this year (had them last year but none this year).

My first question is: have hot cross buns become extinct?

My second question is: does anyone have a good recipe for hot cross buns without dealing with yeast? It's too late for my dinner tomorrow but was hoping to use it in the future.

Thanks, bakers!

I would think that using yeast is pretty much a given if you are making any bread type dough. Otherwise it would be more like a baking powder biscuit that has a totally different texture.

And in my neck of the woods, hot cross buns are alive and well and very available.

I was very surprised that Costco did not have any hot cross buns in stock today.

Otherwise all the grocery stores and bakeries (except the German one) have them in stock.

I have never made them, as good ones are available in the community.

Betty Crocker has an excellent one. Look for the Sweet Roll Dough.
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They may be out of style in some bakeries, but it was requested that I bring them to Easter Dinner next week. I did a lot of searching and all the recipes called for yeast dough. I, on the other hand, love making yeast breads. I made challah yesterday for a pot luck today. All of the Hot Crossed Buns recipes were nearly the same and simple.

I found an excellent recipe on Allrecipes.com: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/7073/hot-cross-buns-i/?internalSource=hub%20recipe&referringContentType= Search&clickId=cardslot%202

It uses yeast and a bread machine on the dough setting. Made them twice this past week and took some over to neighbors. They had just bought a batch of them in the grocery store and were about to come to our house to deliver some. Great minds think alike!

Thanks, Mkotch ..... I like the idea of the bread machine. Won't happen today, but I've got to try that! Thanks, again.

I use my stand mixer like a bread machine. Put in the liquid ingredients, dump the flour and other dry ingredients on top, yeast last. Mix about two minutes and scrape the bowl. Continue mixing on slow speed about 8 minutes or till dough becomes smooth and satiny. You can dust on flour if needed towards end of the beating/kneading. Move to greased bowl and cover with wax paper or plastic wrap and a towel. Let rise and then shape and bake as usual.
You can also shape the unrisen dough into buns and cover and rise in frig overnight. Bring out while letting the oven come to temperature and bake.
I figured out how small the batch needs to be to use my food processer with the dough blade earlier this year - made 6 buns. Just enough for me!

How about using frozen dough? I've used it to make cinnamon rolls.

SuzzyQ - please share your recipe making 6 buns. Thanks - MJ in Plymouth, MI