These Sourdough Discard Hot Cross Buns are a delicious treat for your Easter table! These are great for breakfast, brunch, or an afternoon sweet. They're a sweet roll packed with spices and raisins, topped with an apricot jam glaze.
Looking for other Easter recipes? Try this Sourdough Discard Carrot Cake and these Sourdough Discard Sugar Cookies!
Why you'll love this recipe
- These hot cross buns are a sweet roll packed with the flavors of spices and raisins, then topped with an apricot jam glaze.
- You might like this Sourdough Discard Zucchini Cake, too!
- This recipe is made with sourdough discard, but can be made with active sourdough starter, if you prefer.
- This is an easy recipe that comes together with less than 30 minutes of hands-on time. It's also a great recipe for beginner bakers, or baking with kids!
- Looking for other Easter brunch bread recipes? Try these Sourdough Discard Brioche Rolls and this Sourdough Discard Brioche Bread.
Jump to:
Ingredients
There are only a few key ingredients you'll need to bring these hot cross buns together.
- Sourdough discard: The sourdough discard should be unfed and at room temperature for this recipe. This recipe is designed for a sourdough starter with a 1:1 ratio (when you feed your starter, it's with 1 part flour and 1 part water). If your starter uses a different ratio, you may need to adjust some of the ingredients in this recipe.
- Learn more about how to make a sourdough starter.
- Raisins: Raisins add a lot of flavor to these rolls, but you could also use dried currants or other dried fruit here.
- In the mood for more raisin recipes? Try this Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Raisin Bread and these Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Raisin Bagels.
See full recipe below for detailed directions.
Substitutions & Variations
This is a very adaptable recipe and below are a few easy substitutions and variations you can try.
- Use active sourdough starter - If you'd like to make this recipe with active sourdough starter, you can! To do so, omit the yeast and replace the sourdough discard with active starter (200g). You will also need to increase the rise times.
- Active Dry vs. Instant Yeast - You can use either active dry or instant yeast to make this recipe. Active Dry yeast needs to bloom on a warm liquid before it's added to the other ingredients, whereas Instant Yeast doesn't need to be bloomed.
- To use active dry yeast in this recipe, let the yeast bloom on the warm milk for 5 minutes before you continue adding the other ingredients. If the yeast does not bloom, the yeast is dead and you will need to start over with fresh yeast.
- Use different dried fruit - This recipe uses raisins, but you could also use dried currants or other dried fruits!
- Use a different jam for the glaze - This recipe uses apricot jam for the glaze, but you could use any kind of jam here. Apricot gives a nice flavor, but also brushes on clear (if you use a red jam, for example, your rolls will be slightly red).
How to Make Sourdough Discard Hot Cross Buns
There are only a few key steps to bring this recipe together. The full recipe with detailed directions is at the bottom of this post.
- Step 1: Soak the raisins in a bowl of hot water for a15-20 minutes.
- Step 2: Combine all ingredients for the dough in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix until a shaggy dough forms.
- Step 3: Knead until the dough is soft and smooth (should be slightly tacky). Transfer to a large, oiled bowl. Cover and let rise for 1 ½-2 hours.
- Step 4: Divide the dough into 15 equal-sized pieces using a kitchen scale.
- Step 5: Roll each piece into a ball in the palm of your hand, using one hand for friction.
- Step 6: Place the buns in your prepared baking pan, seam-side down. Cover and let rise for 60-90 minutes.
- Step 7: Pipe crosses onto the buns before baking.
- Step 8: Bake for 22-25 minutes until golden brown. Brush with the glaze while warm, then serve.
Expert Baking Tips
- Use metric measurements for at least the flour and sourdough discard. These are two ingredients where there can be a huge variation in using cups vs. metric measurements. Using a kitchen scale for metric measurements for at least these two ingredients will set you on the right path!
- Soak the raisins in hot water for at least 20 minutes. This will help your raisins plump up and be delicious (especially if they've been in the pantry for a while!)
- Use apricot jam (or another light-colored jam, such as orange) for the glaze. If you use a red or purple jam (raspberry, blueberry, etc.), your rolls will be tinted that color.
- Make sure the flour mixture for the crosses is smooth and thick enough that it doesn't melt into the rolls while baking.
Storage
Room Temperature Storage: If you plan to eat these buns within 1-2 days, store them in an airtight container at room temperature. You can reheat them in the microwave for 30 seconds to make them warm and soft again.
Freezer Storage: Once the buns have cooled fully, transfer them to an airtight container or freezer-safe bag and freeze for up to 3 months. You can freeze individual buns, or the full tray of buns (leave off the glaze if you know you're going to freeze and reheat the full tray).
- To reheat the whole tray of buns: Let the buns thaw at room temperature. Reheat in the oven at 350℉ for 10 minutes, then brush with glaze.
- To reheat individual rolls: Reheat individual buns in the microwave for 30-60 seconds (no need to let them thaw).
Recipe FAQs
They're accurate! I use the metric measurements for my own baking, especially with the flour and sourdough discard, so I recommend you do the same! There can be such a huge variation in cups measurements, particularly for those two ingredients.
If you add too much liquid to the flour to make the crosses, they won't hold up well while baking. You want the mixture to be completely smooth (so it's not lumpy), and pipeable, but also thick enough to hold its shape while baking.
If you have a piping bag, it's very easy to use for making the crosses. But if you don't have one, you can use a plastic bag (like a Ziplock bag) and just cut off the corner!
More Sourdough Discard Easter Recipes
If you tried these Sourdough Discard Hot Cross Buns or any other recipe on my website, please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I'd love to hear from you! Happy Baking!
Sourdough Discard Hot Cross Buns
Equipment
- Piping bag optional
Ingredients
For the Buns
- ⅔ cup warm milk dairy or non-dairy
- 1 ½ teaspoons instant yeast
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar packed
- 3 ½ cups + 1 Tablespoon bread flour
- 200 grams (about ¾ cup) sourdough discard unfed, at room temperature
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- 1 Tablespoon orange zest
- 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- ½ teapsoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 cup dried raisins
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter divided and melted
For the Crosses
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2-3 Tablespoons water
For the Glaze
- 1 ½ Tablespoons apricot jam
- 1 Tablespoon water
Instructions
- Soak the raisins in a bowl of hot water for 15-20 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- Combine the warmed milk, instant yeast, granulated sugar, and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook*. Add the flour, sourdough discard, egg, orange zest, cinnamon, allspice, salt, and nutmeg. Add the drained raisins. With the mixer on low speed, slowly pour in 2 Tablespoons of melted butter. Increase speed to medium and mix until a rough dough forms, about 2 minutes.
- Transfer the dough to a smooth work surface and knead until smooth, about 3-4 minutes. The dough should be smooth, soft, and will be slightly tacky. If needed, add more flour or milk (1 Tablespoon at a time) to reach your desired consistency.
- Transfer the dough to a large oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise for 1 ½-2 hours, or until doubled in size.
- Brush a 9x13-inch baking pan with 1 Tablespoon melted butter and set aside.
- Turn the dough onto a smooth work surface and divide into 15 equal-sized pieces using a kitchen scale. Weigh the full dough on the scale, and divide that number by 15. For me, each bun weighs about 85 grams.Using one palm for friction, roll each piece of dough into a ball in the palm of your hand. Place the buns into the prepared baking dish. Repeat until you have 15 buns.
- Cover the baking pan with plastic wrap and let the rolls rise for 60-90 minutes, until puffed and doubled in size.
- In a small bowl, combine the flour and water (start with 2 Tablespoons) for the crosses. Whisk until completely smooth. The mixture should still have some thickness to it so the crosses don't completely melt into the dough while baking.Transfer the mixture into a piping bag (or a plastic bag), then cut off the tip. Pipe a cross onto each bun.
- Preheat the oven to 375℉. Bake for 22-25 minutes until golden brown.
- In a small bowl, combine the apricot jam and water for the glaze. Heat in the microwave for 30 seconds to make the mixture easier to stir together. While the buns are warm from the oven, brush them with the glaze. Let the buns cool slightly, then serve, or transfer to a cooling rack to cool fully.
Kammy says
Delicious
Jessica Vogl says
Love all the flavor that is packed into these buns! Such a great bunch addition.