Easy & Delicious Einkorn Sourdough Hot Cross Buns
Fluffy and sweet, this hot cross bun recipe has a slight sourdough tang. A traditional Easter treat, these spiced, long-fermented, rolls are extra easy to digest and especially delicious!
These spiced buns are packed full of flavor and their history is stepped in tradition, which, lucky for us, has been handed down from generation to generation. Meaning we still get to enjoy them today!
Made with the ancient grain – einkorn, this delicious sourdough recipe has less gluten and more nutritional value than most modern wheat varieties.
Loaded with protein, iron, fiber, B vitamins, and antioxidants, utilizing einkorn gives a little extra nutrient boost to your sourdough recipes!
I love this simple, easy to throw together recipe. It’s short hands-on time as well as the long-fermentation to help break down the phytic acid in the wheat make it an ideal recipe for our family’s Easter celebrations!
The History of Hot Cross Buns
There is speculation that the original ‘hot cross bun’ (cake decorated with a cross) dates all the way back to the 6th century in Greece.
More notably though, it was made popular in Christian tradition surrounding Good Friday and Easter.
Marking the buns with a cross was done to commemorate the death of Christ on the cross on Good Friday. Today this cross is commonly made with a sweet glaze of powdered sugar and milk (or cream).
Traditionally though, it was made with a mixture of fat, water and flour, a combination known as a shortcrust pastry.
Additionally, it is thought, that the utilization of spices such as cinnamon, was done to signify the spices utilized for Christ’s burial in the tomb.
While not all recipes utilize orange zest (or orange peel), the historical significance of utilizing this ingredient was to remind those eating the hot cross bun of the bitterness of Christ’s passion, specifically the time He hung on the cross.
How did we get hot cross buns?
Most people agree that it was probably Brother Thomas Rodcliffe, a monk of St. Albans Abbey in England, who developed what we know today as the hot cross bun.
In the 14th century, he developed what he called the “Alban Bun” and on Good Friday would give them away to the poor.
The hot cross bun had further historical intrigue during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I in 1592 when she banned the sale of any spiced bun or bread except during Good Friday and (potentially) for burials.
Whether this was done out of a sense of duty to inhibit superstitious practices, or because she believed them to be a holy thing that shouldn’t be over used we might not ever know.
Popularized later by the nursery rhyme “Hot Cross Buns” – ‘one a penny, two a penny, hot cross buns,’ these rolls were commonly made in the home rather than sold in public.
Today, while the historical context might be lost on most of us, the hot cross bun is still a very popular food to find on the Easter table.
HAVING THE RIGHT TOOLS FOR THE JOB MAKES EVERYTHING EASIER!
Mixing bowl – I like to use metal mixing bowls, but really any mixing bowl will work just fine.
Spatula – Having a good silicone spatula to scrape the sourdough starter out of the jar is always handy!
Measuring Cups & Spoons – Every recipe needs a good set of measuring cups and spoons. Unless you are a free spirit, in which case, the only amount of measuring you may need is the quiet voice of your ancestors whispering ‘that’s enough child.’ 😉
Baking Dish – I like to use a pie plate or glass casserole dish, depending on how many rolls I intend to make (and how large).
Basting Brush – You will want a basting brush, or other similar brush, to coat the pre-baked rolls with the egg wash.
Einkorn Sourdough Hot Cross Bun Ingredients:
Rolls
3 1/2 cups all purpose einkorn flour (or 1 cup fresh ground and 2 1/2 cups all purpose)
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp all spice
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cardamom
1 cup milk
8 Tbsp butter
1 egg
1 cup sourdough starter (active)
1-2 Tbsp orange zest
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup raisins (can soak for a couple of hours, if desired)
Egg Wash
1 egg
1 Tbsp milk
Cross
Sweet
1/3 cup powdered sugar
2 Tbsp milk
Traditional
1/4 cup flour
2 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp butter (melted)
How to Make Einkorn Sourdough Hot Cross Buns:
First Day
Add all of the dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl and stir until combined.
Melt the butter and milk in a saucepan over medium low heat.
Take off heat as soon as butter is melted!
Then combine the rest of the wet ingredients in with the milk and butter mixture.
This is where it’s important to not have the butter/milk mixture too hot, otherwise it could start to cook the egg!
Pour the wet ingredients in with the dry and mix until just combined. Don’t over mix!
The dough will be shaggy/tacky, it’s totally fine!
Add in the raisins and gently fold in until they are well incorporated throughout the dough.
Then let the dough rest for approximately 30 minutes.
After the rest, knead the dough on a well floured surface until it is stretchy and pliable.
With einkorn this usually doesn’t take very long, and you should be careful not to overdo it otherwise the rolls could turn out hard and dense.
Put the dough back into an oiled (or floured) bowl, cover with a towel or plastic wrap and let sit overnight – 10-12 hours.
Day 2 – Baking Day
The next morning, take the dough and divide it into equal sized portions.
If you want larger rolls it will make 7-8. For smaller, you can get 12 easily! I personally prefer mine a little on the larger side.
Make sure to pull and tuck the dough until there is tension across the top of the roll. This allows it to rise better! Place in a greased pie plate or other glass baking dish, cover, and let rise for 2 hours.
After the rolls have risen for two hours, uncover and score the tops of the rolls in the shape of a small cross.
Brush egg wash over the tops of the rolls and then bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes, until the rolls are golden brown.
If using the traditional ‘glaze’ for the cross, you will want to go ahead and add that now, before baking so as to avoid a raw flour flavor in your finished rolls!
Once the rolls are done baking, let them cool before using the sweet glaze to make the cross design on the top. Otherwise, the glaze will just run everywhere and make a mess but no distinguishable design.
Part of scoring the rolls is to give the glaze a crevice to sit in rather than trying to run all over the place.
Some people like to brush the tops of the hot cross buns with fruit preserves while still warm to give them a little extra sweetness.
Personally, I prefer them without, but, there’s nothing to say you shouldn’t experiment and see what your family likes best! 😉
Final Thoughts
These hot cross buns are a favorite at our house! And we hope that they will be a hit at your Easter table this year too!
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Easy & Delicious Einkorn Sourdough Hot Cross Buns
Fluffy and sweet, this hot cross bun recipe has a slight sourdough tang. A traditional Easter treat, these spiced, long-fermented, rolls are extra easy to digest and especially delicious!
Ingredients
- Rolls
- 3 1/2 cups all purpose einkorn flour (or 1 cup fresh ground and 2 1/2 cups all purpose)
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 tsp all spice
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp cardamom
- 1-2 Tbsp orange zest
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup sourdough starter (active)
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 8 Tbsp butter
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup raisins (can soak for a couple of hours, if desired)
- Egg Wash
- 1 egg
- 1 Tbsp milk
- Cross
- Sweet
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
- 2 Tbsp milk
- Traditional
- 1/4 cup flour
- 2 Tbsp water
- 1 Tbsp butter (melted)
Instructions
1. Add all of the dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl and stir until combined.
2. Melt the butter and milk in a saucepan over medium low heat. Take off heat as soon as butter is melted!
3. Then combine the rest of the wet ingredients in with the milk and butter mixture.
This is where it's important to not have the butter/milk mixture too hot, otherwise it could start to cook the egg!
4. Pour the wet ingredients in with the dry and mix until just combined. Don't over mix! The dough will be shaggy/tacky, it's totally fine!
5. Add in the raisins and gently fold in until they are well incorporated throughout the dough. Then let the dough rest for approximately 30 minutes.
6. After the rest, knead the dough on a well floured surface until it is stretchy and pliable. With einkorn this usually doesn't take very long, and you should be careful not to overdo it otherwise the rolls could turn out hard and dense.
7. Put the dough back into an oiled (or floured) bowl, cover with a towel or plastic wrap and let sit overnight - 10-12 hours.
8. The next morning, take the dough and divide it into equal sized portions. If you want larger rolls it will make 7-8. For smaller, you can get 12 easily! I personally prefer mine a little on the larger side.
9. Make sure to pull and tuck the dough until there is tension across the top of the roll. This allows it to rise better! Place in a greased pie plate or other glass baking dish, cover, and let rise for 2 hours.
10. After the rolls have risen for two hours, uncover and score the tops of the rolls in the shape of a small cross.
11. Brush egg wash over the tops of the rolls and then bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes, until the rolls are golden brown.
12. If using the traditional 'glaze' for the cross, you will want to mix the ingredients and apply that now, before baking.
13. Once the rolls are done baking, let them cool before using the glaze to make the cross design on the top. Otherwise, the glaze will just run everywhere and make a mess but no distinguishable design.
Notes
Some people like to brush the tops of the hot cross buns with fruit preserves while still warm to give them a little extra sweetness.
Beautiful post! Thanks for sharing this recipe, yummm!
Love einkorn for my gut health, this recipes looks great. Thank you!
Looks so delicious & they’re cute! Looking forward to trying!