You can't go wrong with this very easy No-Knead Hot Cross Buns recipe this Easter. It's virtually foolproof!
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"I made this last night and baked them this morning. They were soooo good!!! Thanks for making our Easter Sunday breakfast so special. I had bought store-made hot cross buns but felt bad about not having the real thing when I found your recipe and saw that I did not need to be in the kitchen for hours for this to work."
- Maria ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ More reviews →
Have you ever made your own Hot Cross Buns at Easter? No, because you think it's difficult? Well, think again, because you are about to make No Knead Hot Cross Buns like a boss!
And if you are already a bit of a seasoned Hot Cross bun maker, give my more traditional Vegan Hot Cross Buns a try!
If you have made my Easy No Knead Focaccia Bread then you will know just how good no-knead bread can be. That recipe is so popular and everyone who tries it loves it. The same goes for my No Knead Cinnamon Pull Apart Bread. They were both adapted from this No Knead Hot Cross Buns recipe and are all as easy as each other.
How To Make No-Knead Hot Cross Buns
There are just a few steps involved when making No Knead Hot Cross Buns and most of them will be you stepping away during all of the hands-off time where you do not have to do a single thing. Let's break it down:
- Toast the nuts in the oven for 10 minutes. (This is optional - you don't have to use nuts if you don't have any or are nut-free).
- Throw everything in one mixing bowl and mix it up really well with a wooden spoon.
- Cover, walk away, and don't return for 6 to 9 hours. It will be fine for anything between those times. You do not need to babysit it. I usually mix it up right before bed so it's ready to go in the morning. Or you could do it just before you leave for work in the morning and finish when you get home.
- Turn out onto a clean lightly floured surface, cut into 10 even pieces, shape into balls, then place on a baking sheet. Cover with the damp towel again. Make a drink and go put your feet up for 30 minutes.
- Mix up the flour and water for the crosses, pipe it across the top of each bun, then bake.
- Brush with the glaze while hot then cool. I'll forgive you if you eat one at this stage.
SUCCESS TIP - Please note that when baking, I always recommend using a digital kitchen scale. Cups are not anywhere near accurate enough for the best and consistent results. Purchasing one will make a HUGE difference to the outcome of your baked goods and is worth every penny!
The smell in your house while they bake will be unbelievable and when they are done, the No Knead Hot Cross Buns will be golden, shiny, soft and fluffy.
And you? You will be really proud of yourself and fighting the urge to eat the whole batch warm and slathered in melty vegan butter.
I hope you have a lovely Easter, full of happy baking. Be sure to make some vegan creme eggs too!
Recipe FAQs
It is possible to make these hot cross buns without the oil but bear in mind that the oil gives them a softer, fluffier crumb. lt also acts as a preservative so the hot cross buns will stale much more quickly without it. If you know you will be eating them quickly then this won't be a problem. If you won't eat them quickly I would advise freezing them and removing as you need them. It is very important that if you don't use the oil, you make up for the lost liquid by using an extra 60ml (4 tablespoons) of water.
Recipe
No Knead Hot Cross Buns
Author:Ingredients
For the buns
- ⅓ cup (50 grams) whole hazelnuts (OPTIONAL) , roughly chopped into large pieces, (optional but they add great texture and flavour)
- 4 cups (500 grams) all purpose white flour or bread flour , in the UK use strong flour
- 2½ teaspoons instant or quick yeast , sometimes labelled fast yeast
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom , (OPTIONAL but adds a nice flavour)
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
- 4 tablespoons white or cane sugar
- 1½ cups (265 grams) mixed dried fruit , such as golden raisins, sultanas, cranberries, chopped apricot (chocolate chips work well too!)
- zest of 1 lemon
- zest of 1 orange
- ⅓ cup (80 ml) oil or melted vegan butter , such as coconut oil, vegetable oil, or canola oil.
- 1 cup (240 ml) unsweetened dairy-free milk
- ¾ cup (180 ml) water
For the crosses
- 5 tablespoons all purpose white flour
- enough water to make a thick pipe-able paste
For the glaze
- 2 tablespoons white or cane sugar
- 2 tablespoons boiling water
RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT
INSTRUCTIONS
IF USING HAZELNUTS
- Preheat oven to 350 °F (175°c). Pour the raw hazelnuts onto a baking tray and roast for about 10 mins. Shake the pan after 5 mins and keep an eye on them as they can burn fast. Remove from the oven and cool.
FOR THE HOT CROSS BUNS
- In a large bowl, add the flour, yeast, spices, salt, and sugar then mix together. Add the dried fruit, cooled hazelnuts, and lemon and orange zest.
- Add the oil, milk, and water. Stir really well with a spoon until everything is combined and there is no dry flour visible. It will be a sticky lumpy-looking mess. That's fine.
- Cover with a wet dish towel, or cling wrap and leave on the kitchen counter for a minimum of 6 hours and a maximum of 9 hours. Do not refrigerate and do not leave anywhere extra warm. Just normal room temperature is fine. However, if the temperature in your house is consistently above 22 ° C (72 °F) then just leave it for 5 hours.
- After the time has elapsed the dough will be swollen and puffy. Dust a clean, dry, work surface with some flour and turn the dough out onto it making sure you scrape the bowl out well. Try not to tear the dough as you're getting out as it will damage the gluten structure that has developed. It will be sticky but that is normal.
- Dust the top of the dough lightly with some flour then form it into a rough round and cut into 10 evenly sized pieces.
- Shape each piece into a smooth ball using floured hands. I do this by having the ball of dough on the surface in front of me and use my hands to pull down all around, squeezing it tight underneath. Place the buns gently on a lightly floured, or parchment-lined baking sheet. Have them so they all gently touch each other.
- Cover with the damp dish towel (run it under the tap then wring it out) and leave for 30 minutes while you preheat the oven to 400 °F (200°C)
- After 30 minutes has passed, make the flour and water paste for the crosses. Add enough water to the 5 tablespoons of flour to make a thick pipe-able paste. Remove the towel from the buns, fill a piping bag or piping syringe ( or a ziplock bag with a small cut in one corner) with the paste and pipe a cross shape on each bun.
- Place the buns in the oven and bake for around 20 minutes. Once done they should be starting to turn golden and if you tap one on the bottom it should sound hollow.
- Remove from the oven and immediately mix up the glaze. 2 tablespoons of sugar with 2 tablespoons of boiling water. Stir until the sugar dissolves then brush the top of each bun really generously.
- Transfer to a cooling rack and be sure to eat one while it's hot!
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Marie says
What a big payout for little effort! I can see these appearing without the crosses throughout the year! So delish, thank you!
Lily says
I made these this week and my family absolutely loved them! The mixture took five minutes to whip together and I put in a random array of dried fruit and nuts (cranberries, dates, prunes, desiccated coconut and brazil nuts). I accidentally left the mixture for nine hours but it turned out fine, I just dolloped it on to a baking tray and went for it. I was too lazy to do the crosses! They're fabulous both toasted and untoasted. I'm not sure how long they last in reality as we ate them all in a few days! Thanks so much for this easy recipe, we'll definitely be making them again.
Karen says
Made this as free form loaf. Lovely raisin bread toast. Even better as French toast.
Melanie McDonald says
Oh yes, doesn't it make the best French toast? My fave! So pleased you enjoyed the recipe!
Amanda Jones says
I'm a mobile care worker for social services in Austria(originally from UK) & my patients love it when I make traditional "English" things for them to try, for Christmas, Easter etc , so these will definitly be on my list as I'm working & on call over Easter
Cassandra says
I’ve made this and they were great.