If you love hot cross buns and brioche cinnamon rolls this recipe is a delicious little mix up of them both. A good hint of orange with just the right amount of spices and fruit, a soft brioche like texture, coated with a sweet sticky glaze for pure deliciousness.
So if your looking for a new recipe this Easter hot cross scroll are a must try... Enjoy!
Making a dough at home can seem a little daunting but our recipe is fool proof. Similar to our homemade cinnabon recipe. The key is to be patient, take the time to knead and proof the dough fully. Especially with this brioche style recipe, working through the steps will produce a delicious texture and flavour. So let us walk you through it!
Ingredients
Fruit and spices creating the delicious flavour of hot cross buns:
- Currants, raisins, sultanas, orange, mixed peel, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, ground cloves and brown sugar.
For the brioche dough:
- Milk, dried yeast, plain (all purpose) flour, salt, egg, butter and oil.
The sweet cinnamon butter spread:
- Butter, ground cinnamon and brown sugar.
For the cross mixture:
- Flour and water.
Sweet, sticky glaze to finish:
- Sugar and orange juice.
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Step by step instructions
To make Easter hot cross scrolls:
- Soak the dried fruit - Grab a small bowl and add your currants, raisins and sultanas, squeeze in the juice of one orange and leave to soak.
- Activate the yeast - In a small pot add your milk and heat until lukewarm (skin temp) remove from the heat and add your dried yeast and set aside to activate.
- Knead and 1st proof - Grab a large mixing bowl or kitchen mixer and add the flour, spices, mixed peel, salt, your bowl of currants, raisins and sultanas plus the juice, brown sugar, egg, milk yeast mix, oil, zest and grate in the chilled butter. Incorporate all ingredients into a ball and knead for 5 minutes. Or if you are using a mixer, with dough hook, place on a low speed for 5 minutes until a dough has formed and is well kneaded. At this stage the dough is going to seem sticky, but this will change with proving. Remove the dough from your mixing bowl and place into a clean greased bowl and cover with cling wrap. Allow to prove for 2 hours or until the dough has doubled in size.
- For the cinnamon spread - While your dough if proving make your sweet butter cinnamon spread, add the sugar and cinnamon to the softened butter and mix until well combined.
- To create the scroll - Once your dough has doubled in size, line your baking tray with grease proof paper. Remove your proved dough from the bowl and place onto your lightly floured bench. Knock out the air and roll into a large rectangle (approx 40cm x 20cm) Spread your sweet butter spread over your rolled out dough then from the longer side roll evenly into a long log. Cut your rolled dough into 9 equal slices.
- 2nd Proof - Evenly place the slices scroll side up on your baking tray, leaving a 2cm gap between each bun. Set aside for the scond prove, this should take around 40 minutes, or until doubled in size. Pre heat your oven to 180°c / 356°f (fan forced).
- Make the cross paste - Now make your cross paste by combining your flour and water into a paste, place the mix into a plastic bag or piping bag and trim a little hole in the corner of the bag. Pipe your crosses onto your buns.
- Bake - Place your baking tray into the oven and bake for 25 – 30 minutes.
- For the glaze - While your scrolls are baking, make your glaze, simply add the juice of your orange and sugar into a small pot and heat until the sugar has dissolved. Set aside. Once your scrolls are lovely and golden brown remove from the oven and brush with your warm glaze.
- Allow to cool on a oven rack and ENJOY!
Tips from the chef
- How to proof (prove) dough
In professional kitchens, most pastry departments have proving ovens. But you can easily prove dough at home, if it's a warm day simple prove your dough in the bowl, in a warm place. But if it's a cool day you day also try, on the open oven door with the oven on a low temp, or by placing the dough in a bowl over a pre boiled pot of water, that has been taken off the heat.
Also try warming the flour, this will help in proving the bread. Place the flour in a warm oven (around 50 deg C) until warmed through.
- Freezing the dough
You can part prepare this recipe ahead or freeze some of the dough, to whip up at a later time. To do this prepare the dough up to cutting the scroll into nine pieces. You can then freeze the scrolls, in a well sealed container layered between baking paper.
Then when you are ready to cook them, defrost, continue with the second final proof, bake and enjoy. As a note, you need to allow time to fully defrost then prove until the scrolls have doubled in size.
Storage
These won't last long but store in an airtight container, with a layer of parchment paper at the bottom and keep in a cool, dry place.
FAQ
Brioche is a cross between pastry and bread dough. Compared with a standard bread, brioche dough also contains eggs, milk and butter. These additional ingredients create a rich bread with a soft texture and golden finish.
Shaping and proving the dough for a second time, allows the yeast and sugar more time to work, creating more gas to be trapped in the dough, giving your bread the best texture and flavour.
The cross is made using a water and flour paste that is piped on to the buns just before baking.
So if hot cross buns and cinnamon rolls are your thing, you are going to love these delicious little treats.
Love this dish? Please leave us a review below. And come join us on social, tag us in your delicious photos Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest. Hungry for more deliciousness? Subscribe to our newsletter, to receive our latest e-recipe book and never miss another ATK recipe!
Our goal is to share simple, tasty dishes created by Chef Shane and partner, Sara. Using Shane's understanding of flavours and knowledge of food, to teach and inspire you to create delicious food everyday and gain a new level of confidence in the kitchen. Sara understands what it's like preparing weekly dinners for a busy family of five and likes to create dishes that are easy, full of flavour and that the whole family will enjoy.
Happy baking!
First published 29th March 2021.
Recipe
Easter Hot Cross Scrolls
Ingredients
- 50 g Currants (1.8 oz)
- 50 g Raisins (1.8 oz)
- 100 g Sultanas (3.5 oz)
- 1 Orange Juice and zest
- 50 g Candied mixed peel (1.8 oz)
- 200 ml Milk (6.8 Fluid oz)
- 3 teaspoon Dried yeast
- 420 g Plain (all purpose) flour (14.8 oz)
- 2 ½ teaspoon Ground cinnamon
- 1 ½ teaspoon Ground nutmeg
- ¾ teaspoon Ground allspice
- ½ teaspoon Ground cloves
- ¾ teaspoon Salt
- 60 g Brown sugar (2.1 oz)
- 1 Egg
- 60 g Unsalted butter Chilled (2.1 oz)
- 1 tablespoon Canola oil
Sweet Cinnamon Butter Spread
- 150 g Butter Softened (5.3 oz)
- ½ teaspoon Ground cinnamon
- 40 g Brown sugar (1.4 oz)
Cross Mixture
- 50 g Flour (1.8 oz)
- 45 ml Water (1.5 fl oz)
Glaze
- 140 g Sugar (4.9 oz)
- 1 Orange Juice only
Instructions
Soak the dried fruit:
- Grab a small bowl and add your currants, raisins and sultanas, squeeze in the juice of one orange and leave to soak.
Activate the yeast:
- In a small pot add your milk and heat until luke warm (skin temp) remove from the heat and add your dried yeast and set aside to activate.
Prepare the dough:
- Grab a large mixing bowl or kitchen mixer and add the flour, spices, mixed peel, salt, your bowl of currants, raisins and sultanas plus the juice, brown sugar, egg, milk yeast mix, oil, zest and grate in the chilled butter.
- Incorporate all ingredients into a ball and knead for 5 minutes. Or if you are using a mixer, with dough hook, place on a low speed for 5 minutes until a dough has formed and is well kneaded. (See note 1)
- Remove the dough from your mixing bowl and place into a clean greased bowl and cover with cling wrap. Allow to proof for 2 hours or until the dough has doubled in size.
For the cinnamon spread:
- While your dough if proofing make your sweet butter cinnamon spread, add the sugar and cinnamon to the softened butter and mix until well combined.
Create the scroll:
- Once your dough has doubled in size, line your baking tray with grease proof paper. Remove your dough from the bowl and place onto your lightly floured bench.
- Knock out the air and roll into a large rectangle (approx 40cm x 20cm)
- Spread your sweet butter spread over your rolled out dough then from the longer side roll evenly into a long log.
- Cut your rolled dough into 9 equal slices.
Second final proof
- Evenly place the slices scroll side up on your baking tray, leaving a 2cm gap between each bun. Set aside for the scond prove, this should take around 40 minutes, or until doubled in size.
- Pre heat your oven to 180°c / 356°f (fan forced)
Make the cross:
- Now make your cross paste by combining your flour and water into a paste, place the mix into a plastic bag or piping bag and trim a little hole in the corner of the bag. Pipe your crosses onto your buns.
Bake:
- Place your baking tray into the oven and bake for 25 - 30 minutes
Glaze:
- While your scrolls are baking, make your glaze, simply add the juice of your orange and sugar into a small pot and heat until the sugar has dissolved. Set aside.
- Once your scrolls are lovely and golden brown remove from the oven and brush with your warm glaze. Allow to cool on a oven rack. ENJOY!
Gina
This is such a great recipe! As a fan of both I'm all for this combination. I know everyone is going to love it at Easter!
Anjali
Love this special celebratory dish for Easter!! We made them in advance of the holiday this week just to test them out, and they were gone within minutes!
Ieva
What a fun idea! I find eating scrolls so much more satisfying than the regular buns! Loved that you use allspice in your hot cross buns - it's the best spice for festive bakes 🙂