Simple Overnight Hot Cross Buns

Spiced with a dash of nutmeg and freshly grated orange zest, these hot cross buns are perfectly sweet and such a treat! Find step-by-step instructions below for making hot cross buns from scratch two ways: overnight and same day.

Just as Holly’s challah can be twisted into babka and Nigella’s Danish pastry can be spiraled into croissants, cinnamon roll dough can be rolled into hot cross buns.

Here, I’ve used a simple sweet dough recipe as a base, adding a few dashes of nutmeg and freshly grated orange zest, both of which impart warmth and spice to the buns.

Hot Cross Buns are traditionally served for breakfast on Good Friday, and while you certainly could rise early on that morning and make them start to finish, a better idea is to start the dough the day beforehand. The pan of shaped buns can spend the night in the fridge, and on the morning of Good Friday, all you’ll need to do is pop the pan in the oven and relax with the paper while the smell of orange-scented sweet buns fills the air.

How to Make Overnight Hot Cross Buns, Step by Step

Gather your ingredients: Flour, salt, sugar, instant yeast, nutmeg, orange (for the zest), milk, egg, and melted butter:

Place all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl:

And whisk to combine:

Whisk together the milk, egg, and melted butter:

Then add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients:

Mix with a spatula until you have a shaggy dough ball:

Then turn the dough out onto a floured work surface, reserving the bowl …

… and knead briefly, about 60 seconds, until the dough comes together in a cohesive mass:

Return the dough to the bowl and slick with oil to coat:

Cover the bowl and let it rise in a warm or draft-free area for 2 to 3 hours:

The dough will not have doubled in volume, but it will be poofier and feel light to the touch:

Turn out onto a floured work surface:

Then divide each into 9 portions:

If you’d like to be precise, each portion should weigh roughly 101-102 grams:

Ball up each portion:

Then transfer to a buttered 9- or 10-inch baking dish:

At this point, you can let the dough rise at room temperature, or you can cover the pan or stick it in a large ziptop bag and place in the fridge overnight:

The following morning or the next, remove the pan from the fridge:

And let the dough rise at room temperature while the oven preheats the pan. The balls are ready for the oven once they are filling the pan and feel light to the touch. Brush with an egg wash:

Then bake @ 375ºF for 25-30 minutes:

Out of the oven, if you wish, you can brush the buns with a very simple orange glaze: I just the clementine I use for its zest, and stir in an equal amount of sugar (roughly 2 tablespoons juice and 2 tablespoons sugar):

Brushing the glaze over the just-baked buns gives them the loveliest sheen:

While the buns cool, make the icing for the cross: cream together cream cheese, confectioners sugar, vanilla and salt.

Using a ziplock bag with the corner snipped or a piping bag, pipe a cross across each bun:

Transfer to a board for serving, if you wish:

If you wish to add currants or raisins, see the recipe notes for details.

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