Deliciously soft and full of chocolate chunks these Chocolate Hot Cross Buns are perfect for your Easter Brunch! Filled with warm spices and orange zest, easily made the night before and baked fresh in the morning! We enjoy them all year round!
Easter time and Christmas time always mean Hot Cross Buns. And while traditional Hot Cross Buns are fabulous, chocolate is always better than raisins.
But feel free to use raisins in this recipe instead of chocolate for a more traditional hot cross buns recipe.
Making bread from scratch is one of my favorite things, there is nothing like freshly baked bread. This recipe requires two rises, you can do that all together or you can do the first rise and store the rolls in the fridge overnight and do the second rise and baking the next morning.
While fresh bread is, of course, best the first day its baked hot cross buns are delicious a few days later toasted with a nice slather of butter!
Sometimes we brush melted apricot jam on top of the rolls for an extra sweet layer, scrumptious!
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Ingredients Needed
- Milk, warmed
- Egg, at room temperature
- Butter, melted
- All-Purpose Flour/ Plain Flour
- Granulated Sugar/ Caster Sugar
- Rapid-Rise Yeast/ Quick Rise
- Salt
- Ground Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Cloves, Ginger, & Allspice
- Orange Zest
- Chocolate Chunks
How do you make them
In a medium bowl add the warm milk, room temperature eggs, melted butter, and vanilla extract.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook or a large bowl add the flour, granulated sugar, yeast, salt, and spices, mix for 1 minute. With the mixer on low slowly add the milk-butter mixture and continue mixing until the dough comes together.
Turn the mixer speed to medium-high and let the dough hook work the dough for roughly ten minutes or so. If you are doing this by hand expect it to take closer to 15 minutes.
While the dough is kneading grease a large bowl and set it aside.
Your dough is ready when it is smooth and elastic, you may need to hand knead in the orange zest and chocolate chunks.
Place dough in greased bowl and flip dough over so all the surface of the dough is greased, place a tea towel or plastic wrap on top and let the dough rise until doubled in size, roughly 2 hours*
After dough has doubled in size turn out on to a floured surface and cut into 12 equal pieces.
I cut it into 4 pieces then each piece into 3 creating 12. Grease a 9"X13" pan and set aside. Take each piece and turn into a smooth ball by pinching each corner into the center.
Place seam side down and repeat with remaining pieces. Cover with a tea towel or plastic wrap and place in a warm environment to rise until doubled in size, and the dough balls are now touching each other. Roughly 1 hour.
When the buns have risen, preheat oven to 350F/180C. In a small bowl mix together the egg and water, using a pastry brush brush the tops of each roll.
In another small bowl mix together the flour and water to make a flour paste, once it is in a paste transfer to a piping bag fitted with a small round tip- pipe a horizontal line down the center of each row of rolls then pipe vertical rows down the center of each roll to create the crosses.
Place the pan in the preheated oven and bake for 23-26 minutes or until golden brown.
Let cool for 20 minutes before attempting to break apart. Best served with warm with butter.
Can you make chocolate hot cross buns ahead of time?
Totally. There are two rises with this recipe so just like with my cinnamon rolls I prepare these the night before up to the step where the buns are rolled and placed in the baking dish. I wrap the dish tightly in plastic wrap and store in the fridge overnight, then I take the dish out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature and rise for 1 hour before baking.
Can you freeze chocolate hot cross buns?
Yes, I have frozen both baked and unbaked rolls.
Reheat baked chocolate hot cross buns by letting them thaw in the fridge overnight then warming in the oven at 350F/180C for 5-10 minutes.
To bake frozen rolls, let the rolls thaw in the fridge overnight and let rise for 1 hour at room temperature before baking.
Can I make this recipe with currants or raisins?
Of course, traditional hot cross buns are made with raisins, currants, or even cranberries. I tend to like chocolate more! But you do you! 🙂
More British Recipes
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★★★★★ Please let me know if you make this recipe by leaving a star rating and comment below!
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Chocolate Hot Cross Buns
Deliciously soft and full of chocolate chunks these Chocolate Hot Cross Buns are perfect for your Easter Brunch! Step-by-step photos teach you how to make these classic buns! Filled with warm spices and orange zest, easily made the night before and baked fresh in the morning! We enjoy these hot cross buns all year round!
- Total Time: 3 hours 56 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
Ingredients
- 6oz (¾ Cup) Warmed Milk (120F/49C)
- 3 Large Eggs, at room temp.
- 3oz (6 Tablespoons) Butter, melted
- 2 Teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
- 500 grams (4 Cups) All-Purpose Flour/ Plain Flour
- 100 grams (½ Cup) Granulated Sugar
- 2 ¼ Teaspoons (1 American Packet) Rapid-Rise Yeast
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- ½ Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- ¼ Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg, Cloves, Ginger
- ½ Teaspoon Allspice
- 2 Tablespoons Fresh Orange Zest, roughly 2 medium oranges
- 6oz Semi-Sweet or Dark Chocolate Chunks
Topping
- 1 Large Egg
- Splash of Water
- 62 grams (½ Cup) All-Purpose Flour/ Plain Flour
- 2oz (¼ Cup) Water
Instructions
- In a medium bowl add warm milk, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla extract. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook or a large bowl add the flour, granulated sugar, yeast, salt, and spices, mix for 1 minute. With the mixer on low slowly add the milk mixture and continue mixing until the dough comes together. Turn the mixer speed to medium-high and let the dough hook work the dough for roughly ten minutes or so. If you are doing this by hand expect it to take closer to 15 minutes.
- While dough is kneading grease a large bowl and set aside.
- Once the dough is smooth and elastic hand knead in the orange zest and chocolate chunks. Place dough in greased bowl and flip dough over so all the surface of the dough is greased, place a tea towel or plastic wrap on top and let the dough rise until doubled in size, roughly 2 hours*
- After dough has doubled in size turn out on to a floured surface and cut into 12 equal pieces. I cut it into 4 pieces then each piece into 3 creating 12. Grease a 9"X13" pan and set aside. Take each piece and turn into a smooth ball by pinching each corner into the center. Place seam side down and repeat with remaining pieces. Cover with a tea towel or plastic wrap and place in a warm environment to rise until doubled in size, and the dough balls are now touching each other. Roughly 1 hour.
- When buns have risen, preheat oven to 350F/180C. In a small bowl mix together the egg and water, using a pastry brush brush the tops of each roll.
- In another small bowl mix together the flour and water to make a flour paste, once it is in a paste transfer to a piping bag fitted with a small round tip- pipe a horizontal line down the center of each row of rolls then pipe vertical rows down the center of each roll to create the crosses. Place in preheated oven and bake for 23-26 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for 20 minutes before attempting to break apart. Best served with warm with butter.
Notes
*I turn my oven on to 200F and then turn it off and place the dough bowl in the oven so the dough can rise in a warm environment.
- Prep Time: 3 Hours 30 Minutes
- Cook Time: 26 Minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: English
Keywords: hot cross buns, bread recipe, chocolate bread
Karla says
Delicious! Used raisins and dried cranberries instead of chocolate and they were amazing!
★★★★★
Meredith says
I cannot wait to make these again for Easter sunday this weekend!
★★★★★
Megan says
This was my first experience baking and eating hot cross buns. They are AMAZING! I was a little nervous going into it because I don’t have much experience working with yeast. This recipe was very easy to follow! Reading through Elizabeth’s steps before hand and during really helped. The flavor combination of the spices, orange, and chocolate is so so good. I can’t wait to make these a tradition for our family! Thanks Elizabeth!
★★★★★
Elizabeth Waterson says
Thank you so much for the detailed review Megan. It makes me so happy to read that the step-by-step photos helped you along the way. XX Liz