You know it’s Easter at my place when the aroma of sweet sticky hot cross buns spiked with cinnamon, sultanas and orange glaze hangs in the air. I look forward to the annual ritual of filling the house with that festive spicy scent.
You no longer have to opt out of this Easter tradition just because you are gluten intolerant. My gluten free hot cross buns are quite simple to prepare. The addition of baking powder helps the buns rise and and the eggs help bind the buns. For a modern twist feel free to replace the sultanas with your favourite chocolate chips.
Warning. The orange glaze that is brushed over the hot buns is so delicious you will be tempted to consume a few spoonfuls. Serve buns warm with lashings of butter and I guarantee your friends won’t even know they are gluten free. Happy Easter.
- Buns
- 1 tbs dry yeast
- 100g or ½ cup caster sugar
- 375g or 1½ cups lukewarm milk
- 600g or 4⅔ cups Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 plain gluten free baking flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- ½ tsp xantham gum
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp all spice
- 2 eggs
- 50g melted butter
- Zest of 1 orange
- 1 cup sultanas or raisins
- Cross Paste
- 65g or ½ cup Bob's Red Mill plain gluten free baking flour
- 1 tsp caster sugar
- 50g or 3 tbs water
- Orange Glaze
- 2 tbs caster sugar
- Pinch of cinnamon
- Juice of 1 orange
- ½ tsp orange zest
- Extra flour for dusting
- Combine yeast, milk and sugar in a small bowl and sit for 15 minutes until yeast starts to foam.
- Add dry sifted ingredients to a mixing bowl with paddle attachment.
- Add yeast mixture, eggs, butter and orange rind to the dry ingredients and mix on medium speed for 1 minute.
- Add sultanas and mix low speed until combined.
- Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover tightly with cling wrap. Set aside in a warm place for 1 hr to allow dough to rise.
- Turn dough onto a well floured surface. Knead dough into a smooth ball. Cut dough into 12 equal portions and roll into 12 balls. If balls are very sticky dust with a little extra flour. Place balls side by side in a baking paper lined 20 cm square cake tin.
- Mix cross ingredients in a small bowl and place into a piping bag. Pipe crosses over buns.
- Bake in 200C oven for 20 min or until golden.
- Whilst buns are baking prepare glaze by combining sugar, cinnamon and orange juice in a small saucepan and simmering for 3 minutes. Cool.
- Brush hot buns with orange glaze. Serve warm with butter.
- Combine yeast, milk and sugar in a small bowl and sit for 15 minutes until yeast starts to foam.
- Add dry ingredients to Thermomix bowl and mix 3 sec/speed 5.
- Add yeast mixture, eggs, butter and orange rind to the dry ingredients and mix 1 min/speed 5 scraping down bowl halfway.
- Add sultanas and mix 10 sec/speed 4/reverse mode.
- Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover tightly with cling wrap. Set aside in a warm place for 1 hr to allow dough to rise.
- Turn dough onto a well floured surface. Knead dough into a smooth ball. Cut dough into 12 equal portions and roll into 12 balls. If balls are very sticky dust with a little extra flour. Place balls side by side in a baking paper lined 20 cm square cake tin.
- Mix cross ingredients in a bowl and place into a piping bag. Pipe crosses over buns.
- Bake in 200C oven for 20 min or until golden.
- Prepare glaze by combining sugar, cinnamon and orange juice in Thermomix bowl and mix Varoma/3 min/speed 3.
- Brush hot buns with orange glaze. Serve warm with butter.
These look good! Definitely going to give them a try!
Good luck Bree and good luck staying away from that orange glaze!
These look so good! I can’t wait to try them. I love to use pre-mixed flour blends rather than make them myself and look forward to browsing through your blog 🙂
Thanks Jason. Enjoy!
These look fantastic! We have quite a list of food intolerances in our house & can’t use packaged gluten-free flours – do you have any hints for what to use instead? (we have to steer clear of rice & soy as well ?). Fingers crossed!
Hi Sarah,
Thanks for your email. If you can’t use packaged gluten free flours due to other allergies you can make your own. If rice flour is a no no I would mix a combination of white starchy flour for bulk (potato, tapioca) and wholegrain flour for protein (buckwheat, millet, quinoa). Start with a 60 white/40 wholegrain ratio and see how you go. I would also add xantham gum to the mix to add some stretchiness if you are able to tolerate it.Good luck!!
Thanks so much -I know what my project is for this wet weekend!
Hi, thanks for a delicious looking alternative to shop bought dry hot x buns. Could you plus let me know if this can be part prepared in advance so I can bake them in the morning for breakfast? For instance could I leave the dough proofing over night then roll into buns in the morning then the 1/2 hr rise and bake? Thank you ?
Hi Fiona,
Yes you could. Just ensure you keep the dough covered tightly so it doesn’t dry. I would use cling wrap and a towel for double protection. Happy Easter.
Thank you! ? I’m on the case today.
Can the dough be left overnight and cooked in the morning?
I would not recommend this, it is best to make and bake on the same day or the structure and flavour of the buns will be compromised.
I have been on the search for a really good gluten free hot cross bun recipe – and I have found it here! The recipe I printed off was slightly different to the one printed here – I did the Thermomix version and found it was very dry whilst mixing so added an extra egg. I was worried it may not turn out ok, but they looked, smelled and tasted fabulous. Definitely a keeper! Hopefully they freeze ok in time for Easter. Thank you for the recipe – appreciate it.
Hi Janet
Glad to hear you loved my gluten free hot cross bun recipe. Happy Easter!!
About to make some hot cross buns, first time ever.
You have Bobs Red Mill flour in the recipe.
Is there any way to make my own GF flour which will be the equivalent of Bob’s Red Mill?
Just HATE buying anything online – especially food products.
Thanks Helen. Just love your recipes.
Denise if you love Bob’s flour may I suggest you use the ingredients on the back of the pack as your guide? Sweet rice flour and brown rice flour appear to be the two biggest ingredients so why don’t you make up 70% of your flour mix with a combo of these two and add a smaller percentage of the other ingredients.
Hi Helen,
I made these this morning Good Friday in Sydney Australia.
They are so delicious and love the orange glaze over the top too.
Thank you for a lovely gluten free recipe 😋
Fantastic Nina, Happy Easter.
These hot cross buns are incredible! They rose so well and had an amazing texture. I have tried making gf hot cross buns in the past without success but these were fantastic. Definitely a keeper.
Fantastic, glad you loved the gluten free hot cross bun recipe.
Oh my! I kept the leftover glaze and made the last bun into French toast for Easter Monday breakfast. Drizzled with that sweet orange glaze, it was amazing! Thanks for sharing the recipe, Helen. Happy Easter to you and your family.
Happy gluten free Easter to you! xxx