You can’t beat a good bun! Milk Buns, Hot Cross Buns & how to get a super soft bun for every occasion

My go to Hot cross bun recipe that never lets you down, how to make your own piping bag, plus the milk bun of dreams.

You can’t beat a good bun.

I’ve just returned from Melbourne this week. I was lucky enough to be involved in a collab lunch with my mate Andy Allen and the Serai team as part of the Melbourne food and wine festival.

During the lunch there were several epic dishes with using buns. The first, a Davao style pigs head slider which was an absolute show stopper. Backed up by a "Kalderetang Kambing, Meredith milk fed goat kaldereta which I can’t stop thinking about, and was also served up with a couple of cheeky buns.

That goat dish(left) Pigs head sliders happening(right)

So I thought it rather timely to have a little dive into buns, different varieties, the secrets to achieving beautiful soft texture in a bun, how to make your on piping bag to get creative and the magic of tangzhong, a technique that takes buns to the next level.

But first up, as good old Easter is just around the corner, let’s get straight into hot cross buns.

Hot Cross Buns: A Spiced, Fruited Classic

Hot cross buns have to be are one of the most iconic Easter treats, sweet, spiced, and packed with dried fruit. Great enjoyed shortly after baking or toasted the next day with a butter and jam. Traditionally marked with a cross, although whenever we make them at home, I take requests from the kids on design, which usually ends up with hearts, initials and a grumpy man (which I hope isn’t aimed at me).

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What’s Inside a Hot Cross Bun?

1. Spices – Cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice give the buns their warming little kick.

2. Dried Fruit – Raisins, currants, and sultanas are classic, plus freshly grated citrus zest.

3. Enriched Dough – Like milk buns, hot cross buns contain butter, eggs, and milk for added richness.

4. Sticky Glaze – A sweet glaze gives them a glossy finish and added sweetness. I like to use hot honey, a citrus or stone fruit glaze. Cumquat jam, apricot or sour plum glaze are the go!

5. Variations - I quite like to trick up the flavour by replacing some of the traditional dried fruit for other flavours such as: Chocolate and pecan, apple and cinnamon, candied fennel and marmalade or burnt fig and rosemary.

Hot Cross Buns

Recipe makes 12 buns

410g bread flour (sifted) plus a little for dusting

Pinch of all spice, ground ginger + cinnamon + salt

210ml milk

1 egg

7g yeast

180g raisins

40g butter (melted)

40g brown sugar (or honey)

Zest of a mandarin or orange

Method

Sift flour into a bowl.

Foam yeast in a little of the warmed milk.

In a large bowl or stand mixer, ingredients, Knead the dough (by hand or with a dough hook) for about 8 minutes until it starts coming together.

Cover in a bowl, Prove until doubled in size. Knock back (punch down to remove the air) and shape into 12 buns.

Prove again (until almost doubled in size).

Mix a little flour and milk, to form a white paste around the same consistency as a slightly runny tooth paste. Pop in a piping bag and pipe on crosses or faces.

Bake at 200 degrees for around 20 minutes.

Brush with glaze, I used marmalade and a little honey.

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How to make a piping bag from baking paper:

I use a little piping bag to decorate the buns. These are easy to make, just don’t fill them over half way. They’re also great for piping happy birthday on plates using melted chocolate, which was my job as an apprentice chef, back in the day!

1. Cut a Triangle – Start with a square piece of baking paper and cut it diagonally to create two triangles.

2. Form a Cone – Hold one corner of the triangle and roll it towards the opposite corner, shaping it into a cone. Adjust the tip to make sure it’s closed tightly.

3. Secure the Cone – Once the cone shape is formed, overlap the edges at the top and fold them over to lock it in place. You can also use a small piece of tape to secure it.

4. Fill and Snip – Fill the piping bag with your mixture, twist the top to seal it, then snip the tip to the desired size for piping.