These chocolate orange hot cross buns are a delectable chocolatey twist on the classic Easter bread. Perfect for breakfast or a snack and completely vegan.
Flavoured with cocoa, orange zest, marmalade, chocolate chips, spice and dried fruit, these yeasted buns are packed with flavour and a decadent treat for Easter!
These are a delicious chocolatey twist on classic hot cross buns. The chocolate flavour comes from using cocoa powder in the bread dough, as well as adding plenty of chocolate chips so that every bite is chocolatey.
Orange zest, candied peel and a sticky marmalade glaze give the buns a hint of orange flavour that works perfectly with the chocolate, making them incredibly moreish!
Of course a hot cross bun is just a bun without the cross, fortunately they are really easy to do and are just made with a mixture of flour and water that you pipe on top of the risen buns before they go in the oven.
As with most homemade breads, these are best eaten on the day they are made but they are still good for a couple of days afterwards, especially if you serve them split and toasted with plenty of butter! They would make a fantastic Easter weekend breakfast or brunch or leave off the crosses and just make regular buns at any time of year.
Ingredient Details:
Oranges: You will need both the zest and juice so buy unwaxed if possible and scrub them really well before zesting.
Cocoa powder: Use a dutch processed cocoa rather than natural if possible.
Bread flour: As these chocolate orange hot cross buns are so heavily enriched it is best to use white bread flour rather than plain/all-purpose to help provide structure.
Instant/fast action yeast: I always prefer to use fast action yeast when making bread as it can just be added straight to the flour and doesn't need to be activated first.
Salt: You simply cannot make good bread without salt. Don't omit it.
Non-dairy milk: Soy milk is always my favourite for baking as it has the highest protein content so most closely resembles dairy milk. Any variety of non-dairy milk will work however, but go for an unsweetened one if you can.
Sugar: I use caster sugar in the dough as it dissolves easily; it can be swapped for granulated if that is all you have.
Vegan butter: A block variety rather than spreadable is best such as Flora plant butter or Naturli vegan block.
Mixed dried fruit: I use a shop bought mixture of raisins, sultanas, currants and candied peel but you can use whatever dried fruit you like, just chop it up first if you are using larger things like apricots or dates.
Mixed spice: For those of you not in the UK, mixed spice is a blend of sweet spices which is used in abundance in festive baking. It is similar to pumpkin spice but uses a different blend and is less heavy on the cinnamon. You can use any sweet spice blend such as pumpkin or apple pie spice instead.
Chocolate chips: Make sure that they are vegan friendly. You can also use a bar of roughly chopped chocolate instead.
Marmalade: Watered down strained marmalade makes a great shiny glaze for the buns whilst also adding an extra hint of orange flavour.
How To Make Chocolate Orange Hot Cross Buns:
(Full measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page)
- Step 1: Mix the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, mixed spice, salt, yeast, orange zest and juice and milk together to make a stiff but sticky dough. Knead for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
- Step 2: Knead in the butter a little at a time. The dough will be sticky. Use a bench scraper to shape it into a ball.
- Step 3: Place into an oiled bowl, cover and leave to rise until doubled in size.
- Step 4: Flatten the dough out into a rectangle and scatter over the dried fruit and chocolate chips; roll the dough up to enclose the filling then knead briefly.
- Step 5: Divide the dough into 15 equal pieces and shape each one into a ball by going round the piece of dough stretching the edges up and over the centre.
- Step 6: Pinch the edges together to seal them.
- Step 7: Flip the ball over so that it is seam side down, cup it with your hands on either side and roll it until it is smooth
- Step 8: Place the balls of dough slightly spaced apart in rows in the lined tin. Cover and leave to rise until puffy.
- Step 9: Pipe a mixture of flour and water on top of the risen buns to form the crosses.
- Step 10: Bake for 25 minutes.
- Step 11: Place the marmalade and a splash of water in a small pan; heat until the marmalade is melted. Press the marmalade through a fine mesh sieve to remove the peel.
- Step 12: Brush the warm buns generously with the marmalade glaze.
Top Tips:
For the best results make sure that you follow the recipe closely. As always, I highly recommend using the gram measurements (with a digital scale), rather than the cup conversions. Cup measurements are simply not accurate enough for baking and I cannot guarantee the best results if you use them.
If you want, you can split the work over two days – make the dough in the evening and let it rise the the fridge overnight then continue with the rest of the recipe in the morning. Allow the dough to rise at room temperature for a couple of hours before refrigerating it until it has risen but is not yet doubled.
If you have a stand mixer with a dough hook I would really recommend using it for this recipe. The dough is quite sticky and it’s much easier to work with in a mixer.
Make sure that your yeast hasn’t expired! Out of date yeast can lead to bread that doesn’t rise.
The rising time of the dough will vary depending on how warm it is; on hot days it will rise much faster than on cold ones. Beacuse this is such a heavily enriched dough it can take a long time to properly rise, be patient with it!
The best way to tell if bread is baked properly is to check the internal temperature with a probe thermometer. It should reach at least 94°C/201°F.
The hot cross buns are best eaten on the day they are baked but they will keep in an airtight container for a couple of days in which case they are best served toasted.
FAQ's:
Store the chocolate orange hot cross buns in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. I recommend warming them through gently before serving.
Yes they freeze really well. Allow them to cool completely then freeze on the day they are baked to preserve freshness, make sure that they are well wrapped to prevent freezer burn. Allow them to defrost at room temperature then refresh in a low oven for 5-10 minutes or in the microwave for 10-20 seconds before serving.
This is a very soft, sticky dough so I absolutely recommend using a stand mixer if you have one. You can knead it by hand if you don't have one, just be prepared to get a bit messy.
When kneading, you shouldn't flour the surface as you will end up incorporating too much flour and making the dough too dry. Instead, if the dough is sticking too much, you can lightly oil the worksurface and your hands to help, or just be prepared to get a bit sticky!
A bench scraper is incredibly handy when kneading dough by hand to unstick the dough from the surface.
No, I’m afraid that you cannot use gluten free flour. Making gluten free bread is tricky and the entire recipe would need reworking. Gluten free baking is not my area of expertise so I cannot advise you. It is best to use a recipe that is designed to be gluten free rather than trying to adapt a non gluten free recipe.
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Chocolate Orange Hot Cross Buns
Ingredients
Buns:
- 500 g (4 cups) white bread flour
- 45 g (½ cup) cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon mixed spice (pumpkin/apple pie spice)
- 10 g (1 ½ teaspoons) table salt
- 100 g (½ cup) caster or granulated sugar
- 12 g (4 teaspoons) fast action (instant) yeast
- 280 g (⅔ + ½ cup) unsweetened non-dairy milk (I use soy)
- finely grated zest of 2 large oranges
- 80 g (⅓ cup) orange juice
- 70 g (5 Tablespoons) vegan block butter softened
- 150 g (¾ cup) chocolate chips
- 150 g (1 cup) mixed dried fruit (I used a mix of raisins, sultanas, currants and candied peel)
Crosses:
- 3 heaped Tablespoons plain (all-purpose) flour
- 5 Tablespoons cold water
Glaze:
- 2 heaped Tablespoons marmalade
Instructions
- Place the bread flour in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook and add the cocoa powder, mixed spice, salt and sugar to one side and the yeast to the other. Mix it all together.500 g (4 cups) white bread flour, 45 g (½ cup) cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon mixed spice (pumpkin/apple pie spice), 10 g (1 ½ teaspoons) table salt, 100 g (½ cup) caster or granulated sugar, 12 g (4 teaspoons) fast action (instant) yeast
- Add the milk, orange zest and juice to the dry ingredients and stir until it forms a rough dough.280 g (⅔ + ½ cup) unsweetened non-dairy milk (I use soy), finely grated zest of 2 large oranges, 80 g (⅓ cup) orange juice
- Knead the dough on medium speed for about 6-7 minutes until smooth and elastic. Alternatively turn it out onto an un-floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes by hand until smooth and elastic. The dough should be quite firm but sticky to the touch.
- Knead in the butter a little at a time. The dough will become quite soft and sticky, keep kneading until it is smooth (it will still be very sticky). If you are kneading by hand use a bench scraper to scrape the dough off the work surface and shape it into a ball.70 g (5 Tablespoons) vegan block butter
- Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with clingfilm. Set aside to rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 2-3 hours.
- Flatten the risen dough out into a rectangle and scatter over the dried fruit and chocolate chips; roll the dough up to enclose the filling then knead briefly until they are well distributed. Line a 23 x 33 cm/9 x 13 in tin with baking paper.150 g (¾ cup) chocolate chips, 150 g (1 cup) mixed dried fruit (I used a mix of raisins, sultanas, currants and candied peel)
- Divide the dough into 15 equal pieces and shape each one into a ball by going round the piece of dough stretching the edges up and over the centre, keep going until you have a neat ball then pinch the edges together to seal them. Try and make sure that the dried fruit is inside the dough, not on the surface as it can burn in the oven. Flip the ball over so that it is seam side down, cup it with your hands on either side and roll it until it is smooth; you are trying to create surface tension but don't go so far that the surface tears.
- Place them slightly spaced apart in rows in the lined tin. Loosley cover with oiled clingfilm and set aside to rise until puffy, about 1-2 hours.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200°C/180℃ fan/400°F/gas mark 6. To make the crosses, place the flour in a bowl and slowly whisk in enough water to form a thick, pipe-able consistency; you are looking for something with a similar consistency to wallpaper paste. Place the paste in a disposable piping bag and snip off the very tip (or put it in a piping bag fitted with a small round nozzle).3 heaped Tablespoons plain (all-purpose) flour, 5 Tablespoons cold water
- Pipe a cross on the top of each risen bun then bake them for about 25 minutes. They should be well risen and browned; if you have a probe thermometer then the internal temperature should reach at least 94°C/201°F.
- While the buns are baking prepare the glaze. Place the marmalade and a splash of water in a small pan; heat while stirring until the marmalade is melted. Press the warm marmalade through a fine mesh sieve to remove the peel. Add a splash of boiling water as needed to make a brushable glaze consistency.2 heaped Tablespoons marmalade
- Once the buns are baked, remove them from the oven and brush the tops liberally with the glaze. Allow to cool for at least half an hour before serving.
Notes
- See post above for tips, details and step-by-step photos.
- For the best results make sure that you follow the recipe closely. As always, I highly recommend using the gram measurements (with a digital scale), rather than the cup conversions. Cup measurements are simply not accurate enough for baking and I cannot guarantee the best results if you use them.
- If you have a stand mixer with a dough hook I would really recommend using it for this recipe. The dough is quite sticky and it’s much easier to work with in a mixer.
- The best way to tell if bread is baked properly is to check the internal temperature with a probe thermometer. It should reach at least 94°C/201°F.
- The hot cross buns are best eaten on the day they are baked but they will keep in an airtight container for a couple of days in which case they are best served toasted.
Kathy
What size baking pan did you use?
hannahhossack
Hi Kathy, I think it was 25x35cm.
May
Made these today, and fair to say they did not disappoint. Yum.
Kristin
If I only have dry active yeast, how much longer do you think it would take for them to rise? And should I put in the same amount of yeast as specified above or more? These look amazing, and I can’t wait to try them!
hannahhossack
Hi Kristin, I would try adding an extra couple of grams of active dry yeast so a total of 16g or 5 level teaspoons. You will need to mix it with about a third of the milk, which should be lukewarm, and a pinch of the sugar and set it aside for about 15 minutes until it goes bubbly. Then proceed with the recipe as written. Apart from that the rising time shouldn't be dissimilar but it really depends on how warm it is so you'll just need to keep an eye on it. There are step by step photos in the post that show what the dough should look like. I hope you enjoy them!
Kristin
I just wanted to report back after trying this recipe. I did use 5 tsp of dry active yeast, and it seemed to turn out well. I felt like the dough was a little dry. I guess I'm used to most bread doughs being stickier. I mean, it was great kneading by hand, because it wasn't sticking to my hands or my pastry board at all. I think when I make them again, I'll add 3 - 3 1/2 cups bread flour instead of 4 cups (I did use the gram measurements, BTW) and see how it goes. I didn't add the dried fruit, since some of my sons said they would refuse to eat them if it was included. BUT, they all agreed that they liked this chocolate-orange version better than a more traditional hot cross bun that I had made the day before. These are really yummy, and I highly recommend splitting the bun in 2, and spreading butter on both sides. It makes them taste even better. Thanks for a great recipe, and for responding to my question.
June-Aloha
I made it with flax egg! I was afraid, but it turned out very and very fluffy! I only have small convection oven and no stand mixer, so, I made half the size of your recipe. Thank you!