Gluten Free Hot Cross Buns Recipe

Adapting my Whole Grain Gluten Free Dinner Rolls Recipe, enabled me to whip these gluten free hot cross buns up in no time. While the dough rose, I was able to make a delicious dinner. This gluten free hot cross buns recipe only takes about 10 minutes to bake. It all worked out perfectly and it can for you, too. These are so much less work than making Fluffy Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls, though I enjoy those, as well.

Note: See the whole grain rolls recipe at the above link for a photo of the inside texture of these buns.

Gluten Free Hot Cross Buns

51

Yield: Makes 9 gluten free hot cross buns

Gluten Free Hot Cross Buns

Tender, delicious gluten free hot cross buns to start or end your day...with a smile.

Ingredients:

    For the Gluten Free Hot Cross Buns:
  • 3/4 cup sorghum flour (or oat flour)
  • 3/4 cup potato starch
  • 1/2 cup cornstarch
  • 1/4 cup non-fat milk powder (or dairy-free substitute)
  • 2 Tablespoon flax seed meal* (optional)
  • 2 1/4 teaspoon instant dry yeast
  • 2 teaspoons gluten free baking powder (Rumford's)
  • 2 teaspoons xanthan gum (or guar gum)
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/3 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/3 cup currants
  • 3/4 cup non-fat gluten-free Greek yogurt (FAGE)
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup neutral flavored cooking oil (I used light olive oil)
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 3/4 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 egg yolk, for egg wash
  • 1 Tablespoon milk, for egg wash
  • 1 Tablespoon butter, melted
  • For the Glaze:
  • 2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
  • 2 Tablespoons milk of choice
  • 1/4 teaspoon gated lemon zest, minced
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions:

    To Make Gluten Free Hot Cross Buns:
  1. Oil a 9x9-inch baking pan or 9 cups of a 12-cup muffin tin; and set aside.
  2. Add the sorghum flour, potato starch, cornstarch, non-fat milk powder, flax seed meal, yeast, baking powder, xanthan gum, baking soda, and salt to the bowl of your mixer.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the yogurt, honey, oil, eggs and vinegar.
  4. Add the wet to the dry ingredients; and beat on high speed and until thoroughly combined.
  5. Add and stir in the currants.
  6. Oil a large, clean bowl, add dough, cover, and allow to rise for about 40 minutes or until doubled in size.
  7. Once the dough rises, dust your hands with starch. Scoop a slightly heaping 1/4 cup of dough from the bowl and shape into a ball. Add the ball to the prepared pan. Continue this process, until all dough is used up. Set aside to rise another 30 minutes.
  8. Position the rack in your oven to the center shelf and preheat to 350ºF.
  9. Once the rolls rise, make the egg wash by whisking the egg yolk and milk together. Using a pastry brush, baste the tops of the rolls with the egg wash.
  10. Bake them for about 10 minutes. Then change the oven's temperature to high broil; and baste the rolls with the melted butter and cook until their tops turn golden brown, about 30 seconds.
  11. While the buns are baking, make the glaze: Stir together confectioners' sugar, milk, lemon zest and vanilla until smooth. Transfer icing to a ziplock bag with the tip cut off, or a pastry bag fitted with a small tip. Don't forget to broil the buns for a few seconds to 1 minute to brown more.
  12. Remove the buns from the oven. If desired, baste again with butter to add a sheen and a rich buttery flavor.
  13. Pipe icing on top of the buns in the shape of a cross.
  14. Serve warm and freeze in separate bags in resealable freezer bags. Alternatively, freeze them in a single layer, uncovered. Once frozen, store in a large gallon freezer bag.

Tips

*When you use golden ground flax seeds/meal, it doesn't really show up in the dough once baked. However, brown flax seed meal does show. Check out the inside of the buns (without raisins and less honey) at Whole Grain gluten Free Dinner Rolls.

6 Replies to “Gluten Free Hot Cross Buns Recipe”

  1. I made these yesterday and although they taste wonderful they were heavy and a bit on the dry side. Any suggestions? I want to get these right!
    Thanks,
    Cindy

    1. Cindy,

      Sorry to hear that. Perhaps when you measured you scooped the dry ingredients instead of mixing the dry ingredients to fluff them up and then spooning them into dry measuring cups. (Dry measuring cups are those individual sized ones: 1/4 cup, 1/2 cup, etc.) When you use standard measuring cups they usually provide much more ingredients. In addition, scooping them up compacts them and you end up with too much flour/starch.

      Another reason could be your oven is baking higher than it should. Have you ever purchased an oven thermometer and tested it? I recently did that with mine and it is spot on.

      I hope this helps.

      Carla

      1. Hi Carla. Actually I weighed out the flour. I normally weigh instead of measuring for just the reasons you suggested. I looked up to see how much 1/4 cup of each weighed and then multiplied it as needed. Do you suppose that was the problem? There are only 3 buns left so I’m going to try it again this week measuring the flour instead of weighing it. They were delicious. I’ll let you know how they turn out.

        Thanks,
        Cindy

  2. Hi. The dough came out really really wet. I’ve left it in the oven to rise (proof setting) and it has not risen. It’s also really wet and sticky. is this normal?

    1. Hi Lauren,

      It’s interesting that your buns turned out wet. Another person who commented after you stated that her buns turned out dry.

      Wet, sticky dough is normal for gluten free baking. If you make a gluten free dough similar in texture to a gluten dough, it will be too heavy and surely not rise. So, how did it turn out?

      If it did not rise, your yeast must not be fresh. To test it mix 1 teaspoon with 1 teaspoon of sugar and tepid water. Allow it to rest until it becomes foamy. Also, if you mix yeast with water hotter than 115 degrees F, it will kill the yeast action and not rise.

      It’s interesting that your buns turned out dry and the person who commented before you said her buns were wet and didn’t rise.

      Carla

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