Add a fun twist to your Easter spread with these Chai Spiced Hot Cross Buns! Sweet dough is infused with chai tea and topped with sparkling cinnamon sugar for a delicious treat.
Happy Thursday, friends! Can you believe Easter is only a few days away?! I shared that super fun Easter Nest Bundt Cake the other day, but I figured I had enough time to squeeze another little recipe in! These Chai Spiced Hot Cross Buns are so delicious and perfect for all your Easter festivities. Milk for the dough is infused with chai tea and chai spices are mixed in for a warm, cozy twist on this holiday classic.
I had made other hot cross buns a few years back with chocolate, so while that's always my go-to combo, I had to do something different today! I decided on chai spice because it's not too far off from the classic cinnamon, but it adds a little bit of a different spice profile. Also, no raisins because raisins are DA WORST. Sorry if you like raisins, but alas, I do not. So these buns start with my usual suspect super-easy sweet dough, with chai-infused milk, cinnamon, and nutmeg. If you have chai tea bags with really finely ground tea, you could even add those straight into the dough! Unfortunately, my tea is loose leaf so it has big chunks of dry herbs and spices, and I don't think anybody wants a mouthful of that. 😉
I have to admit that while I just topped these buns with butter and cinnamon sugar, it was almost not sweet enough for me?? If you fill them with something sweet like jam {or Nutella, like my ridiculous family did}, then I think the sugar level is fine. If you want to eat these as-is, I suggest making a glaze! Just mix ¼ cup water and ¼ sugar, heat on the stove until boiling and bubbly and the sugar melts, and then you can go ahead and brush it on the buns instead of the butter. That will make things a little sweeter if you want more sugar in your life!
Add a little spice to your Easter spread this year with these chai spiced hot cross buns! I hope you love them. Happy baking!
chai spiced hot cross buns
Ingredients
- *for the rolls*
- 1 cup milk {dairy or non-dairy}
- 2 cups white flour {+ ½ cup separated}
- ¼ cup vegetable oil or melted coconut oil
- ¼ cup white sugar
- ½ tablespoon instant active dry yeast {about ½ a package}
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tea bags chai tea
- *for the crosses*
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup warm water
- *for topping*
- butter and cinnamon sugar
Instructions
- In a measuring cup or heat-safe bowl, heat the milk until near-boiling. Add in the chai tea bags, and allow to steep for 10-15 minutes, until milk is light brown.
- In a large bowl, combine the still-warm milk, oil, and ¼ cup of sugar. Sprinkle the yeast on top. Let the mixture sit for a few minutes to allow the yeast to activate.
- Afterwards, mix in the 2 cups of flour, cover the pot with a clean tea towel, and let the dough rise for about 1 hour.
- After the first rise, add in the salt, baking powder, baking soda, and additional flour. Knead until all the flour has been absorbed, and add more if needed. You want the dough to be soft and smooth but not too sticky! Using a sharp knife, cut an X on top of your dough {this helps it rise }, cover with a tea towel again, and let rise for an additional 3+ hours. You can let it rise overnight at this point, or you can also wait until the next step!
- After the second rise, lightly flour a clean surface, and dump the dough on top. Knead it for 2-3 minutes, adding more flour as needed. The dough should be smooth and easy to work with, so add flour if it's too sticky!
- Grease a 9x13 pan with butter. Divide your dough into 12 equal parts, and roll each into buns. Place in prepared pan.
- Spray buns with water, cover the pan with a tea towel, and allow buns to rise one more hour.
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375F.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and water for the crosses until a soft, slightly runny mixture forms. Pour into a zip-top bag, snip the corner, and draw crosses on top of your buns.
- Immediate put buns in the oven, and bake for 18-20 minutes, until golden brown and dry on top.
- When buns are ready, brush the tops with butter, and sprinkle on cinnamon sugar.
- *Alternatively, you can top the buns with a glaze: mix ¼ cup water and ¼ sugar in a small pot, and heat until sugar is melted and boiling. Brush on top of the prepared buns*
Indian buffet edmonton says
Lovely post and great recipe!! I used to have it in every easter.