Tangzhong Sourdough Hot Cross Buns Recipe
Soft, fluffy tangzhong sourdough hot cross buns with golden raisins, orange zest, and sweet glaze. Perfect for Easter baking with an overnight ferment and clear baker’s schedule.
Servings: 15 rolls
Calories: 290kcal
Ingredients
Sweetened Stiff Starter
- 60 grams active sourdough starter
- 60 grams water
- 120 grams all-purpose flour
- 15 grams granulated sugar
Tangzhong
- 40 grams all-purpose flour
- 180 grams milk
Milk Mixture
- 120 grams milk
- 120 grams super fine baker's sugar (caster sugar)
- 85 grams unsalted butter cubed softened
Main Dough
- 400 grams bread flour King Arthur recommended
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 10 grams salt
- 1 cup golden raisins soaked in hot water, then drained
- zest of 1 orange
Paste for Piping Crosses
- 50 grams all-purpose flour
- 50 grams water
Glaze
- 80 grams powdered sugar
- 35 grams orange juice or milk
Instructions
Sweetened Stiff Starter
- Combine all the ingredients for the sweetened stiff starter in a medium glass container. Mix well and cover. Allow the starter mix to double in volume before moving on to the next step. This can take anywhere from 4 to 12 hours, depending on the strength of your starter.
Tangzhong
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the flour and milk for the tangzhong, whisking continuously until a thick paste forms. Cover and cool completely before adding to the main dough. This can be done ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator.
Milk Mixture
- In a bowl, stir together the milk and superfine sugar, then add in the softened cubed butter. Set aside.
Soak Fruit
- Add the raisin to a small dish and cover them with hot water to soak while you are working on the main dough.
Main Dough
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the bread flour, salt, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and orange zest. Whisk to combine. Add the eggs, sweetened stiff starter, tangzhong, and milk mixture. Roughly mix, then switch to using a dough hook.If kneading by hand, whisk the dry ingredients together, then add all of the wet ingredients and incorporate with a wooden spoon until the mixture becomes too stiff, then switch to mixing by hand. The dough will be very sticky, but continue squeezing and kneading the dough until it is well incorporated. Cover the dough and rest for 30 minutes.
- If using a stand mixer, knead on low speed until the dough becomes one cohesive mass, then increase the speed to medium and knead until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and the stand mixer begins to jump (about 10 minutes). If needed, add a tablespoon of flour at a time, reduce the speed to medium-low, and knead until the dough is smooth and glossy (about 4-5 minutes more).If kneading by hand, use the slap and fold technique to knead and develop the gluten in the dough (See my video in the blog post to learn this method). To do this, lift the dough, slap it on the counter, and fold it over on itself. Perform the 1st set of slap and folds for 10 minutes, then cover the dough and rest for 20 minutes. Perform the second set of slap and folds for another 10 minutes and check that the dough is kneaded thoroughly with the window pane test (again, see video for this).
- Once kneading is complete, add in the drained raisins:If using a stand mixer, add the fruit and knead once more on low speed until the fruit is just incorporated (about 2-3 minutes).If using your hands, stretch the dough out into a thin layer (lamination), then sprinkle the raisin over the dough and fold it up like an envelope, then work it into a round or boule shape.
Bulk Ferment
- After working the raisins into the dough, allow the dough to bulk ferment until doubled in size. This can take 8 to 12 hours, more or less, depending on the temperature in your kitchen. I time my schedule so that I am done kneading and ready for bulk fermenting right before bed so the dough can rest at room temperature on the counter all night and be ready for shaping in the morning.
Shaping
- Grease or butter a 9x13 baking dish. Divide the dough into fifteen equal-sized portions. You can use a kitchen scale to do this precisely, place a bowl on a kitchen scale and zero out the scale (tare button), add the entire dough to get a weight in grams, then divide the total dough weight by fifteen to get the weight in grams for each dough roll. Mine were about 90 grams of dough for each roll.
- Sprinkle the counter with flour and work each portion of dough into a ball shape, tucking the dough under so that the top part of the ball is smooth and taut. Place each ball into the greased dish, three across the short side of the pan and five across teh long side.
Final Proof
- Cover the rolls and allow them to rise again for another 2 to 4 hours. The buns should be very puffy and nearly doubled in size. Get the oven preheated to 400 degrees F near the end of the second rise time.
Make the Cross Paste
- Mix the flour and water together. You want a consistency that will easily pipe onto the rolls — not too thick, not too thin. Transfer the mixture to a ziplock or piping bag and cut a small corner off (1/4"). Pipe the paste over the risen roll in the traditional cross pattern.
- Bake the rolls in a 400-degree F oven for 20 minutes, then reduce the oven to 350 degrees F and bake another 10-20 minutes. The rolls are done baking when the internal temperature reaches 185 degrees F. You can tent the rolls with aluminum foil towards the end of the bake time to prevent over-browning.
Make the Glaze
- While the rolls are baking, whisk together the powdered sugar and orange juice until smooth. Brush the glaze over the warm rolls.
Optional Sweet Piping
- In addition to the traditional paste piping, we like to do a sweet version. To do this mix 1 cup of confectioners' sugar with four teaspoons of milk, 1/8 a teaspoon of vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt. Pipe this over completely cooled rolls. You can use the excess to drizzle over sliced rolls.
Video
Notes
Sugar substitute: You can use brown sugar in place of the superfine baker's sugar
Scheduling tip:
This recipe works beautifully as an overnight dough. I recommend finishing your kneading and bulk fermentation setup in the evening, so the dough can rise overnight at room temperature (around 70°F). In the morning, shape your rolls around 9:00am, proof until puffy, and bake fresh. Cold proof option:
If you need to bake later, you can shape the rolls after bulk ferment, place them in your greased baking dish, cover tightly, and refrigerate for up to 12 hours. Before baking, let them rest at room temperature until they look nicely puffed — about 30 minutes to 2 hours, depending on your kitchen temperature. Flour choices:
High-quality bread flour is important for structure. I recommend King Arthur for consistent results. All-purpose flour can work in a pinch but expect a slightly softer dough. Sweetened stiff starter:
Don’t skip this step! The sweet stiff starter provides both structure and flavor. Allow it to double fully for the best rise. Tangzhong method:
The tangzhong keeps these buns soft and fluffy for days. Make it in advance if you like — it keeps well in the fridge for up to 24 hours. Piping the cross:
For a more defined cross, pipe the flour paste after the final rise. I accidentally piped mine before proofing, and while the lines turned golden in the oven, I finished them with an extra sweet icing drizzle. No mistakes in baking — just happy improvisations! Storage:
Store cooled buns in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. For longer storage, freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw and rewarm before serving. Serving suggestion:
We love these split open with a slather of good butter or a drizzle of honey. Perfect for Easter brunch or any spring gathering! *Nutrition Disclaimer
This recipe works beautifully as an overnight dough. I recommend finishing your kneading and bulk fermentation setup in the evening, so the dough can rise overnight at room temperature (around 70°F). In the morning, shape your rolls around 9:00am, proof until puffy, and bake fresh. Cold proof option:
If you need to bake later, you can shape the rolls after bulk ferment, place them in your greased baking dish, cover tightly, and refrigerate for up to 12 hours. Before baking, let them rest at room temperature until they look nicely puffed — about 30 minutes to 2 hours, depending on your kitchen temperature. Flour choices:
High-quality bread flour is important for structure. I recommend King Arthur for consistent results. All-purpose flour can work in a pinch but expect a slightly softer dough. Sweetened stiff starter:
Don’t skip this step! The sweet stiff starter provides both structure and flavor. Allow it to double fully for the best rise. Tangzhong method:
The tangzhong keeps these buns soft and fluffy for days. Make it in advance if you like — it keeps well in the fridge for up to 24 hours. Piping the cross:
For a more defined cross, pipe the flour paste after the final rise. I accidentally piped mine before proofing, and while the lines turned golden in the oven, I finished them with an extra sweet icing drizzle. No mistakes in baking — just happy improvisations! Storage:
Store cooled buns in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. For longer storage, freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw and rewarm before serving. Serving suggestion:
We love these split open with a slather of good butter or a drizzle of honey. Perfect for Easter brunch or any spring gathering! *Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutrition
Calories: 290kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 305mg | Potassium: 152mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 180IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 1mg