Monday morning. Waiting for my daughter to wake up so we can enjoy breakfast without feeling rushed.
It’s been a crazy week.It was the first week we celebrated Easter at home. I had no idea how crazy it can get. Planning the menu, going shopping for the Easter basket, filling and hiding the eggs, coloring eggs, baking for a MOPS brunch and an Easter Church Family Night and for a friend who had a surgery few days ago. When I hit pillow last night I was so relieved. I did it! I survived my first family Easter.
The funny part is that I didn’t celebrate Easter. I’m Greek Orthodox and I’ll celebrate Easter this coming Sunday but this week and weekend was so much fun I have no regrets!
One of my favorite Easter baking is making hot cross buns. My go to hot cross buns recipe is this one from Red Star Yeast website. I made them twice last week. Once for the MOPS brunch and once again for Good Friday.
These Cranberry sweet buns are very similar with hot cross buns, well without the cross 
They are sweet, buttery, soft and fluffy, flavored with lemon peel, filled with dried fruit and enriched with egg. Let’s just call them a cross between a hot cross bun and brioche.
No matter if you celebrated Easter yesterday or not, you have to make these cranberry buns for your loved ones. Make them for the family weekend brunch. Or even for breakfast (by leaving the dough to rise in the fridge over-night). Or just because.
No matter the reason, I highly advice you to try this cranberry sweet buns recipe.
Sweet, buttery, soft and fluffy cranberry buns.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (240 grams) bread flour
- 1 tsp dry yeast
- 3 tbsp lukewarm water
- pinch of salt
- 1/4 cup (50 grams) sugar
- grated peel from 1 lemon or orange
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 4 tbsp melted butter
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries (or other dried fruit of your choice)
- egg wash (1 egg yolk mixed with 1 tsp water) (optional)
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl sift the flour.
- Make a well in the middle and pour the lukewarm water. Sprinkle the yeast over it and leave at room temperature for about 5 minutes until dissolved and foamy.
- Add the sugar, salt, lemon peel, eggs and cranberries.
- Using the lowest speed start mixing slowly pouring the melted butter until incorporated.
- Take the dough out of the mixing bowl and place it on a lightly floured surface.
- Start kneading by hand until soft and elastic and doesn't stick to your hangs.
- Depending on the size of the eggs, the level of protein in your flour (I used King Arthur Flour) and even the temperature and humidity in your kitchen you may need to add a little more flour or water.
- Place the dough into a greased bowl, cover and let rise until double in volume, should take about 1 hour. You can also place the bowl in the fridge over-night (for ~ 6 to 8 hours).
- When risen, divide the dough into 12 balls and place them on a baking sheet.
- Cover again and let rise at room temperature until almost double in volume.
- Meanwhile preheat the oven to 400F.
- Just before baking the buns, brush them with egg wash (optional)
- Bake in preheated oven for ~ 18-20 minutes until golden.
- Enjoy!
Sending love your way,
Roxana
Linking this recipe to Heather’s Bake Your Own Bread Round-up and Susan’s YeastSpotting
{ 30 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m glad you had a fun time planning Easter this past weekend…and it’s nice that you get to celebrate Easter again this Sunday!
The buns are gorgeous…love the citrus and cranberries!
My mom used to bake similar sweet buns — so nostalgic
Those look unbelievably good Roxy! What a great treat!!! Well done as always..you are my bun baking inspiration!!:)
I love all your bread recipes and this one is no exception! These buns look fantastic!!
These buns look amazing! Really inspiring me to bake.
How interesting that you celebrate Easter next weekend! So you kinda get two Easters! Neat
These buns look fantastic! I love all your bread recipes, Roxana! Great post!
These look so nice and light. Happy Easter!
These look so good!! Yum.
Beautiful and delicious buns! I have become crazy about cranberries in recent years and these buns are calling my name. Great job on hosting Easter at your home! The best part is that you enjoyed it.
You are so busy yet capable of a lot of things!
They look wonderful! I have never had hot cross buns before. I am seeing them all over this year, and thinking I missed out by not making them! Glad you had a great weekend!
I love seeing bread here–one because I’ve been wanting to have some good homemade bread to come out of my oven for a while now and two, because everything you make looks so perfect! I have yet to make hot cross buns and these look great!
Gorgeous Miss Roxana. Just stunning. Now I want some bread and yeast to play with!! I wonder how regular frozen cranberries would work here?
I think frozen cranberries would work just as well. Just leave them to thaw so they don’t get watery while the dough is rising. Have never tried adding frozen fruit to a yeast dough. Now you got me thinking … maybe this weekend I give it a try
It’s fun that should count and not the ritual or the rules
These looks absolutely gorgeous .. making me hungry!
It is funny, I have never actually had a hot cross bun. This year I have read so many posts for them. I need to try them for sure:-) Your sweet rolls sound lovely! Beautiful! Hugs, Terra
you make bread making look easy and effortless. look at all those perfectly round buns!
Hot cross buns never sounded so good – citrus and cranberries makes them even better!
What a great twist on a hot cross bun! I love cranberries and they look like they have a great texture.
I think I’m in love with these buns. They look delicious!
Roxana thanks for this – I’ve been dying to bake these! I’ll show you when I do.
these cranberry rolls look delicious! i love the touch of berries to it
. hope you had a wonderful easter weekend with your family and greek orthodox church community. 
hugs.
oh that look unbelievable. The perfect breakfast or snack! I snack alot during the day and I can see myself eating these nonstoP!
You were sure busy. I love that these don’t have the icing, plus they have yummy cranberries in them. My MIL make the second Easter, so I understand the back-to-back holiday thing. Hope you have a wonderful weekend. Will have to try these soon.
-Gina-
These look wonderful sweetie! Hope you had an amazing Easter…hugs!
Oh, I know I’d really enjoy these – I love hot cross buns (w/ or w/out the cross)! Beautiful, thank you for sharing these.
Looks like a bun I could love!
These look great, has anyone tried them using all purpose flour?
Hi Melissa,
You can use all purpose flour instead, just use less liquid or add more flour. I’ve explained the difference between flours here
http://www.roxanashomebaking.com/bread-baking-101-flour/
Happy baking,
Roxana
Hi, Roxana,
I saved this recipe a couple of months ago and just got around to trying it – the buns look beautiful! However, when I tried them, the dough was very stiff and not coming together like bread dough usually does. I’m an experienced baker, so know the right feel to achieve ‘soft and elastic’ when kneading the dough. I’m just checking back in to see if there is a revision to the recipe, or if it is correct as published. Thank you!
PS – The dough is rising now, so will see what happens after an hour or so.
Hi Toni,
thanks for the comment. If you’re dough was still stiff, you probably added a little more flour. My suggestion is, if it’s still not rising properly to knead it by hand slowly adding few drops of liquid and let it rise again.
Roxana
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