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If you’ve ever wished hot cross buns came in sliceable, pull-apart bread form—this one’s for you. This hot cross bun loaf bread is soft, rich, and spiced just right, with plump raisins, cinnamon sugar swirls, and a hint of orange zest in every bite.
It bakes up into a beautiful pull apart loaf that’s perfect for spring baking, Easter brunch, or honestly, just as a sweet treat with coffee or tea. It’s fully vegan (no dairy, no eggs), but made with simple ingredients—no flax eggs or weird substitutes needed.
Why You’ll Love This Hot Cross Bun Loaf
This vegan hot cross bun loaf is super delicious, and it’s also relatively easy to make. Here are a few reasons we love this bread and you will too!
Emily’s Recipe Notes:
- Flavor: Orange zest, nutmeg, cinnamon and raisins give the bread a unique and flavorful twist. Plus, the glaze and icing add a sweet finishing touch.
- Texture: Soft and fluffy with a sticky apricot glaze.
- Difficulty: Quick & easy! The dough comes together quickly, and the filling is a simple mixture of vegan butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon.
- Perfect, Unique Easter Treat: Serve it warm with your favorite cup of tea or coffee and enjoy Easter flavors in every bite.
Vegan Hot Cross Buns
Hot cross buns are a traditional Easter treat that can be traced back to the 12th century in England. These sweet and spiced buns are usually made with milk, butter, and eggs.
But, with a few simple ingredient swaps, you can make this delicious hot cross bun loaf vegan-friendly! This recipe is adapted from my eggless and vegan hot cross buns!
Ingredients
Ingredient Highlights & Some Substitutions
Oat Milk & Vegan Butter
This hot cross bun loaf is dairy free, vegan, and eggless! I’m using vegan butter and oat milk in this recipe, both of which can be swapped with a 1:1 ratio with regular dairy based products. If you don’t have almond or oat milk, you can use any non-dairy milk of your choice. It can also be subbed with a 1:1 ratio with dairy milk.
Instead of vegan butter, you can use melted coconut oil or vegetable shortening. My favorite vegan butter brands for this recipe are Violife Plant Butter and Trader Joe’s Vegan Buttery Sticks.
Apricot Preserves
This creates a beautiful golden finish while the bread bakes. You can also use one of these apricot jam substitutes.
Active Dry Yeast
This helps create the fluffy yeasted dough. I prefer active dry yeast over instant yeast in most of my baked goods.
Raisins
If you’re not a fan of raisins, you can substitute them with dried cranberries, currants, or chopped dates. You can even use chocolate chips instead if you’d like! For an extra crunch, you can add chopped nuts like almonds, pecans, or walnuts to the filling.
Spices
If you’d prefer even more flavor, you can add more cinnamon, nutmeg, or even cardamom to the dough.
Helpful Equipment
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Measuring Cups or Digital Scale
- Rolling Pin
- Pastry Brush
- 8×4.5″ Loaf Pan
Step By Step Guide
Make the Dough
In a measuring cup, combine the warm oat milk, half the sugar, and yeast. Let it sit for 5 minutes until the yeast is activated and frothy.
Mix the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, remaining sugar and salt in a large bowl. Add the orange zest and raisins, then mix until well combined. Make a well in the center.
Add the orange zest and raisins, then mix until well combined. Make a well in the center.
Add the proofed yeast mixture, vanilla and melted butter to the well. Mix with a rubber spatula to incorporate with the dry ingredients.
Shaping the Loaf
Knead the dough with the spatula or your hands for 3-4 minutes in the glass bowl.
Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let rise for 1.5-2 hours in a warm place or until doubled in size.
Transfer the risen dough onto a lightly floured surface, and cut into 12 evenly sized pieces (80g each). Roll the pieces into balls, then roll each ball into a circle.
Roll out each dough ball into a circle. Make the filling and spread it onto the rolled out circle.
Fold each dough circle in half. Place the folded dough into the prepared loaf pan with the round side facing up.
Place the folded dough into the prepared loaf pan with the round side facing up. Repeat with all the dough. Cover again with a damp towel and let rise for 30 minutes.
Baking the Hot Cross Bun Loaf
Brush the top of the loaf with apricot preserves. If the preserves are too thick, heat them for 5 seconds in the microwave to help loosen them. Sprinkle the top with coarse sugar.
Bake for 45-50 minutes until golden on top. If the top is browning too much, cover the loaf with foil.
Let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove it from the pan and let it cool completely.
Mix powdered sugar and oat milk in a small bowl to make the icing. You can also add a splash of vanilla extract or some orange zest for more flavor. Drizzle the icing over the bread.
Serving
This vegan hot cross bun loaf is best served warm and fresh out of the oven.
You can pull it apart or slice it into individual portions. It’s super tasty on its own, but you can also top it with your favorite vegan butter or jam. It’s perfect for breakfast, brunch, or as an afternoon snack with a cup of tea or coffee.
You could also serve this alongside my vegan ham as part of a larger Easter meal!
Storage
To store the hot cross bun loaf, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil and store it at room temperature for up to 2-3 days.
You can also freeze the bread for up to 3 months. To thaw the bread, leave it at room temperature for a few hours or overnight in the refrigerator.
Helpful Tips From Emily’s Kitchen
- Activate the yeast: Make sure the milk is warm but not hot. If it’s too hot, it can kill the yeast, and if it’s too cold, it may not activate the yeast.
- Knead the dough: Kneading the dough is important to develop the gluten and create a smooth and elastic texture. If the dough is too sticky, dust your hands with flour.
- Let the dough rise: Letting the dough rise in a warm place is important to activate the yeast. Be patient! If the dough hasn’t doubled in size after 2 hours, it may be because your kitchen is too cold. You can turn on the oven for a few minutes, then turn it off and place the covered bowl inside the oven.
- Brush with apricot preserves: Brushing the warm apricot jam over the top of the bread adds a beautiful golden brown color and shine.
Troubleshooting
- The dough didn’t rise: If the dough doesn’t rise, it could be that the yeast is old or the milk was too hot or too cold. Make sure to check the expiration date of the yeast and use warm but not hot milk.
- My bread came out too dry: If the hot cross loaf was too dry, too much flour may have been added or it was slightly over-baked. I recommend measuring the ingredients with a digital scale for the best results.
- My bread was gooey inside: If the center is too moist and gooey, the bread is under-baked. Try baking it in for 5-10 more minutes.
- The top of my bread is browning too quickly: Cover the top of the hot cross bun loaf with foil for the last 10 minutes of baking if it looks like it’s browning or burning.
More Easter Recipes
Pull Apart Hot Cross Bun Loaf
Rate this RecipeIngredients
Dough:
- ¾ cup oat milk, warm but not hot (or use milk of choice)
- 2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast, or one standard packet
- ½ cup granulated sugar, 100g – divided
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, 380g – spoon and level method
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¾ cup raisins, 110g
- 1 tbsp orange zest, about 1 medium orange
- ½ cup vegan butter, 120g – melted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Optional Filling:
- 3 tbsp softened vegan butter
- 3 tbsp brown sugar or white sugar
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
Glaze:
- 1 tbsp apricot jam, melted
- 1 tbsp coarse sugar, optional
Icing Cross:
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 2-3 tsp dairy free milk or orange juice
Instructions
Make the Dough
- Mix together the warm oat milk, the yeast, and half of the sugar. Set aside for 5 minutes for the yeast to activate and become foamy.¾ cup oat milk, 2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast, ½ cup granulated sugar
- Mix the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, remaining sugar and salt in a large bowl. Add the orange zest and raisins, then mix until well combined. Make a well in the center.3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 tsp salt, 2 tsp ground cinnamon, ½ tsp ground nutmeg, ¾ cup raisins, 1 tbsp orange zest
- Add the proofed yeast mixture, vanilla and melted butter to the well. Mix with a rubber spatula to incorporate with the dry ingredients. The dough should come together into a soft and slightly sticky ball. It should be sticky- do not add more flour!½ cup vegan butter, 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Knead the dough with the spatula or your hands for 3-4 minutes in the glass bowl. If the dough appears SUPER sticky while kneading, lightly dust your hands with flour. Form the dough into a ball.
- Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let rise for 1.5-2 hours in a warm place or until doubled in size.
Shape the Dough
- Prep a 8×5” (20x13cm) loaf pan by greasing it with cooking spray.
- Transfer the risen dough onto a lightly floured surface, and cut into 12 evenly sized pieces (80g each). Roll the pieces into balls, then roll each ball into a circle about 3-4” (7-10cm) in diameter.
- Mix the filling ingredients (vegan butter, sugar, cinnamon) together in a small bowl until they are a smooth paste.3 tbsp softened vegan butter, 3 tbsp brown sugar or white sugar, 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- Spread the filling onto half of the circle. Fold the circle in half to make a half-moon or semi circle.
- Place the folded dough into the prepared loaf pan with the round side facing up. Repeat with all the dough. Cover again with a damp towel and let rise for 30 minutes.
Bake the Bread
- Preheat your oven to 375F or 190C.
- Brush the top of the loaf with apricot preserves. If the preserves are too thick, heat them for 5 seconds in the microwave to help loosen them. Sprinkle the top with coarse sugar.1 tbsp apricot jam, 1 tbsp coarse sugar
- Bake for 45-50 minutes until golden on top. If the top is browning too much, cover the loaf with foil.
- Let the bread cool in the pan for 10-20 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
- Mix together the icing ingredients. Once the top of the bread is no longer hot, pipe or spoon the icing onto the loaf in multiple “cross” shapes (see photos).½ cup powdered sugar, 2-3 tsp dairy free milk or orange juice
- Best served warm on the first day. Reheat in the microwave for 20 seconds or the toaster oven to help soften the bread if enjoying the next day.
Recipe notes
- Activate the yeast: Make sure the milk is warm but not hot. If it's too hot, it can kill the yeast, and if it's too cold, it may not activate the yeast.
- Knead the dough: Kneading the dough is important to develop the gluten and create a smooth and elastic texture. If the dough is too sticky, dust your hands with flour.
- Let the dough rise: Letting the dough rise in a warm place is important to activate the yeast and allow the dough to double in size. If your kitchen is too cold, you can turn on the oven for a few minutes, then turn it off and place the covered bowl inside the oven.
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Categories:
Baked Goods, Breakfast & Brunch, Comfort Food, Desserts, Easter, Recipes, Seasonal, Spring,
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