These vegan hot cross buns with chocolate and dried sour cherries are a spectacular spring treat. Warm spices, orange zest, and vanilla perfume every tender bite of these apricot jam-glazed buns. Like a lot of my bakes, they have a hearty edge of whole wheat flour to balance out the decadence. They are perfect for enjoying with a hot cup of coffee or tea. I like to split one in half, toast, and finish with a little swoop of vegan butter.
I shared this recipe exclusively with newsletter subscribers last year because I wasn’t as focused on sharing vegan bakes at the time. Times have changed and so has this recipe from that initial share!
In earlier versions of this vegan hot cross bun recipe, I soaked the dried cherries in warm orange juice and zest. Soaking the dried fruit is a common theme in hot cross bun recipes! I liked the flavor that this extra step provided, but the wet and goopy texture was frustrating when it came time to incorporate the cherries/chocolate into the dough. My counter was a sticky mess after the incorporation stage and the shaping stage!
So when I was finalizing the recipe to post here, I stuck to pure orange zest for a citrus boost. The dried cherries that I buy tend to be quite moist straight out of the package, so I don’t miss the soak at all. After mixing up the dough, you just knead the dried cherries in by hand along with mini chocolate chips.
It’s a bit of a process to make these rustic and sweet buns! There are two longer rising periods (about 4-5 hours total) plus the kneading and shaping. This labor of love is worth it though!
Vegan Hot Cross Buns with Dried Cherries & Chocolate
Ingredients
Buns
- 1 cup (240 mL) unsweetened soy milk
- 6 tablespoons (90 mL) maple syrup, divided
- 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast (one 8-gram envelope here in Canada)
- 5 ½ tablespoons (82 mL) sunflower oil
- 3 cups (360 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (113 grams) whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 teaspoons orange zest
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract (optional)
- ¾ cup (107 grams) dried sour cherries, finely chopped
- ¼ cup (44 grams) mini vegan chocolate chips
Crosses & Jam Glaze
- ½ cup (60 grams) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (120 mL) water, plus extra
- 1 tablespoon apricot jam
- 2 teaspoons water
Notes
- These buns are absolutely loaded down with dried fruit and chocolate. Little bits will fall out as you knead them into the dough and later when you’re portioning. Just press them back in and trust the process.
Instructions
Make Dough:
- Heat the soy milk and 1 tablespoon of maple syrup (either in the microwave or on the stove) to 110°F and pour into the bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle the yeast over top and cover with a towel. Set aside until foamy and active, about 5 minutes. If the yeast doesn’t foam, throw everything out and start again.
- Once yeast is foamy, add the remaining maple syrup, sunflower oil, all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, salt, orange zest, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla extract, and almond extract (if using). With a spatula, bring the dough together until it’s shaggy and mostly combined.
- Then, bring the bowl to the stand mixer and attach the dough hook. Mix on medium until the dough is unified, soft, and elastic, about 4 minutes. You could also knead by hand for 8-10 minutes.
- Place the dough on the counter and flatten it out a bit, creating as much surface area as you can without ripping/tearing the dough. Evenly scatter the dried cherries and chocolate chips over the surface. Roll the dough up into a log and then knead/shape into a ball. Keep kneading until the cherries and chocolate appear to be evenly distributed throughout. This part is a little tricky and messy! Just do your best.
First Rise:
- Grease a large bowl with sunflower oil and place the dough ball in, rotating it all around to coat in the oil. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise in a warm place for 2-3 hours, or until doubled in size.
Shape & Second Rise:
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Dust your work surface with flour and punch down the dough. Transfer the dough to the floured surface and roll into a 16-inch log of even thickness. Cut the log into 12 equal portions and then roll those portions into balls. Place the dough balls onto the baking sheet.
- Cover the dough balls and let them rise in a warm place for 1 ½ to 2 hours, or until doubled in size.
Pipe Crosses, Bake & Glaze:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and arrange a rack in the middle.
- Make the crosses mixture. In a small bowl, combine the ½ cup flour and ½ cup water. Whisk until you have a smooth paste with no lumps. You want it to be thick but still fluid enough to pipe. If you need more water, add it by the tablespoon until you get the right consistency.
- Transfer the crosses mixture to a squeeze bottle or zipper seal bag. If using the zipper seal bag, squeeze the mixture to one corner and snip off that corner with scissors. Then, pipe crosses across all buns.
- Bake the hot cross buns until deep golden brown and puffed up, about 20-22 minutes or so. An internal thermometer poked into the center of one of the buns should register at 190°F.
- Place the apricot jam and water in a microwave-safe bowl and heat on high in the microwave for 15 seconds. Brush this mixture on the hot cross buns straight out of the oven.
- Let the hot cross buns cool completely on a wire rack before enjoying.
That was absolute delicious buns! Thank you, Laura!