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11 Comments You probably know hot cross buns mainly in their sweet version, but these savory cheese hot cross buns are just as good – maybe even better. Soft, fluffy dough filled with cheddar and finished with a savory cheese cross on top. Perfect for Easter, a brunch table, or as a savory roll alongside soup or a charcuterie board.
This version is pure comfort food: warm from the oven, lightly crisp on the outside, and deliciously soft and cheesy on the inside. And the best part? They’re actually very easy to make yourself.
Table of contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This recipe for hot cross buns creates soft, fluffy dough, and thanks to the addition of cheddar and Parmesan cheese, the buns are perfect as savory cheese rolls. A fun twist on the classic (usually sweet) version, and ideal for an Easter table, brunch, or an extended lunch.
Recipe Ingredients
For 12 savory hot cross buns you’ll need:
- Type 00 flour (also known as strong flour)
- 5 tablespoons extra flour (for the crosses), plus more for kneading
- 3 packets active dry yeast (7 g each) – 21 g instant yeast total. Make sure the yeast is fresh; I’ve tried baking with old yeast before, and trust me… it doesn’t work.
- Warm whole milk
- 140 g shredded cheddar cheese
- 5 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 teaspoons salt
How to Make Cheese Hot Cross Buns
Combine the flour, yeast, and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and pour in the warm milk. Mix first with a wooden spoon, then knead with your hands until a soft dough forms. Knead for about 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. You can also use a stand mixer if you prefer.
Return the dough to the bowl, loosely cover with lightly greased plastic wrap, and let it rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead most of the cheddar into the dough. Divide into 12 equal portions and shape into round rolls. Place them on a lightly floured baking sheet, leaving 2–3 cm (about 1 inch) of space between each bun. Cover again and let rise until doubled in size.
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Meanwhile, mix the flour for the crosses with the Parmesan cheese and 5 tablespoons of water until you have a thick paste. Transfer the mixture to a piping bag, snip off the tip, and pipe crosses onto the risen buns.
Sprinkle the buns with the remaining cheddar and bake for 20–25 minutes, until golden brown and fully baked.
The History of Hot Cross Buns
Hot cross buns originated in England and have been eaten around Easter for centuries, especially on Good Friday. The cross on top symbolizes the crucifixion of Jesus and made these buns an early part of religious traditions.
They were even baked by monks in the past and became so popular that Queen Elizabeth I once tried to restrict when they could be sold (spoiler: it didn’t work). Today, there are endless variations – including this savory cheese version (even though I’ve never baked the sweet one myself! Still on my to bake list!).
How to Serve Cheese Hot Cross Buns
These savory hot cross buns are perfect for serving at an Easter breakfast or brunch. Place them in the center of the table and serve with salted butter, optionally alongside cream cheese or herb butter.
They’re also great with a light spring soup, such as asparagus soup or a creamy vegetable soup. Want to make them extra festive? Serve them warm, straight from the oven, while the cheese is still soft and melty.
FAQ Hot Cross Buns
Yes. You can bake them earlier in the day and briefly reheat them in the oven before serving. They’re also still delicious the next day, especially when warmed.
Yes, they freeze very well. Let them cool completely, then freeze in an airtight container. They’ll keep for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature and reheat briefly in the oven if desired.
You can substitute other good melting cheeses such as aged Gouda, Gruyère, or Emmental. Keep in mind that flavor and saltiness may vary.
This is usually due to temperature. Make sure the milk is lukewarm (not hot) and let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free place. Expired yeast can also cause issues.
Absolutely. The crosses are traditional and decorative, but without them they’re still delicious soft cheese rolls.
Store them in an airtight container or bag at room temperature. They’ll stay fresh for 1-2 days.
Hot Cross Buns with Cheese
Ingredients
- 700 grams flour type 00 plus 5 tbsp extra for making the crosses and some for kneading
- 21 grams dry active yeast (3 sachets)
- 500 ml warm full fat milk
- 140 grams cheddar grated
- 5 tbsp parmesan cheese grated
- 2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Mix the flour, the yeast and 2 tsp of salt in a large bowl. Make a hole in the middle, pour in the milk and mix with a wooden spoon. use your hands afterwards to make a soft dough. Knead for about ten minutes and then put back in the bowl.
- Cover lightly with a piece of plastic brushed with oil and move it away somewhere warm until doubled in size. Takes about 30 minutes.
- Turn the dough out onto a flour dusted top and knead most of the cheddar through the dough. Dust a baking tray with flour and make 12 round buns and put on the tray with 2-3 cm space in between. Cover lightly again with foil brushed with oil and leave to triple in size.
- Preheat the oven to 200 ˚C/400˚F
- Mix the 5 tbsp of flour for the crosses with the parmesan cheese and 5 tbsp of water. Mix this well and put into a piping bag (no nozzle needed) Cut the tip of the disposable bag and pipe crosses on each bun.
- Sprinkle the remaining cheddar on top and bake this for 20-25 minutes till golden brown
Nutrition Information per portion:
Disclaimer:
The nutritional values above are calculated per portion. The details are based on standard nutritional tables and do not constitute a professional nutritional advice.
Hi Simone,
First of all, we loved your recipe for Hot Cross Buns with Cheese! We actually featured it in an article we just posted to Buzzfeed Community. Check it out here:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/billatthewoksoflife/16-sexy-buns-s5a0.
The best outcome for all of us–your blog, our blog, and those of the others featured–would be to have the article syndicated and placed in one of the regular Buzzfeed active feeds (we’ve had this happen before and the traffic is pretty You can share this article on your social media, and we will do the same with ours and request that our followers re-share it (we have Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Google+, StumbleUpon and Sulia). Please follow our social media to see how we are promoting the article as well!
With this mutual sharing and following, we can both increase our traffic and grow our readership!
darn epic). What would really help the effort is if we promoted the article outside of Buzzfeed. Here’s how we can do it:
Cheers!
– Sarah, Kaitlin, Bill, and Judy
http://www.thewoksoflife.com
Hey! Thanks so much for including my recipe. I have shared it on my twitter and facebook accounts now too.. 🙂
These buns look delicious, with cheese you can’t go wrong really! I try to add cheese to a lot of things. Cheese is just fabulous 😉
I could not agree more Regula! Cheese rules!
Simone these buns looks so delicious and beautiful! Would love to try a GF version of these cuties.
Looks absolutely amazing.. thanks for sharing!!
Thanks so much Hari!
I can’t get past Easter without the traditional hot cross buns and this year will be no exception. These cheesy buns though, I think these might take second place in the love department.
I have to say I did find the idea of cheesey hot corss buns unique … i associate them always with sweet and Easter. But these are really cool and does not need to wait till Easter to be made!
I love te cross buns, this one I’m gonna make it for easter’s! it looks so good!
Thanks so much Eva! And yes they are indeed quite good!