Easter Fruit Buns

Celebrate Easter by baking Fruit Buns this year. These homemade sweet rolls are bursting with fruit and spices. This yeasted sweet bun recipe is time-intensive but the perfect sweet accompaniment to Easter morning… or any other time you want to bake them!

The last time I tried to make yeasted dough, it was a disaster — and I ended up with a giant lump of dough that refused to rise no matter how long I waited.

So when I decided to make these Easter Fruit Buns, which are a slightly fancier and hand-held version of our favorite Fruit-Studded Holiday Bread, I crossed my fingers.

Turns out, I was nervous over nothing. The yeast worked beautifully, and these buns are absolutely worth the effort.

Now, I’ll be honest: this recipe takes time. But most of it is hands-off time, which we need for the yeast to rise and do its thing. Which means you can walk circles around your house with your toddler (check!), do the laundry (check!) and even go on a long walk around your neighborhood (check!) in the amount of down time you’ll have between the rising of the sponge, then the first and second rise of the dough.

join our party!

get our latest recipes delivered to your inbox every week — plus all my entertaining tips and tricks!

​
​

Subscribe

We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe at any time.

If you’re intimidated by yeast or the timeline laid out in the recipe card below, please don’t be. It sounds like a way bigger deal than it actually is.

The best part? The smell. When my husband came home the day I baked these, he said the house smelled like a homemade king cake. Days later, our kitchen still smells like sweet, freshly baked bread. And in my opinion, you can’t beat that.

This Easter Sweet Bun recipe is what I bake for new neighbors because they’re that good.

If you’ve got a little time this Easter weekend, they’re absolutely worth the effort.

Please note that these are not Hot Cross Buns, so we’re not glazing them. They’re also not Jamaican Fruit Buns, so if you are looking for a recipe for either of those, this isn’t it.

More Easter recipes to make and share for Easter weekend: Easter Rice Krispie Treats with Peeps Carrot Cake Dip with Cinnamon-Sugar Wontons | Carrot Cupcakes | Bunny Bait Easter Snack Mix

What you need to make this recipe:

The Speckled Palate participates in affiliate programs. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases. Please refer to my disclosure page for more information about these affiliate programs.

• Rimmed sheet pan
• Nonstick baking mat or parchment paper
• Stand mixer or an extra large bowl
• Measuring cups and/or a kitchen scale
• Liquid measuring cup
• Microplane zester
• Whisk and rubber spatula
• Pastry brush

Here’s what you need to get at the grocery store:

• Milk — you can use whole, skim, even almond milk. Make sure it’s at room temperature, so remove it from the fridge about 30 minutes beforehand or give it a quick zap in the microwave. 10-15 seconds should do the job.
• Active dry yeast — this is an essential ingredient to make a yeasted bread. Make sure yours is fresh or your buns won’t rise!
• All-purpose flour — this is a necessary ingredient for the sponge, as well as the actual buns. We keep unbleached AP flour at our house, but the regular kind works, too. I have not tried this recipe with another type of flour or a gluten-free flour blend, so I do not recommend substituting it at this time.
• Dried fruit — this recipe calls for a combination of dried currants, golden raisins, sun-dried raisins, dried apricots and dried cranberries. You can mix it up, if desired, and use different dried fruit. Just make sure that the total volume is the same as listed in the recipe card.
• Dark spiced rum — we soak our fruit in this to hydrate it. If you do not drink, you can use the same amount of hot water.
• Eggs — we need both egg and some extra egg yolks. The large kind at the grocery store are perfect. Make sure they are at room temperature. You need a bonus egg yolk for an egg wash!
• Unsalted butter — melt it in the microwave until liquid, then let it sit for a few minutes so it’s not too hot. This is important because the heat could kill the yeast if you are not careful.
• Pure vanilla extract — use the best you can get your hands on. This helps bring all the flavors together.
• Granulated sugar — also known as white sugar, this adds a little sweetness to our bread dough. There is no replacement, so please don’t make a swap or use less.
• Kosher salt — I love to use a medium grain kosher salt for my recipes. You could use a similarly sized sea salt. (Diamond Crystal is my favorite brand.)
• Seasonings — this bread recipe calls for a combination of anise seeds, ground cardamom and ground cinnamon. They are all worth the effort of tracking down at the store because they play into the overall flavor of the bread.
• Zest — you need zest from a lemon and an orange.
• Heavy whipping cream — this is used to brush the tops of the buns before they bake as a part of the egg wash. You can use regular milk if you don’t have heavy cream.
• Turbinado sugar — this sugar is sprinkled on top of the buns before they bake and adds a lovely sweetness and crunch.

How to make Sweet Buns for Easter

Make the sponge. Pour the milk into a large bowl, and add the yeast. Let that dissolve, then whisk in the flour. Cover the bowl, and leave in a warm place until it is frothy and has doubled in size. This should take about 30 minutes, though it can take up to an hour, depending on the conditions in your home and the weather.

Prepare the fruits. Measure the currants, raisins, cranberries and apricots into a bowl. Cover with hot water, and let stand for 10 minutes. Drain the mixed fruit, then return to its original bowl, and stir in the rum before setting aside.

Measure the eggs and melt the butter. Crack the whole eggs into a bowl. Add the extra yolks, and whisk. In a separate bowl, melt the butter and let it cool off slightly. It needs to be liquid, but it does not need to be hot. Otherwise, it could kill the yeast.

Measure the wet ingredients. When the sponge is ready, pour the beaten egg mixture, melted butter and vanilla extract into the mixture, and stir together. Fold in the rum-soaked fruit, then set this aside.

Combine the dry ingredients. In the bowl of your a mixer, measure out 4 cups of flour, sugar, salt, anise seeds, cardamom and cinnamon. Zest the orange and lemon into this mixture, and whisk together.

Make the bread dough. Pour the sponge mixture over the dry ingredients. Use the dough hook of the stand mixer and start it on a low speed, then turn it up once the loose flour has started incorporating into the dough.

When the dough comes together, allow the stand mixer to knead it for a few minutes before turning off the appliance and transferring the dough to a greased large bowl.

Let it rise. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel, and let it sit in warm place until the dough has doubled in size. This should take around 45 minutes.

Knead and form the buns. Once doubled in size, punch down the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead it lightly before dividing it down into 16 equal pieces. Gently form the individual buns, shaping them with your hands.

Finish the buns. Place the buns onto a rimmed baking sheet lined with a nonstick baking mat or parchment paper. You might need to do this with two sheet pans. Be sure to leave at least ½”-1″ between the buns because they will rise again.

Let rise again. Cover the buns with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel, and let rise until doubled. This should take around 30 minutes.

Prepare to bake. When the buns have doubled in size, preheat the oven to 350°F. Make the egg wash, using the remaining egg yolk and the heavy cream. Beat together with a fork.

Finish the buns. Brush generously with the egg wash, then sprinkle each bun with a little turbinado sugar.

Bake the buns. Transfer the sheet pan(s) to the oven. Bake on the middle rack for 35 minutes or until the buns are a glossy golden brown color.

Once cooked through, transfer to a wire rack and allow them to cool before enjoying.

Here’s how you can make them at your home…