Sugar for Hot Cross Buns

Our answer

Nigella's Hot Cross Buns (from Feast and on the Nigella website) don't contain added sugar in the dough as they contain quite a lot of dried fruit which provides sweetness. There are a lot of spices in the dough and a cardamom infused milk is used, both of which add flavour. The buns are also glazed with a sugar syrup just after they are baked.

However if you did want to add some sugar to the dough we would suggest using 1 to 2 tablespoons of caster (superfine) sugar. The sugar should be stirred into the flour at step 2, along with the yeast, spices and dried fruits. A sugary dough can burn slightly more easily so you may need to keep an eye on the buns while they are baking, and turn the oven down to 200c/400F if necessary.