Been itching to get your hands on some plump, fruity buns ever since the Christmas decorations came down? Craving nothing more hot, buttered, currant filled rolls for every morning tea between now and Easter? You’re not alone – we started binging on hot cross buns as soon as they hit the shelves in February. They’re only around for 3 months of the year, after all – you have to make the most.
Before you go wasting those precious months toasting up supermarket buns, we decided to put Brisbane’s best hot cross buns to the test. From the north side to the south side and every bakery in between, we ate our way through 5 of the sweetest, fluffiest buns we could find.
Jocelyn’s Provisions | Fortitude Valley
Holy flavour! We don’t know what kind of magic these bakers are using in their kitchen (perhaps they have some house elves in their employ?), but biting into one of these is like biting into Easter itself (someone said the Easter bunny – but that’s just weird). A heady aroma of cinnamon and nutmeg, a moist and fluffy bun and a generous amount of fruit make these a hot cross bun worth skipping a few chocolate eggs for.Cake & Bake | West End
Not ones to just do the same as everyone else, Cake & Bake’s hot cross buns had a tasty difference – plenty of extra chunky apricots and a super sweet golden crust that just about crackled when we bit into it. ‘This glaze is so shiny and brittle – it’s like a crème brulee hot cross bun.’Brewbakers | Albion
Incredibly light and fluffy, these buns could rival the tail of the Easter bunny himself in soft, cushiony goodness. A perfect ratio of fruit to dough means every bite feels like a mouthful of cinnamon clouds – and also means you’ll want to leave your butter out for an our or so first, as we discovered attempting to slather them with cold, hard butter.Sol Breads | Toowong, West End, Darra & Fortitude Valley
‘Mmmm solid,’ was the first reaction to these super dense, spelt, vegan, organic buns with a ridiculously generous amount of currants, ‘I think I need a glass of milk to wash it down.’ But for all that you could potentially use these buns as an airborne missile, one team member was won. ‘Omg, it’s a hot cross cake! Can I have another one?’Banneton | Woolloongabba
A perfect middle-of-the-range density somewhere between Easter bunny fluffy and dense, chewy goodness, a big hit of citrus flavour from the orange glaze and plenty of fruit and spice put these semi-sourdough buns pretty high up on our bun bucket list. There’s also just something about their crosses that makes us want to get a little bit handsy – but we could just have a fetish. Our verdict? Well, to be honest, the entire office was divided and no one could agree – the arguments went on for hours (as did our sugar high). So you’ll just have to taste test them all yourself. Words by Ranyhyn Akui
