The hot cross bun has been reborn this Easter. In Sydney, bakers have stretched and manipulated the centuries-old parameters of what the seasonal raisin-studded, spiced bread roll could be, far more than ever before.
There are hot cross buns crafted from croissant dough, shaped into wheels and stuffed with spiced cream. They are super-sized to share, swirled with cinnamon and soaked in sherry. And they are frankensteined into hybrid sandwiches, roti bread and all manner of bakery items.
“Bakeries are using the hot cross bun as a way to make a name for themselves, and show off their point of difference,” says Eddie Stewart, co-founder of Newtown bakery Tokyo Lamington.
At a time when operational costs are high and competition has been steadily growing (a new artisanal bakery having opened every fortnight since spring), a stand-out hot cross bun could mean up to 10,000 additional sales for a small bakery, where buns are hand-rolled.
Limited edition baked goods first grab consumer attention on social media. Hot cross buns are a trending topic on TikTok, where influencers capture the latest varieties to theatrically stretch open, consume and rate them.
“If your buns are a bit different then they’re more likely to get featured, and that basically guarantees people are going to come in and try it,” says Stewart.
“At the weekend there are groups of Easter treat hunters running around Sydney, trying all of the different bakeries they saw online.”
Those scavenger hunters are part of a growing number of Sydneysiders embracing the Easter evolution. For years, customers at Clovelly bakery Madame & Yves raised their eyebrows at the slightest change to the traditional recipe.
“But this year, the popularity of our hot cross brulee bun [a hot cross bun crossed with a creme brulee] is blowing us away and outselling everything at the shop,” says co-founder Jennifer Scherrer.
The key to a successful “not” cross bun, she says, is ensuring it doesn’t stray too far from the original.
“It’s still the bun they recognise and crave, but with a little upgrade … it gives you all the expected textures and flavours, but wrapped up [with a] delightful crunch and a spiced cream [filling].”
Ready to spice up your seasonal treat? Here’s Good Food’s comprehensive guide to the hottest cross buns of Easter 2024. Hop to it.
Not-quite cross buns
For the curious but cautious traditionalist, these buns hop up the traditional recipe with subtle on-brand tweaks. At Hearthe, a Stanmore bakery with a focus on native ingredients, the hot cross bun features bunya nuts (hand-shelled by supplier Adam Joseph with Indigenous elder Laurie Bimson), dried quandong (wild peach), and anise myrtle. At Iggy’s in Bronte, the “craisin” hot cross buns are filled with pecans and cranberries – a nod to their original bakery, founded in 1992 in Cape Cod. And at Fiore Bread in McMahons Point, where provenance is key, each bun is made with naturally fermented sourdough, currants soaked in Earl Grey tea, and preservative-free apricot cardamom jam from Jam Lady Jam.
Our pick: The cinnamon-spiced, raisin hot cross buns at Baker Bleu, with entire oranges pulverised and mixed within the dough. Heaven when toasted, buttered, and sprinkled with sea salt.
Trent van de Jargt
Hot croissant buns
Sydney’s cult-like obsession with croissants continues with Easter flair this year, as bakeries use their viennoiserie skills to make buttery, flaky hot croissant buns (a welcome reprieve from the inescapable ‘crookie’). They take several shapes. First, the “hot cross wheel” at Moon Phase in St Leonards, where the pastry is freckled with raisins, currants and caramelised pecans, then filled with a slice of cinnamon-spiced cold butter. The “hot cross cube” follows, at Banksia Bakehouse on George Street, where croissant cubes are filled with cinnamon-spiced, orange-infused cream custard.
Our pick: Take it one step further with Bar Mammoni’s hot cross cruffin, an exceptionally fluffy hot cross bun, muffin, and croissant hybrid filled with creamy chocolate namelaka (Japanese cream made with milk, heavy cream, chocolate and gelatin).
Hot cross cinnamon buns
The traditional spice blend welcomes an extra dash of cinnamon and a rich brioche dough at Bobo Bakery in Randwick, where baker Rowan Attwell has created a “hot cross cinnamon scroll”. In her version, the brioche is folded with tea-steeped raisins, rolled with whipped, spiced butter and brushed with a brown sugar and orange glaze to create a decadent Easter treat – but be warned, you’ll need to order ahead to score one on a weekend. Find them in viennoiserie form at ThreeFold Pastry in Parramatta, which sells the “hot cross cinnabun” with currants, orange zest and a white chocolate cross.
Our pick: The bakers at Fika in Manly take the Swedish cinnamon buns of their youth and combine them with the hot cross bun to create a spiced, raisin-filled swirl of soft, chewy dough.
Hot crossover buns
Is it a hot cross bun? Or is it a lamington? At Tokyo Lamington in Newtown, they’re offering both – a “lamington hot cross bun” (shaped like a bun, with gooey dark chocolate and a chocolate raspberry glaze) and a “hot cross bun lamington” (shaped like a lamington, with raisins and mixed spices, dipped in white chocolate and rolled in hot cross bun crumbs). The hybrid concept is repeated at Donut Papi in Marrickville, where you’ll find a “hot cross cake doughnut” with Caramilk glaze and white chocolate cross.
Our pick: Madame and Yves creme brulee bun is a textural delight – filled all the way to the edges with a smooth, spiced cream and coated with a crunchy, sugary shell.
Hot cross buns, but bigger
They say happiness shared is happiness doubled, so why not buy a hot cross bun big enough to feed an entire family? Or maybe you’re just hungry. Regardless, Bourke Street Bakery has made a hot cross loaf, on and off, for the past 20 years. They’re true to the original in all but size, with sultanas, currants, dried orange peel, spices and plenty of butter. French boulangerie LouLou serves up to four people with their hot cross loaf, featuring spiced brioche dough, candied orange peels and raisins.
Our pick: The creative team at Tuga Pastries has repeated the sell-out success of their 580-gram B.I.G croissant with the B.I.G bun – a 7-inch hot cross bun that’s surprisingly light and layered with whipped honey butter.
Hot cross boozy buns
An Easter treat for those who eat their weight in rum balls each Christmas. Petersham bakeries Sweet Belem and One More Chocolate have gone the traditional route, pairing spiced dough with port-soaked raisins, but at Sweet Belem, they give a subtle nod to their popular pastel de nata (Portuguese custard tarts) with a vanilla custard cross. At Flour and Stone in Woolloomooloo, traditional Florentine-style rosemary brioche buns are sweetened with sherry-infused currants.
Our pick: Australia’s first whiskey-infused ‘scotch cross bun’ is a collaboration between Benriach Single Malt Scotch Whisky and The Grounds of Alexandria. It’s available for takeaway but best tried as a dine-in dessert when it’s served with brown butter sauce and macadamia ice cream.
Hot cross … what?
How far can you push the boundaries of what makes a hot cross bun before it’s no longer a hot cross bun? Is it when Din Tai Fung puts raisins and choc chips in bao dough, puts a cross on them, and gives them the catchy “hot cross bao” moniker? How about when Tuga Pastries double-bake hot cross buns and fill them with peanut butter and jelly? Or maybe it’s when Kafe Kooks in Ultimo layers roti dough with sultanas, cinnamon and chocolate for their “hot cross bom”? If it’s delicious – does it really matter?
Our pick: The ‘hot cross Reu-bun’ from Humble Bakery is a savoury crossover worth trying. Pastrami (from hatted Surry Hills restaurant Porteño), horseradish cream, sauerkraut pickles and Dijon mustard are packed into a fluffy, traditional bun (minus the fruit) for an eye-opening alternative.
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