31 March 2015

Best of Canberra Taste Off - Hot cross buns

| Bec Cuzzillo
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I have been so excited for the hot cross bun Taste Off that I’ve been taste testing for breakfast every morning this week. RiotACT readers were right on board the hot cross bun craze too, with suggestions coming in for places all over Canberra.

I won’t lie, I was a bit disappointed when Coles and Woolies got more than a few votes this week. Yes, I’ve been known to eat supermarket hot cross buns every now and then too, but they are definitely not Canberra’s best. I was very pleased, however, when votes started coming in for some of the independent bakeries and patisseries around town – Dream Cuisine in Fyshwick, Croissant D’Or in the City, Silo in Kingston, Erindale Bakery, Rivett Bakery and Danny’s Bakery in Narrabundah. However, the two places vying for Canberra’s best hot cross buns this week are A. Baker and Bakers Delight.

A. Baker is a bakery come restaurant come bar located in the New Acton precinct. After a leisurely late morning breakfast on Friday, I watched as an enormous tray of freshly baked hot cross buns came up the stairs and went straight into a paper bag for me to take home. Still warm from the oven and smelling oh so delicious, I didn’t even make it back to the car before getting my mouth around one of them. With just the right amount of spice, high quality dried fruit, and a delicious glazing on top – the A. Baker hot cross buns taste as good as they smell.

A. Baker

Bakers Delight has about a million locations across Canberra and probably don’t need much of an introduction. I like Bakers Delight because they bake all their bread and pastries fresh every day and are a great all round bakery. This week I tried their traditional fruit hot cross buns. Lightly toasted in the oven with a big slab of butter, they were pretty delicious. You can always rely on Bakers Delight for decent baked goods.

Bakers Delight

This week’s decision is best summed up by one RiotACT reader, “For everyday scoffing, Bakers Delight do a good job.” The hot cross buns from Bakers Delight are good, but A. Baker takes this Easter exclusive to another level. This week I’m crowning A. Baker as the place to find Canberra’s best hot cross buns.

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Kate Buscombe3:52 pm 31 Mar 15

For all of the dietarily different out there…

Deeks do lovely HxB that are gluten (grain and lots of other things) free and taste pretty close to the real deal! They are about $9 for four, but when your option is a few more coins or no HxB, I am happy with the choice I make. You can even order them online! Melted butter is always a winner 🙂

I bought a six pack last week from Spence Bakery which were the beautifully fresh and a perfect balance of fruit,spices and glaze.

Just having one from Croissant d’Or. Pretty good. Solid spice, good texture and fruit. Needs peel though.

I really really really like the Coles ones, especially microwaved for 25 seconds and coated internally with margarine. I normally eat the whole pack in one sitting. Bring on Easter.

btw Whatever the quality of hot cross bun, and I am sure A. Baker does a good job of those, the inevitable cup of coffee that goes with it, decides where I will enjoy them.

For that reason I would not be eating any buns at A. Baker’s. Possible Autolyse, if they made them, I haven’t been in Canberra lately to see if they do. I’ll check them out later this week.

rubaiyat said :

Which Baker’s Delight? It is the baker, not the franchise, who makes the buns good or not.

I’m just back from Melbourne where a local review put Bakers Delight behind Coles, which was pretty well rock bottom.

You are very correct.

The Hot Cross Buns I bought from Bakers Delight Gungahlin ended up in the bin. They were dry, stale and rock hard.

Never had complaints from any of the other products I buy from them, but was extremely disappointed by the plain and chocolate HxBs 🙁

Which Baker’s Delight? It is the baker, not the franchise, who makes the buns good or not.

I’m just back from Melbourne where a local review put Bakers Delight behind Coles, which was pretty well rock bottom.

I headed out on my own special HxB hunt on Sunday morning after seeing some delicious buns appear in my instagram feed from Stand By Me. I quickly jumped on my bike and after a cold ride from Kambah to Lyons, I had a hot coffee and HxB sitting in front of me. This bun was something special and everything was spot on. The glaze was thick and a treat within itself, not just a limp wristed afterthought with a sugary soaked brush. The fruit was generous without being over the top to give that bit of chew to the lovely fluffy bun. I regret not getting two, but I didn’t want to be greedy for the other people who were also hunting these little fluffy tasty parcels. I love this time of year.

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