3 April 2009

Hot cross consumer

| weeziepops
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I am in search of decent hot cross buns.

I mean traditional, old fashioned hot cross buns with fruit instead of choc chips, but not such as those featured in the supposedly top shelf bakeries which weigh a ton and taste like fruit cake (and cost a lot more than one-a-penny).

Any guidance on this critical issue would be welcomed.

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Back in the olden days, there was a bakery in Thetis Court Manuka that used to set up a trestle table before easter, and flog their hot cross buns from it, warm from the oven. They were the classic spice and fruit ones, all nice and big and puffy.

If I was after buns now, I’d probably try a good vietnamese bakery (like the Kingston one) as they tend to do the classics well.

Gobbo said :

The best Hot Cross Buns are the ones I make.

Except I don’t put a cross on them, I pipe on a love heart.

And I don’t call them ‘Hot Cross Buns’ I call them ‘Hot Lovin’ Buns’.

As I splained to my husband, there’s *nothing* ‘Cross’ about my buns!

Your husband sounds like a very lucky man Gobbo!!

Genie said :

Nifty – this implies that you have recently had them in the cardboard box !? Where’d ya get them ??????????

Ah, no, not this year at least. I went looking over the weekend but came up empty – just the “traditional” variety which are dry and tough compared to the sugar-filled mooshy goodness of the boxed ones.

I haven’t gone to Foolworths or (C)Holes yet.

Pretty much all of them have bunspice essence in them (most places will deny this stuff exists).
If you put enough spice in HotX buns to make them taste they way we expect them to, they’d be a very dark brown colour. Or $20/dozen, if you use the high quality spices.

Americanberran5:01 pm 04 Apr 09

Sounds like he Gobbos them right up…

The following stores sell Healthy Bake products:
Ainslie IGA
Campbell Shoprite
Deakin IGA
Dickson Health Foods
Garran IGA
Fyshwick Natural Health Centre (markets)
Hackett IGA
Hawker IGA
Healthy Life Canberra Centre
Healthy Life Woden
Healthy Life Weston
Kingston IGA
Lyneham IGA
Metro Queanbeyan
Mountain Creek Wholefoods Griffith
O’Connor IGA
Red Hill IGA
All Supabarns
The Allergy Centre (Jamieson)
Watson IGA
Yarralumla Shoprite

The best Hot Cross Buns are the ones I make.

Except I don’t put a cross on them, I pipe on a love heart.

And I don’t call them ‘Hot Cross Buns’ I call them ‘Hot Lovin’ Buns’.

As I splained to my husband, there’s *nothing* ‘Cross’ about my buns!

HealthyBake make six varieties, using wheat or alternative grains. You can order them through most health food stores, and some supermarkets stock them. Higher cost because of the economies of scale, but much better for you.

http://www.healthybake.com.au/main.php

But yeah, those tip top one’s in the cardboard container are the shiz. My wife insists on taking them out of the cardboard to heat them up, which is sacrilege.

Nifty – this implies that you have recently had them in the cardboard box !? Where’d ya get them ??????????

Garran bakery won awards for their buns but they might be a bit exxy (not sure on $ though).

Americanberran8:24 pm 03 Apr 09

The best “hot cross buns” I ever got…happened during the best church service…I ever got 😛

Choc chip hot cross buns are just WRONG. They gotta have fruit with peel and be true yeast buns.

My mum’s were unreal, but she stopped making them when she went on the low-carb thing, dammit! I intend to tackle them this year.

trevar said :

And although I have encountered many excellent Chocolate Hot Cross Buns, they seem to have vanished the last few years.

I know! Two or three years ago the chocolate ones were awesome! Now they seem to be just a darker coloured version of the bottom shelf fruitless ones.

OzPhoenix said :

The other thing that jumps to mind, is that this seems to highlight a culture of consumerism. We want something rather simple, but very specific, yet we’re still not willing to make it ourself – we have to buy it…

meh, take it as a Friday afternoon pondering. 🙂

I had just the same thought, and there it is, written down (albeit much more elegantly than I would have done).

Personally, I hate rotten fruit, and when I was young we couldn’t get HC buns without rotten fruit in them. And although I have encountered many excellent Chocolate Hot Cross Buns, they seem to have vanished the last few years.

Lately, I have begun experimenting with a few recipes, and having a bread maker that will prepare the dough for you means they’re pretty damn easy to make!

I suppose if you’re a fan of the traditional ones with the rotten fruit in them, you’d be best digging some grapes out of your compost bin and making them yourself.

Tant Pour Tant bakery in Launceston. But, you need to preorder and it’s kinda a long drive. While you’re there, pick me up a Chocolate Raspberry Supreme. Mmm hmm.

Hawker Bakery are not shy with the orange peel and they do a choc chip version as well.

But yeah, those tip top one’s in the cardboard container are the shiz. My wife insists on taking them out of the cardboard to heat them up, which is sacrilege.

I like the Aldi premium (they’re in a purple packet) ones. Heaps of fruit, good cinnamon flavour. Heaps better than coles/woolworths/bakers delight/joe baker. Cornucopia do a good one too.

I like our home made ones. But I also like the organic ones at Southside Farmer’s Market – I’m pretty sure they’re Urambi Bakery? They also do the best lamingtons ever.

If you’re buying in the supermarket, I go for the ones that support Red Cross. I figure if I’m buying ordinary supermarket buns, I might as well support a charity instead of just the supermarket share-holders.

Cornucopia in Braddon. Brilliant.

And the vietnamese bakers who sell at the Farmers’ Market at EPIC do an excellent organic one (whatever “organic” means). Lots of spices and fruit.

Does Tip Top still make the “Kids” ones ?? Fruitless, baby size hot cross buns. They used to come in the cardboard container that you would just stick straight into the oven ??

As for traditional ones, +1 for the Coles bakery ones. And -100 for Woolworths.

I like the supermarket “Tip Top” ones or Bakers Delight variety myself. Not sure if they would meet your strict criteria.

Coles !

Hmmm, considering how specific you are, and considering the way you used “traditional, old fashioned” I have to admit the first thing that jumped to mind is that you should probably make them yourself. It sounds like you’re after some home cooked variety.

The other thing that jumps to mind, is that this seems to highlight a culture of consumerism. We want something rather simple, but very specific, yet we’re still not willing to make it ourself – we have to buy it…

meh, take it as a Friday afternoon pondering. 🙂

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