Never made them. I don't do anything involving yeast. Local bakers do it better. But I buy them every year. Only the traditional ones, not the newfangled types with chocolate or whatever added. Not an improvement imo.

I've never made them either but I considered it this year. I even bought some sultanas my last shop so I could. I am also not big on yeasted baked goods but groceries and bakeries often don't carry the buns and I quite like them. They sure don't have them around after Christmas or very early if they do carry them at all. Not that easy to find here!

I made them once, thought I posted them but can’t find. Maybe I didn’t, because as I recall my crosses were runny and messy. Recent years I'm off sweets fkr Lent so I can't eat on Good Friday anyway. But really, stuff like thst rarely "goes" in my house so it’s not worty the effort.

I didn't see them locally before this week.

I've never had a hot cross bun! :p In my family, we make this bread that we call babka at xmas and Easter, and I craved it early so made it already and half is gone. It's perfect. :)

I just put another babka in the oven. :)

Colleenoz, when and how do you eat hot cross buns? are they more of a breakfast item served with butter and jam or something else?

The bakery via farm box delivered some (but no longer hot)--does that count? I don't know anyone who makes them, though got a recipe in my e-mail (a fussy seeming recipe reeking of gilding the lily). But then it occurred to me that none of my Easter observing people have any connection to the UK, and they're more likely to talk about lamb than sweets. :)

Fo those of you hesitant to use yeast, here are some tips for easy success: Use an oven thermometer to check the accuracy of your oven in the center and in the corners. If it's way off, you can get it adjusted, but you can also just fiture out the setting that gives you the correct temperature. Use a recipe that doesn't assume you know what you're doing, or ask for directions before you start. Get new yeast and new flour to start with--the right kind of flour. Fresher is easier to bake with.

Happy Easter to you all! (It's leap year so there's a month before Passover.)

I'm not afraid of using yeast.......It's just too fussy and bothersome. All that kneading and proofing and rising. Someone else can do it :-)

party_music50, I just eat them as a snack. Sometimes for breakfast or midafternoon with a cup of tea or coffee. They are soft and sweet and IMO, don't need either butter or jam.

Nor am I frightened by yeast. I just can't be bothered with the various processes. I cook only to eat well, not for interest or enjoyment, so if something is cheap and good from a shop, I buy it. I couldn't make 6 for £1.00 which is what I pay.

I prefer mine cold and ungarnished. But most people split toast, and butter them. They are not hugely sweet. Nearer bread than cake.

I have tried some of the ’newfangled’ ( lol floral ) types for example there’s apple and cinnamon out this year, as well as the choc chip variety. While they are quite OK, for me the ordinary old ones are the best. Toasted under the oven grill, then spread with butter all washed down with a cup of tea… lovely at this time of year.

Ah, competition! From what I can tell, the bakery's are pretty traditional. Not too sweet, A bit rich in flavor, bits of dried fruit rather than big lumps like you'd get in an American muffin. The recipe from a spice purveyor had bigger, browner buns with herbs inside and a citrus glaze. The picture didn't look appetizing and the recipe less so. But my more authentic buns, about 2” square, were six for $8, which is about £6.33. Hot cross buns are for more prevalent around here in the nursery rhyme than in bakeries. Lots of bunny and egg shaped cookies...

Coleen, how'd your baking go?

I checked a few of the best-rated recipes for HCBs and was surprised that the recipes were sweeter and more rich than I expected and with raisins too!

My recipe isn't terribly sweet as it only has 2oz of sugar to a lb of flour. It also has currants instead of sultanas and some candied citrus peel. I like mine buttered, sometimes warmed, but DH likes his toasted and buttered. We mostly eat them at breakfast but also as a snack. DH prefers my homemade ones to the shop ones and so do I.

I am a purist and have no time for the new fangled ones. I have made them fruit-free for fussy DD and also without the citrus peel for a friend who is triggered into migraines by citrus, but that's as far as I go.

I quite enjoy kneading dough but this year I didn't feel up to standing for ten minutes to do it so I let my bread machine do the kneading for me. They came out very well :-)

2" SQUARE hot cross buns !!!! ???

For me should be lightly sweetened, lightly spiced and lightly fruited. They're not cakes.

Yes, 2" is very undersized LOL. We like them toasted and buttered for tea. Without the cross, they're a teacake. Something you used to see in tea shops. Loved them in the winter dripping with melted butter.

Yep. California portions. Everybody is careful about Calories.

SonIL's demonstration of how not to serve HCBs.

Massive fail :-/

My wife would be claiming those! Burn it, she wants it.

Holy smokes, floral, those are truly HOT!

Mother used to make them with Grandma's recipe, hers had candied fruit and raisins. I spent all my time picking the candied fruit out of them, I don't like it, but I kept the raisins. IT was tedious, though.

I haven't made them because Mother always did. Now that Mother is gone, it didn't enter my mind to make them. I'll have to add them to next year's Easter menu, but they won't be the sam because I refuse to add that blasted candied fruit!

Annie

I love candied fruit. I have to resist buying the 500g cartons of whole caps because I'd just eat them straight out of the pot.

I always like to sample the candied citrus peel when I use it for something. But I don't care for other candied fruits very much.

I like candied ginger slices and guava, except I rarely want all that sugar. Not so fond of the gummy kind that stick to your teeth. I—who have very little experience of HCB—have never had the candied fruit kind. Just chopped raisins or currants. Maybe dried cherries.

For candied citrus, if you’re using the commercial stuff in sticky corn syrup I highly recommend trying to make your own. The difference with homemade is so striking that even Annie may change her tune. (Ok, maybe not. 😉) It’s a little tedious to make with the repeated boiling, costly esp if using organic fruit which is all I’d consider for this use (hopefully you can make good use of the fruit itself though) but the results are worth it. Here’s the recipe I use:

https://www.daringgourmet.com/how-to-make-candied-orange-and-lemon-peel/

Ours isn't made with corn syrup as corn syrup is not much available or used here.Candied citrus peel is generally pretty dry with the individual pieces easily separated.

I’d imagine there are better options here, too. I was just comparing it to the type typically found in our grocery stores. Stuff like Paradise brand. Don't taste much like the peel at all.