Nice buns
Hot cross buns! Hot cross buns! One a penny, two a penny, hot cross buns!
One minute it’s still Christmas, the next you’re catching the warm, spiced scent of citrus and fruit drifting out of the Bellbird kitchen. And while we love Christmas – the Fruit Mince Tarts, the Chocolate Crinkle Cookies, the reckless butter usage – there’s something quite satisfying about its end, making way for the delicious Easter season. Because the best thing about Easter is, of course, the arrival of hot cross buns! Soft, fragrant, fruit-studded signals that Easter has officially entered the chat.
The process begins with what the Bellbird bakers like to think of as the holy trinity of bun goodness: soft dough, generous fruit, and a top-secret spice mix so good, so secret they will never be bullied into revealing it. Into the fruit mix goes whole orange, mixed peel, currants, and raisins, along with organic cane sugar and fresh ginger for a little brightness and bite. The secret spices do their quiet, mysterious work, and what comes out the other end is a bun that’s delicate, fragrant, and deeply delicious.
Each bun is finished with its signature white cross. A traditional marker of Good Friday baking. From 23 February through to Easter Sunday, these hot cross buns will be available at their Riverside Market, The Tannery and Holmwood Road bakeries, along with their regular farmers’ market stalls at Christchurch Farmers’ Market and South Christchurch Farmers’ Market.
For those who like to plan ahead (or simply don’t trust themselves to stop at one), Bellbird’s hot cross buns can also be ordered online for easy in-store collection. Available in boxes of six, they’re ideal for weekend brunches, office shout morning teas, or keeping one’s freezer stocked for “emergency bun situations”. Serve warm with a lashing of butter.