Hot Cross Buns

[maxmillan]

I'm a sucker for sweet bread of all types. But I have yet to find good hot cross buns in this city!

Has anyone found a place they can suggest?

[transfattyacid]

I'm a sucker for sweet bread of all types.  But I have yet to find good hot cross buns in this city!

Has anyone found a place they can suggest?

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terra breads do i good one

[Ling]

Yes, Terra has some that looked really good...but I've never had one.

[PaoPao]

Never had any either, but I was just in Urban Fare and they had them as well.

[Sam Salmon]

Terra's are fesh and well made but not in any way exceptional.

[transfattyacid]

but not in any way exceptional.

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i beg to differ .

i think they are excel "lent "

[CanadianBakin']

What do you think constitutes a "good" hot cross bun? I want to make some for the coffee house I bake for and recipes seem to vary quite a bit. To start with, I like them best with an icing cross rather than just dough, but as far as the bun... some have lemon and orange zest in them, some currants & some candied fruit. What is "best"?

[DameD]

I like uprising breads on Venables.. ones that have currents in them, not a fan of the candied fruit. Toasted with a cuppa tea.. the best!

[SushiCat]

There is a bakery on MacDonald near 22nd that has good hot cross buns. They happen to also have excellent meat pies, but they may not be excel "lent" not sure of the rules on this one!

I seem to recal once having a very delicious one from Savory Island in West Van - but can't remember if this is true or perhaps some fiction sitting in my head. If they make them, they will be good there.

Home made always the best, yes currants and lemon zest/orange zest. Other dried fruits as well, e.g. crannberries, blueberries, etc. I have only made them once and can't remember the base recipe - but I changed it so wouldn't be that valid. You need some spices as well.

[kitwilliams]

What do you think constitutes a "good" hot cross bun? I want to make some for the coffee house I bake for and recipes seem to vary quite a bit. To start with, I like them best with an icing cross rather than just dough, but as far as the bun... some have lemon and orange zest in them, some currants & some candied fruit. What is "best"?

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"Best" would include (in my idea of the perfect hot cross bun) mixed spice, currants and candied lemon and orange peel.

And I concur with DameD as to the best way to eat them: split them, toast them, butter them and serve with a perfect cuppa!

[3WholeCardamoms]

Like evrything, HCB's are best when baked with quality ingredients: dried fruit/nuts/zest/spices. Most bakeries will use the old currents/raisins/nuts/spices that come from their wholesaler. Most wholesale spices and fruit - no surprise here - have been sitting awhile. Walnuts that taste like dust are a good example.

The HCB's at Barb's Buns on Saltspring used to be very good - but I'm not sure if they are a priority with the new owners.

3WC

[Daddy-A]

The HCB's at Barb's Buns on Saltspring used to be very good - but I'm not sure if they are a priority with the new owners.

Barb's Buns!! New owners? Since when? My last visit to Ganges was last June(?).

Wondering if you Island folk (shelora??) know if Wildfire has any of these sought-after buns. I'll be over for Easter and will be looking for some ...

A.

[3WholeCardamoms]

Barb sold the bakery probably just after you were there. (The name is the same, at least for now.)

Yeah, it is too bad - but they kinda ran it into the ground - 8 million staff, high rent. Most of the same bakers are there and, as far as i'm aware, they are baking the same stuff. Barb employed like all of the island's youth and strays, so it is pretty sad - but she needs a holiday.

As for Wildfire - they used to do a version of HCB's. More like heathen buns - no crosses. Nice spice combinations and fresh organic evrything inside. Pass the butter.

3WC

[SteveW]

Are hot cross buns available year-round in these Vancouver bakeries? In Montreal, bakeries only make them for a short period of time(maybe a couple of weeks per year). Can remember for which holiday(maybe Easter), it's made.

-Steve

[stovetop]

Bakery in Granville island.

I like them

yes hot cross buns are generaly a trad easter thing.

steve L.

[maxmillan]

I'll try some of the places suggested above. Thanks.

Through googling I found a recipe that uses pistachios and cranberries. Think I'll try that when I have time.

[Viola da gamba]

I like uprising breads on Venables.. ones that have currents in them, not a fan of the candied fruit. Toasted with a cuppa tea.. the best!

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Oh man - homemade hot X buns - sweet yeast dough, dough cross, currants (I too don't like candied fruit) - sliced in half & toasted under the grill with slatherings of butter. Best part about Easter (I know, I'm a heathen).

[maxmillan]

I ate a lot of different HCB this month and Terra Bread wins but mostly for texture. It was large and the most expensive of the lot. I would like it if it was a little sweeter with more spice.

I liked Urban Fare's HCB but it was a tad too sweet.

Third place is Uprising but they should go easy on the apricot topping, most of it came off on the plastic wrapping.

La Baguetter L'Achelotte was a bit dry but the sweetness and spice is well balanced.

I made a bread pudding with the ones I bought from Safeway (BTW, they have two different kinds.)

Uprising Bread's HCB had something small and crunchy in it. I thought it was bugs at first but it looked like some sort of seed pod. Anyone know what this is?

You may be happy to know the HCB from Terra's will be available until March 31.

Thanks for all your suggestions. Hopefully I can get to Savoury Island Pie Company before this is over.

Edited March 21, 2005 by maxmillan (log)

[jamiemaw]

I ate a lot of different HCB this month and Terra Bread wins but mostly for texture.  It was large and the most expensive of the lot.  I would like it if it was a little sweeter with more spice.

You may be happy to know the HCB from Terra's will be available until March 31.

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On your recommendation, Maxmillian, I sampled a HCB from Terra Breads today and this is my report.

First, over my lifetime I've noticed a steady change in the way HCBs are made. In my childhood, they seemed more savoury (nutmeg and cinammon, I suspect) than sweet, with darker interiors, and typically they were not allowed to rise as much before firing. Now they have a less dense composition, more in line with the modern cinammon bun if I'm not mistaken. Further, they used to have pastry crosses, not icing ones. I seem to remember the best ones were from The Cookie Jar bakeries.

I normally shy away from foodstuffs with religious connotations, especially communion wine (I prefer a cold pint in church), however this seemed innocent enough, especially during the period of Lenten denial.

That being said, I enjoyed the Terra version, especially as I ensured that I received an inside bun so that all four edges would be moist. Rather than splitting and toasting it, however, I sliced it top to bottom in three, and then carefully placed very cold butter on the sides.

The effect was not unpleasant, somewhere between having sex with a regular church-goer and not having it at all.

But that's Lent for you.

J.

[Paul B]

A bit late for this subject, but the Pic Nic bakery, that little gem on Clyde between 14th and 15th in West Van, makes very good hot cross buns.