Tag: hot cross buns easter

Hot cross buns are in many countries but people didn’t know they are real!

Every year, at some point on social media, I’ll make a comment about hot cross buns. And every year there will be people who didn’t know they were a real thing! They will know there is a song called “Hot Cross Buns” but not that it’s a common Easter food in many countries. So this year, while back in Australia for Easter, I decided to make a quick video about hot cross buns in Australia.

It makes sense that it seems to be Commonwealth countries that continue this British tradition and why it’s usually Americans that don’t know about them. Seriously, Americans, you are missing out! While hot cross buns are available in some places in the US, it’s nothing like the traditions in other countries. Reactions range from “I did not know this was a real thing” to “I have seen them in some bakeries”. Nothing like the fevered desire and need in Australia to have hot cross buns at Easter. It’s a vital part of Easter here and symbolic for the Christian holiday.

As I mentioned in the video, there are different flavours now. But I still prefer the traditional type. Yul is happy to eat the traditional ones with fruit too, though many kids want the fruitless ones. We’ll see as he gets older though, if he decides he wants to be picky…

There are some bakeries in Seoul that do hot cross buns and Summer Lane Cafe which I’ve shown in a video before, has them. If we are not back in Australia next Easter I think I’ll try to make them at home.

What do hot cross buns taste like? They are lovely moist buns with spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, all spice and fruit like sultanas and raisins and mixed peel bits. And of course they have a cross on them and are best served hot with butter. They are a nice treat now, but I imagine they must have been even better in previous centuries when sugar and sweet things weren’t as easily available.

I filmed this video very quickly just to show what it’s like in Australia and how all the bakeries are baking many hot cross buns to meet the demand for them on Easter.