If you love the seasonal delights of hot cross buns then now is your time to enjoy them. We've picked some of the best in London along with a selection of hot cross bun-flavoured treats too.
Eric's
East Dulwich - 20 Upland Rd, London SE22 9EF
New to the hot cross bun scene this year, Helen Evans has launched her inaugural hot cross buns, and you can pre-order them for collection on 28 March as well as picking them up in the bakery. There's a lot involved in these as she says they're made with "organic currants and raisins, malted barley syrup, homemade candied peel (a citrus party of Seville orange, blood orange, yuzu, bergamot, Amalfi lemon, pomelo, grapefruit and tangelo) and our house blend of freshly-ground spices".
Follow on Instagram: @ericslondon
The Dusty Knuckle
Dalston and Green Lanes
This year, Dusty Knuckle have turned their hot cross buns fully vegan and they say they have "just the right amount of zest and spice to tickle those tastebuds". They'll be available at both of their bakeries until mid-April.
Follow on Instagram: @thedustyknuckle.
Baudry Greene
Covent Garden - 20 Endell St, London WC2H 9BD
Baudry Greene comes from the same team as The Ten Cases (which is next door) and Head Chef Kate O’Sullivan (ex-head pastry chef at Noble Rot) is creating their first-ever hot cross buns. They're made with an enriched dough, packed with spices, candied peel and fresh orange zest. After being slow-proven overnight, they are brushed with a spiced glaze after baking.
Follow on Instagram: @baudrygreene
The French Market
Finsbury Park - 16 Blackstock Road, London N4 2DW
This relatively new addition to Finsbury Park comes from the same people behind Tufnell Park bakery Authentique (where these hot cross buns are also available). The buns have candied ginger and sultanas for the fruits and have some cinnamon in the spice mix. They also use a post-cooking glaze with vanilla and a hint of liquorice.
Follow on Instagram: @thefrenchmarketlondon.
The Laundry
Brixton - 374 Coldharbour Ln, London SW9 8PL
For a Kiwi take on the hot cross bun, Brixton's The Laundry are putting New Zealand's alternative to guava, feijoa in their recipe. The feijoa will be in the bun mix along with stem ginger. They'll be serving them with a rich honeycomb butter, topped with a sticky, sweet feijoa glaze. Oh, and they can also add bacon if you fancy.
Follow on Instagram: @brixtonlaundry.
The Spence Bakery
Stoke Newington - 161 Stoke Newington Church St, London N16 0UH
This Stoke Newington bakery makes its buns with an enriched dough (milk, eggs and honey) and adds in fresh and candied citrus (lemon and orange), sultanas and mixed spice.
Follow on Instagram: @spencebakery
Toklas Cafe & Bakery
Temple - 9 Surrey St, London WC2R 2ND
The Toklas Head Baker Janine Edwards has created her hot cross buns using a dough that's enriched with a tea including cardamom, cloves and cinnamon. Every year, they always use the harvest from Todolï Citrus Fundacio in Valencia to give their buns a little more zest.
Follow on Instagram: @toklas_bakery
Comptoir Gourmand
Southwark, Bermondsey and Borough
This French patisserie started baking under the arches in Maltby Street in 2010 and has added two more sites since. Their buns are made with their buttery brioche given an Easter twist, with a secret spice blend, lemon and orange peel and lots of currants, before being finished with the classic cross.
Follow on Instagram: @ComptoirG
Pophams
Hackney, Islington, Victoria Park
This year's Pophams buns by baker Philip King are once again croissant hybrids. Not only that but making sure not to waste anything, he reuses surplus mincemeat from Pophams’ mince pies in each bun. In the buns you'll find raisins, currants, sultanas, candied peel, apple, mixed spice, King's Ginger and cinnamon and the whole thing is brushed with a citrus, maple and cardamom glaze.
Follow them on Instagram: @pophamsbakery
St John
Shoreditch, Covent Garden, Marylebone
Patience is the key to the St John hot cross buns which are both long-proved and slow-risen for extra depth of flavour. Add to that an unseemly large quantity of butter, dried fruit, candied peel and crystallized ginger and you've got a winning mixture.
Follow them on Instagram: @st.john.restaurant
Fortitude Bakehouse
Bloomsbury - 35 Colonnade, London WC1N 1JA
As you would expect, from a bakery devoted to all things sourdough, the buns at Fortitude Bakehouse in Bloomsbury are a little different to the norm. They're made using a two-day ferment and packed with orange peel and sultanas.
Follow them on Instagram: @fortitudebakehouse
Gail's
Various locations
To add to your indecision when you go into any branch of Gail's (we always want everything) their hot cross buns are now on offer. Last year's buns were a big success, so these will be in the same mould. They feature rye oat flours and spice mixes from Grains of Paradise. They're packed with dried fruit and glazed with a sweet, spiced syrup whilst warm. They got some Taste Awards last year, so should be well worth picking up.
Follow them on Instagram: @gailsbakery
Ottolenghi
Various locations
Ottolenghi's Verena Lochmuller has created a recipe which is stuffed with more than your average amounts of fruit, zest and spice (including black pepper and Rooibos tea). Baking aficionados will want to know that the buns use a Tangzhong paste, which makes them more moist and bouncy than normal. (Available 16 March 2024)
Follow them on Instagram: @ottolenghi
Pump Street Bakery
Delivery to London
Not actually a London bakery, but one of the best in the country that also delivers to London. Their buns are scented with nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon and studded with sweet currants. And you could always put a chocolate bar or Easter egg in your shopping basket at the same time...
Follow them on Instagram: @pumpstbakery
Plus some hot cross bun spin-offs
B Bagel's Hot Cross Bagels
Fulham, Tottenham Court Road, Soho, Camden
Given the rise of the bagel in London it was really only a matter of time before we got a hot cross version. These bagels are made with a blend of spices, sultanas and currants along with plenty of citrus. Fill them with anything from hot salt beef and pastrami to blueberry cream cheese.
Follow them on Instagram: @bbagelbakery
Jolene x Gelupo hot cross ice cream buns
Soho - 7 Archer Street, London, W1D 7AU
This is the second year that Gelupo is teaming up with Jolene for this crossover. They'll be taking Jolene hot cross buns and filling them with their seasonal flavours, including orange peel-flecked marmalade gelato and their treacly molasses gelato, or even both together. (Available 18 March - 1 April 2024)
Follow them on Instagram: @gelupogelato
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