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Which hot cross buns are best? Choice expert taste test solves Easter dilemma

Hot topic: They're one-a-penny, two-a-penny... but which are best?

Hot topic: They're one-a-penny, two-a-penny... but which are best? Photo: Choice

Chocolate eggs and bunnies are already appearing en masse on supermarket shelves, which means it’s also hot cross buns season.

For those who do not bake at home (who has that kind of time?) and with so many options available, shoppers face a serious dilemma: Which hot cross buns are best?

Never fear, Choice has done the munching for you – conducting blind taste tests on 21 different types of the baked treats.

This was no amateur operation, Choice brought in expert taste testers Ian Huntley, Christopher Thé and Brigid Treloar and had them taste buns from Coles, Woolworths, Aldi, IGA, Bakers Delight and Costco.

The treats were scored over four categories: flavour, appearance, texture and aroma.

They covered the old traditional (spiced with fruit), chocolate, apple and cinnamon, and gluten free varieties with a winner in each category.

And according to Choice food journalist Rachel Clemons, the offerings from Coles dominated the winners podium.

“Coles was clearly the winner in our testing this year, with their hot cross buns coming first in both the chocolate and traditional fruit categories,” Ms Clemons said.

Best traditional hot cross buns

  1. Coles Traditional Fruit
  2. Aldi Specially Selected Traditional Fruit
  3. Bakers Delight Traditional Fruit

Best chocolate hot cross buns

  1. Coles Chocolate
  2. Bakers Delight Choc Chip
  3. Woolworths Cadbury Chocolate

The experts were set up in the Choice kitchen lab and were fed hot cross bun samples in random order, with each judge receiving a different order of samples.

“Our experts have over 80 years experience in the food industry between them, so they’re the perfect people to test out these Easter treats,” Ms Clemons said.

Coles general manager for bakery, deli and seafood Andy Mossop said Coles was delighted with the win.

“It’s testament to our hardworking bakers and teams who come into work each day kneading the perfect mix to create our mouth-watering buns for our customers to enjoy this Easter,” Mr Mossop said.

Other close contenders in the traditional and chocolate categories were Aldi, Bakers Delight and Woolworths.

Topics: Food
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