If there’s one big-ticket calendar event Brisbane really gets behind (aside, perhaps, a visit from Saint Nick), it’s Easter. The annual celebration of carb-loading, chocolate eating, and general free-for-all overindulging on all your sugary vices, it's a great time of year to chill for a few extra days with friends and fam (albeit, in a food coma).
To help you on your way, and to not waste a single calorie, we’ve rounded up, toasted and tasted the very best hot cross buns in Brisbane. Stock up and eat up!
Jocelyn’s Provisions
Is there anything Jocelyn’s doesn’t do well? The answer is a hard no. Joce’s hot cross buns were the perfect love child of fruity: spicy, pillowy: moist ratios. After the ideal balance of not too fruity, not too spicy and neither too dense nor to fluffy? This is your bun.
Banneton
Famed for their incredible sourdough breads and perfect macarons, Banneton knows a thing or two about baking, and yes, they are certainly up there as producing one of Brisbane’s best hot cross buns. Full of fruit and the perfect balance between pillowy and moist, these beauts are perfect for toasting.
Chouquette
We’ve said it once and we’ll say it again; Chouquette dominates in the Brisbane baking world. And, just as predicted, their take on the humble hot cross bun is a total winner. Using a pain au lait dough as their base, Chouquette’s buns have a beautiful, gentle spice to them thanks to the inclusion of confit ginger.
Flour & Chocolate
Flour & Chocolate are so well known, northsiders are willing to drive across the river for their incredible pastries. Their hot cross buns are perfectly soft and fluffy with just enough fruit. Pop them in the toaster and slather with some butter for an Easter treat.
Sol Breads
Champions of the organic baking world, Sol Bread is all about traditional methods for incredible flavour. So it makes sense that their hot cross buns would of course fly that flag. With a dense dough and a slightly spicy edge, a half dozen of these wouldn’t last a minute. Better pick up a dozen…
Crust & Co.
Crust & Co. never do anything unless it’s done perfectly. So, of course this year they produced the prettiest, most gorgeous HCBs in Brissy; they're pillowy, with a beautiful fruit-to-spice ratio that is dangerously good. So good you’ll likely eat a whole dozen by yourself…
Cake & Bake Hot Cross Bun Delivery
Tucked away in West End, Cake & Bake make some of the best damn tarts and cakes in this town. This year's hot cross bun offering is fluffy, fruity and the perfect snack size for pre and post Easter egg demolishing. What's even better is they've set up a HCB delivery service in the Brisbane metro area for whenever the craving takes you. Order a dozen freshly baked HCBs and have them delivered to your work, right here.
Flour & Chocolate
In the spirit of Easter and overindulgence the genius bakers over at Flour & Chocolate have created the perfect fluffy, fruity, doughnut-y combo that is a hot cross bun doughnut. Throwing tradition out the window these decadent buns are well worth stocking up on. Add to that their golden Nutella hot cross buns and you've got yourself a pretty epic Easter lineup.
Nodo
Nodo’s hot cross doughnut is up there as one of the more indulgent desserts. Looks like a doughnut, tastes like a hot cross bun, it really toys with your emotions. Wanting to keep it traditional? They're also baking classic HCBs all week—so stock up ASAP.
Here are all the insane Easter-inspired dishes you can eat in Brisbane right now.
Image credit: Nodo and Foodie Adam