Hot cross buns taste test

We skipped breakfast, rolled up our sleeves and took on the task of taste-testing hot cross buns in the name of retail research. Maya Kerthyasa shares the verdict.

We skipped breakfast, rolled up our sleeves and took on the task of taste-testing hot cross buns in the name of retail research. Maya Kerthyasa shares the verdict.
This time of year brings plenty of good things, not least the prospect of hot cross buns. While keen home bakers make their own (and there's no shortage of details on our website), many of us turn to bakeries, grocery stores and supermarkets for our fix. These days the shelves are bursting with choice, which is why we decided to road-test 10 of the more classic specimens from different ends of the retail spectrum.
The panel of judges - Christopher Thé of Sydney's Black Star Pastry (a keen bun-maker himself), chef and Gourmet Traveller masterclass contributor Damien Pignolet, our own senior food editor Lisa Featherby, and chief restaurant critic Pat Nourse - blind-tasted each one, looking for buns that were soft and giving with a rich colour, consistent structure and balanced levels of fruit and spice. Most importantly, though, they were looking for buns they'd be happy to serve on their Easter table.
Did they find them? You'll want to flick on the toaster and get the butter out of the fridge - the results were surprising. Here are their findings, starting with the buns they rated most highly.
Note The buns from Flour and Stone, Jocelyn's Provisions and Coles arrived a day before the tasting; our tasters were made aware of this during the tasting.
Photography Ben Hansen Styling Lisa Featherby