The future of the Easter hot cross bun

Savoury variations have swept the nation, but bakers say they are "polarising".

Surprima Bakeries in Sydney's west will make around 500 thousand hot cross buns before Friday. They introduced an Aussie version in 2022, filled with cheese and vegemite.

"We trialled several," Head of Sales Justin House said. "These were the ones that hit the spot for us."

"We started with a soft launch. The [flavour] was a bit polarising. Some customers said they were amazing, others said, 'what the hell are those?'."

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Mr House said Suprima was not set up to make bespoke flavours this year, but he would love to try a rosemary or bacon variation.

He said the rise in savoury buns was good for publicity, adding that the large supermarkets likely saw increased numbers of in-store shoppers because of novelty flavours.

According to SBS, Coles sold 2.5 million hot cross buns in the final week of December 2022 and Coles' burger sauce buns have become a social media sensation.

Around 70 million hot cross buns are sold nationally, across bakeries and stores, each Easter period.

But for some, sticking to the classics is a no-brainer.

The bakers at Wagga's Hot Bake Bakery have been using the same hot cross bun recipe for 40 years and they have no intention of changing it.

"I learnt [the recipe] from my dad," owner Tim O'Brien said. "I'm not opposed to [new flavours] though I don't reckon you can beat the classics."

Mr O'Brien said his team were busy enough with the popularity of the heirloom recipe.

The Good Loaf Sourdough Bakery in Bendigo won best hot cross bun at the Australian Bakery Championships in 2018 and 2019 for their semi-sourdough version. They bake two types of dough, both filled with dried fruit.

"That's what people like - the classics," a staff member said.

The history of the hot cross bun

Though a contemporary symbol of crucifixion, these treats have been baked since ancient times. Egyptians represented the four seasons through the dough's cross. The Greeks and Romans later offered rolls to gods.

The buns appeared in 12^th century England, where they became associated with Easter. They were first marked with a cross to ward off Later, they were used only for Good Friday.

English monks gave out the buns, baked with precious spices, to the poor on The Day of the Cross.

Hot cross buns were banned in England following the protestant reformation. Queen Elizabeth 1 allowed them to be baked in homes again from 1592 and the buns have been a staple ever since.