I bloody love a hot cross bun. I dunno if it’s just a classic bake, or because it triggers some nostalgic childhood evocation, but it gets to March and I can eat them for breakfast, brunch, mid-afternoon snacks and supper. Although the supermarkets are now pretty much selling them year-round — and in frankly increasingly stupid flavours and gimmicks — they’re very much a seasonal treat, or just non-existent in Newcastle’s bakeries and cake shops.
I did the hard work and had one from each of the best in town, so you could enjoy the crème de la crème before Easter Friday this 5 April. Enjoy!
Update: If I find any more (noticeable absentees being Zees, Sweet Patisserie) I will add them. Or if there’s somewhere you think rocks, or even just wanna debate whether salted caramel belongs in a HXB, lemme know.
Northern Rye
There’s traditional ‘nana made it’ hot cross buns, and then there’s this very modern take on how a hot cross bun should look. Like borderline demi-brioche brown, the dough has a pleasing brown tinge, packed with lots of chopped peel and a good mix of fruit. Even better, this hasn’t impeded the rise, and is soft without being at all doughy.
I don’t think they could be improved really, a lot of spice comes through, could maybe take a little more fruit, but it’s just superb, as expected.
Each: £1.50
Score: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (untouchable)
Pink Lane Bakery
Huge respect to Pink Lane Bakery for bringing its buns to the people and making them a mere 60p! You’ll pay the same as this in the supermarket buns, many of which are grim so this has gotta be up there. More traditional looking, more mildly spiced, slightly smaller size, and somewhat more wholesome in a ‘really feels homemade’ way. Could handle more fruit and spice but it’s a nice soft texture and realistically, probably what you have in mind when thinking of a hot cross bun.
Each: £0.60 / 2 for a quid!
Score: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (can’t ignore that value)
Fenwick Food Hall
Spotted this in among Fenwick’s display of Pink Lane Bakery’s goods and couldn’t refuse it.
They’re doing chocolate and cheese flavoured – above – which I can’t knock them for as the original is super-traditional, which is sort of what you’d want and expect from Fenwick.
It was nice to see the ingredients listed, which isn’t many at all really — no shite. The bun I got was a little old which was unfortunate, and slightly dry, but overall was light, lots of spice there, and light on fruit, so more along the lines of teacake. But again, this is exactly what you’d expect from Fenwick. It appeals to me as much as it does 95-year old Doris, which is totally fine. £1.95 isn’t crazy, it’s a sign of the times. It’s not overly glazed, either, which I kinda like.
Each: £1.95
Score: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (point off as a little old)
Pure Knead
I think this might be the best looker of the bunch and despite its size, it is super light and delicate, even by weight in hand. Almost OTT shiny glaze too, which for me does make it a little sexier.
Lightly spiced, more towards the cinnamon and sweet side than some of the fiery beasts here. A little light on the amount of fruit and very little peel push this further into teacake territory, but like the best teacake ever. A smear of butter helped bring a little more richness to the mix, but honestly I could have eaten another one immediately afterwards and been quite happy. Bonus points for being sub-two quid.
Each: £1.50
Score: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (lightest and prettiest of the bunch)
Proven Goods
Elephant in the room — not a hot cross bun. But it looks like one, and was just too fun not to include.
‘Spiced & orange zested dough filled with vanilla custard that’s been folded with orange soaked sultanas and zest and rolled in cinnamon sugar’ has a bit more sales spiel to it than ‘hot cross bun’, and oh man this was good.
Grabbable and munchable size with a surprising amount of custard filling which lifts this to another dimension versus a plain old buttering. Interestingly, the custard is fruit stuffed, rather than the bread, so definitely not a HXB. As ever with Proven, ridiculously soft dough which here is superbly spiced, more towards fruity than ginger + clovey and vanilla custard improves everything.
Might be my favourite of the week, but is undeniably not a hot cross bun.
Each: £2.80
Score: 🍩🍩🍩🍩🍩 (delectable but disqualified)
FAB Bakery
FAB is our local bakery and never lets me down, so of course this was cracking. Bit of a scandi vibe too (which I’m here for) with I think dried apple in the fruit mix, and perhaps cardamom in there too? It’s an ever so slightly different riff on the norm, but still a textbook hot cross bun. It is though, another £3 quidder.
Each: £3
Score: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Bonus: St. John Bakery
The best of the best. Of course it’s not exactly a Newcastle Eat, but bakes from the St. John ovens tend to be reliable, quality, and archetypal versions — see Eccles cakes, madeleines, etc. It’s as light as a feather, again in teacake terrirtory, but is speckled with visible orange zest and a glaze heavy with citrus which just cuts through a bit of the sugar. Phwoar!
Have you spotted anywhere that bakes a better bun? Or disagree with my choices? Let me know! It’s great that we’re lucky enough to be able to enjoy at least a handful of great hot cross buns. Testament and big shoutout to all of the guys baking brilliant bread that we didn’t have in Newcastle even just a decade ago. Thank you 👏🏼
GONE, NOT FORGOTTEN
Since posting this back in 2022, the following have since (sadly) closed.
