We asked Perth bakers where to find the best hot cross buns this Easter
With the Easter long weekend fast approaching, it’s time to dust off the hoodies and cardigans and venture out into the autumn chill for a soul warming hot cross bun. We talked to some of our best local bakers about their unique approach to the Easter tradition, and their personal recommendations on where to find Perth’s best bun.
Big Loaf Factory Bakery
Available from North Street Store and Little Loaf Bakery, Lachlan Bisset and Craig Stewart’s Big Loaf Factory Bakery is coming in hot this year with a new set of extra flavourful hot cross buns. Filled with even more Australian fruit − soaked in Earl Grey tea from Bibra Lake legends Karvan Coffee − these fantastically fluffy buns are finished off with a glaze rich in vanilla, Panela sugar and Ceylon cinnamon. “We like to go traditional,” says Big Loaf’s Head of Bread Peter Holodnyj. “There’s no sense in trying to reinvent something that’s already great. All we do is make the best version that we can.”
Peter recommends you try out: Miller + Baker
General Public Food Co.
These classic buns are no joke. General Public Food Co. are back at it again this year slinging their traditional 100% sourdough hot cross buns. Co-owners Evan and Sarah Hewitt’s rigorously “tried and tested” vegan and dairy free buns brilliantly maximise favour and chew while being chocked full of gut microbiome filling goodness. Despite orders filling up fast, these local legends still managed to find the time over the weekend to raise over $2000 for Ocean Heroes by competing in the “24 Hour Swim Challenge”. An incredible effort by some incredible bunsmiths!
Evan and Sarah recommend you try out: Mary Street Bakery
Wild Bakery
These wild fermentation gurus can really do no wrong. A communal institution for South Freo locals, Wild Bakery creates naturally fermented breads and pastries with the best locally sourced ingredients and biodynamic stoneground flours. At the helm is classically trained baker and pâtissier Daragh Grier, who − alongside wife Trish − creates natural and delicious baked goods that are as enjoyable as they are good for your gut. Grier and his close-knit team are smashing out soft and fluffy buns filled with fruit and spices that are flying off the shelves. But that’s no stress for these fermentation fanatics, they’ll do anything and everything to keep their hungry locals fed!
Daragh recommends you try out: Miller + Baker
Miller + Baker
This year, the miller and baker himself − Mark Taylor − entrusted newcomer Doug Laurie with streamlining the bakery’s famous hot cross bun recipe. With Taylor and the team behind him as council, Laurie has gone and knocked it out of the park! Miller + Baker’s latest super soft iteration goes big on natural sweetness, with lots of fruit, spices and freshly candied orange peel. This is the respect that the classic bun deserves! “They always go so fast,” Laurie says. “We try to keep a couple of freshies for ourselves before we send them out. A steaming hot bun fresh out of the oven with a slab of butter − paradise on Earth.”
Doug recommends you try out: Knead Bread and Coffee
Grain Bakery
If you’re a fan of Perth’s bread and pastries, then there’s no doubt that you’ve come across the name: Brendan Stone. With over twenty years experience as a baker, Stone’s newest hot cross bun recipe promises to be lighter and fluffier than anything that’s come before. Packed full of fruits, chocolate and a splash of orange juice, these naturally sweetened vegan buns take fruity tang to the next level. To miss out on these would be to forgo two decades worth of bun mastery.
Brendan recommends you try out: Mary Street Bakery
Mary Street Bakery
Would it be possible to make a list on the best hot cross buns in Perth without mentioning Mary Street Bakery? The cult bakery’s iconic traditional and choc-orange buns are back in all stores across the city. Leading the charge into the Easter long weekend is Head Baker Katie Littlewood. A proud user of local produce, Littlewood is doing away with the traditional candied orange peel. Instead choosing to go the extra mile and steam whole oranges until soft and gooey, before mixing them with a blend of plump fruits and autumn spices. The result is an extra fluffy and fruity bun that’s bursting at the seams with flavour and comfort.
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Katie recommends you try out: Knead Bread and Coffee
Knead Bread and Coffee
Baker Robby Thomas’ naturally inoculated hot cross buns are back to tribute his childhood in Canada. Thomas’ recipe is based on his Grandmother’s for Newfoundland’s regional Lassie bread − a raisin loaf characterised by cinnamon, fruit and molasses − which Thomas describes as almost ‘one for one.’ Known for his meticulous nature in optimising texture and flavour, Thomas’ buns are slowly fermented overnight, before being shaped by hand and baked until rich and caramelised; finishing them off with a sweetened rum spiced glaze. Make sure to be there at 5:30 AM to get them straight off the rack.
Robby recommends you try out: Miller + Baker
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Header Image: Grain Bakery