Hot Cross Buns are traditionally eaten around Good Friday and Easter for all those that celebrate these holidays. These buns have become popular over the years with many people around the world who like the spiced sweet buns made with currants or raisins and marked with a cross on the top.

Cobs Bread originated in Australia, opening in Canada 11 years ago, currently they have 40 bakery locations in BC with many more across Canada. I spent the afternoon with their Technical baker David learning how they make their Hot Cross Buns which are widely available in all their stores locally and across the country.

David took me through the baking process as he made their Cranberry Orange Hot Cross Buns, one of the three varieties they produce.

From mixing the dry ingredients to adding the wet ingredients, to proofing the dough, then forming the buns on the rounder (30 buns get formed at once in the rounder) to the baking process.

COBS Bread has three varieties of Hot Cross Buns featuring the Traditional Fruit, Cranberry Orange and Chocolate Chip.  Each bakery location makes them from scratch every day.

Our Traditional Fruit is for the classic Hot Cross Bun connoisseur and is filled with raisins, currants and mixed spice.  The Cranberry Orange is the perfect combination of tart cranberries and zesty orange – think “traditional with a twist”.  The Chocolate Chip is packed full of mini chocolate chips, in fact there are 100 chocolate chips in every Chocolate Chip Hot Cross Bun!

I had a chance to taste test each of the three flavours and my favourite was the Chocolate Chip.

By: Richard Wolak