Who's got the best buns in South Africa?

Described as sweet buns made with yeast, hot cross buns are filled with spices, say cinnamon, nutmeg, ground ginger and cloves and studded with a selection of dried fruits such a currants, raisins and candied peel. Finished off with a glaze, they are decorated with a white cross representing the crucifix — made with a flour paste. 

In all the years the Sunday Times Lifestyle team has undertaken the annual tasting of the  ready-made hot cross buns we have purchased from the five big retailers. The consensus is that many don’t meet the brief of the description above — and a memorable comment from one of our panelists in a previous blind tasting rings true, “This ain’t no hot cross bun, this is one in drag!” 

This year the second wannabee chefs at Capsicum Culinary Studio in Rosebank Johannesburg together with their Chef lecturer Andile Magwaza were fired up with excitement and enthusiasm to do the blind tasting.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

We purchase the hot cross buns from the five big retailers — Checkers, Food Lover’s Market, Pick n Pay, Spar and Woolworths — as the stores now carry different varieties of hot cross buns. We stuck with the traditional ones synonymous with the Easter festival. The range of flavours keeps growing, and included extra spicy, fruit-free, chocolate and ones made with apple, dried cranberries and citrus flavourings.

Just before the blind tasting happens, the buns are removed from their packaging and numbered, so the panel doesn't know where they come from. The tasters are required to taste each bun and rate it on an official score sheet according to aroma, appearance, flavour and fruit content — each category is allocated 10 points. They are scored out of 40 points and the panel includes  comments on the overall hot cross bun tasting experience.   

THE RESULTS

FIRST: WOOLWORTHS

Traditional Hot Cross Buns R39.99

Chef Andile: Sticky finish on glaze giving it a pop. The mixed peel gives it a great kick and the most traditional bun of all I’ve tasted today.

Enzo: Excellent texture and mouth feel. Best aroma with good citrus smell and great tasting with good glaze. Overall it is amazing.

Ayanda: Nice shine to the bun, amazing citrus taste. However, it is a little chewy. The aroma is pleasant, the best of what we’ve tasted today.

SECOND: PICK N PAY

Traditional Hot Cross Buns R35.99

Ayanda: It has a bit of a shine to it but feels hard to the touch yet has this amazing aroma, though a little on the dry side.

Michael: Outside texture is a bit crusty and there’s glaze on the top. Taste is moderate but could do with more spices, and fruit is moderately distributed. Aroma is great.

Lara: Dry on first touch and a bit dense but fruit ratio is excellent. The bun crumbled when torn. It would be perfect with pickled fish to mop up the lovely juices.

THIRD: FOOD LOVER’S MARKET

The Hoppery Hot Cross Buns R18.99

Motsamai: Good appearance, there is flavour and aroma. The bun is soft but dry.

Renier: No glaze, the bun had no glaze and the fruit looked a bit sad and lacked the flavour of a good hot cross bun.

Enzo: Unevenly baked, stingy on the glaze and less of a flavour profile. It’s dense in texture but fresh with fair balance of fruit.

FOURTH: CHECKERS

The Bakery 6 Traditional Hot Cross Buns R32.99

Boipelo: Very doughy, not fluffy. No glaze and feels as if it is underbaked. There is a little “cross” on the bun. The bun leaves an aftertaste in the mouth.

Chef Andile: The cross is very sad, it has a cloying texture because it tastes undercooked. The fruit gives it an earthy flavour.

Ayanda: No glaze on the bun, the cross is quite small and the bun isn’t fluffy and soft. The aroma isn’t strong enough and I find it dry.

FIFTH: SPAR

Hot Cross Buns R34.99

Renier: No glaze on the bun and it smells like bread with a very citrusy flavour. It could have been better with more spices and a glaze.

Enzo: Very strong citrus flavour these buns are overproved, so they look good but without glaze and little spicing it is lacking in flavour.

Boipelo: Smells overproved and yeasty, there’s little or no spices. The bun is dry and smells like umqombothi. The cross is little to none.

AND NOT FORGETTING THE EASTER EGGS

What’s an Easter without a selection of chocolate Easter eggs?

After tasting the hot cross buns, we asked the Capsicum Culinary Studio tasting team to put a selection of Easter eggs to the taste test. We’d purchased a selection available from the five big retailers. This wasn’t a comparison as they were all different.

FOOD LOVER’S MARKET

The Hoppery Bunny filled with Speckled Eggs R99.99

Anyanda: Packaging is cute and once you start eating the mini eggs, one can’t stop.

Motsamai: Colours draw you in, appearance is good and taste is great.

Andile: I just want to keep chewing, the pop of jelly is amazing.

WOOLWORTHS

5 Chocolate Hollow Milk Chocolate Bunnies R54.99

Chef Andile: Although cute, the chocolate is very sweet and not sure I’d give it to my 3-year-old nephew who wouldn’t sleep.

Michael: Looks impressive, the chocolate is smooth and sweet.

Enzo: I find the chocolate thick, it doesn’t melt immediately and has an overly sweet taste.

SPAR

Cadbury’s Dairy Milk Buttons R67.99

Boipelo: Tastes like real chocolate, fun to unwrap for adults and kids

Renier: Smooth, not too sweet. Very nice.

Chef Andile: Smooth to the bite with a kick of sweetness at the end when swallowing.

CHECKERS

Forage and Feast Hot Cross Bun Flavoured Milk Chocolates R69.99

Ayanda: I enjoy the taste, it’s really good, I also like the shape and design. It actually smells like a hot cross bun.

Michael: The appearance is great, the taste is amazing and the texture is very smooth.

Boipelo: Chocolate tastes like hot cross buns, looks like hot cross buns, not too sweet and the warm spices come through the chocolate nicely.

PICK N PAY 

Daisy Bunny Hollow Milk Chocolate Bunny R49.99

Lara: A smooth textured chocolate with an amazing almost citrus/fruity top notes in the aftertaste.

Chef Andile: Interesting fruity flavour with stone fruit/mango undertones. 

Ayanda: Interesting and distinct taste with nice appearance. I like the shape and design of it.