CHOICE testing reveals the tastiest hot cross buns
Woolworths Traditional Fruit Hot Cross Buns receive first place
CHOICE has tested 21 hot cross bun varieties so you know exactly which ones to add to your shopping trolley this Easter.
“With so many options out there it can be hard to choose the best bun but whether you’re a fruit fan or a chocoholic when it comes to hot cross buns, CHOICE has the answers. Our expert panel taste tested over 20 products from traditional fruit and chocolate categories purchased from national supermarkets, Bakers Delight, and Costco,” says CHOICE Editorial Director Marg Rafferty.
“Woolworths Traditional Fruit Hot Cross Buns took first place in our taste test, receiving a score of 75%. Our experts praised it for its softness and ability to toast well,” says Rafferty.
Read the full reviews here: https://www.choice.com.au/
Our experts blind taste tested each hot cross bun, and gave the buns a CHOICE Expert Rating determined by assessing flavour, appearance, aroma, and texture.
Best traditional hot cross buns
1. Woolworths Traditional Fruit Hot Cross Buns
CHOICE Expert Rating: 75%
Price: 67c per bun
“These Woolworths hot cross buns have a soft texture and toast well if you like your bun on the crunchy side. Plus, they’re vegan-friendly with no preservatives,” says Rafferty.
2. Coles Traditional Fruit Hot Cross Buns
CHOICE Expert Rating: 72%
Price: 67c per bun
“These buns came in second place, with our experts praising them for their moist texture and softness,” says Rafferty.
3. Woolworths Luxurious Richly Fruited Hot Cross Buns
CHOICE Expert Rating: 61%
Price: $1.25 per bun
“These buns have dropped slightly in our testing, after scoring first place last year. However, our experts were pleased with the fruitiness of the bun and the hint of cinnamon with each bite,” says Rafferty.
Best chocolate hot cross buns
“This year none of the nine chocolate buns we tested scored high enough to make it onto our recommended list. However, if you’re still keen to get your chocolate hot cross bun fix, Aldi Bakers Life Chocolate Hot Cross Buns scored highest in our testing,” says Rafferty.
1. Aldi Bakers Life Chocolate Hot Cross Buns
CHOICE Expert Rating: 57%
Price: 58c per bun
“Our experts discovered these buns scored much better when toasted and had a good shape and size,” says Rafferty.
2. Community Co Chocolate Hot Cross Buns
CHOICE Expert Rating: 56%
Price: 67c per bun
“Our experts agreed the Community Co chocolate buns were soft and looked good visually, with a clear cross,” says Rafferty.
3. Coles Chocolate Hot Cross Buns
CHOICE Expert Rating: 53%
Price: 67c per bun
“These buns had the equal highest chocolate content at 25%, but lost points due to their salty aftertaste,” says Rafferty.
See the full story here: https://www.choice.com.au/
Images and videos available here: https://sites.google.com/
Media contact: Erin Barton, 0430 172 669, media@choice.com.au
Editor’s notes:
Who are the experts?
Adam Moore is a prolific culinary judge. His credits include judging for Le Cordon Bleu cooking school and Royal Agricultural Society (RAS) Fine Food competitions across a range of categories.
He has formal qualifications in pastry, charcuterie and butchery, sensory evaluation, food styling and food photography. With more than 25 years in the industry, Adam has worked in restaurants, food service, retail, food manufacturing, marketing and sales. He’s a certified global executive chef, and culinology director at Culinary Revolutions.
Brigid Treloar has been a freelance food consultant for over 30 years. The author of eight cookbooks, she also contributes to newspapers and magazines, reviews restaurants, judges cookery and recipe competitions, and judges chocolate in the Sydney Royal Fine Food Show Competition. Brigid has presented specialist cooking classes around Australia and overseas, and often appears on TV and radio. She’s an industry assessor for Le Cordon Bleu, advises many of Australia’s food companies on product and recipe development, and also provides recipes and cooking information for company websites.
Anneka Manning is the creator of the Sydney- and Milton-based baking school BakeClub. She has worked as an author, food editor, consultant, teacher and publisher with leading Australian magazines, newspapers and book publishers, including Gourmet Traveller, Australian good taste and The Australian Women’s Weekly. Her books include Bake Class and Mastering the Art of Baking.
In her face-to-face and online classes and workshops, Anneka specialises in teaching not only the ‘how’ but also the ‘why’ of baking, giving home cooks a complete understanding and the skills to bake with confidence and success, every time. She also hosts the unique, six-month Make Me a Baker program, the only baking course of its kind in Australia.
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