As the nation’s beloved Queen of Cakes, Mary Berry’s verdict on all things baking is gospel.
But this week, the former Bake Off judge made an uncharacteristic faux pas…
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s The Food Programme, she urged listeners not to bother making their own hot cross buns this Easter.
‘I have to confess that the best quality ones are in the supermarkets,’ she said.
‘I have never really thought mine were better.’
Mary Berry recently urged people not to bother making their own hot cross buns this Easter. Pictured: Sarah Rainey showing off her cheat buns
Well I have to disagree. Of course you can — and should — make your own hot cross buns at home!
And as more Brits than ever take to the kitchen during lockdown — we need all the encouragement we can get.
But, with flour and yeast in short supply, traditional recipes can be tricky to follow. So I attempted two. I first tried Mary Berry’s own, for classic, spiced, fruity hot cross buns.
The other was my hack’s hot cross bun, made with unconventional store-cupboard staples — from oats to apple sauce — in place of not only flour and yeast but sugar, eggs and butter, too.
So why not try and whip up your own batch of buns this Easter weekend. Here’s how…
From her 2016 series, Mary Berry’s Easter Feast, Mary says her Hot Cross Bun recipe is ‘foolproof’. Pictured: Mary Berry with a traditional set
Mary’s traditional buns
From her 2016 series, Mary Berry’s Easter Feast, Mary says her Hot Cross Bun recipe is ‘foolproof’ — if all the ingredients are available. I scavenge in the cupboards and cobble together 500g wholemeal flour (the recipe calls for strong white bread flour but mine will be fine), 75g caster sugar, two teaspoons of mixed spice and a teaspoon of cinnamon.
To this, I add a packet of dried yeast and 10g salt, on different sides of the bowl so they don’t mix, as this can interfere with the rise.
In a pan, I melt 40g butter with 300ml milk and add this to the dry mixture, along with the zest of a lemon and a beaten egg. It comes together into a soft, moist dough.
Now I have to add 200g sultanas and 50g finelychopped mixed peel, and knead the dough for ten minutes until it’s ‘silky and elastic’.
‘They’re a bit of a palaver to make,’ Mary admits — and she’s not wrong. If you (like me) don’t have a food mixer with a dough hook, this bit seems to take for ever. My arms are aching.
When it finally reaches the right consistency, I drizzle some oil in a bowl and leave the dough, covered with Cling Film, to rise for a few hours until it’s doubled in size.
The next step requires me to knead the risen dough, divide it into 12 balls — and then arrange them on covered baking sheets to rise yet again, this time for 40 to 60 minutes.
Mary says the double rise gives a ‘wonderful open texture’. I ditch mine in a warm place (beside the oven) to work their magic.
Finally, almost four hours after I started baking, they’ve puffed up nicely and are ready to go in the oven. I’m just about to close the door when I realise there’s something missing: the crosses!
For this, I mix 75g plain flour with a few tablespoons of water until it makes a paste. I spoon it into a sandwich bag, snip off one corner and pipe white crosses on all the buns, before baking them at 220c (200c fan) for 15 to 20 minutes.
They bake beautifully, turning crisp and golden on the outside, and filling my kitchen with a lovely spiced scent.
All that’s left is to brush the tops with a few tablespoons of golden syrup while they’re hot — and wait for them to cool so I can tuck in.
The finished buns are light, springy and full of fruit. Homemade buns may take a bit of practice — and a lot of patience — but this Easter we’ve all got plenty of time on our hands.
And it really is worth it for that fresh from-the-oven taste. Mary, I’m sorry to say it, but your own recipe has proven you wrong.
But who’s the in-store winner?
If you’d rather take Mary at her word, here’s our taste test of the best on the supermarket shelves…
MORRISONS
The Best Extra Fruity Hot Cross Buns
Price: £1 for pack of four
Fat: 3.4g per bun
Sugar: 17.6g per bun
Verdict: Light and spongey in the middle, with a soft dough that’s not too dry. But there isn’t much fruit inside, and they taste overwhelmingly of cinnamon. They’re sticky, too, leaving me with syrup all over my hands. 3/5
MARKS & SPENCER
Luxury Hot Cross Buns
Price: £1.50 for pack of four
Fat: 3.1g per bun
Sugar: 19.4g per bun
Verdict: Soft texture, with a nice balance of fruit-to-dough and not too spicy. A neat cross as well, and good shine on top. But with the highest sugar content of the lot, they’re a less-than-healthy treat. 4/5
CO-OP: Irresistible Limited Edition Richly Fruited Hot Cross Buns
CO-OP
Irresistible Limited Edition Richly Fruited Hot Cross Buns
Price: £1.35 for pack of four
Fat: 3.2g per bun
Sugar: 11g per bun
Verdict: Packed full of citrus sultanas, currants and peel, these buns deliver on fruit. The bread itself is doughy but it’s moreish — more like a muffin. Lovely golden crust, and the lowest sugar content. 5/5
TESCO: Extra Fruity Hot Cross Buns
TESCO
Extra Fruity Hot Cross Buns
Price: £1.50 for pack of four
Fat: 2.2g per bun
Sugar: 14.8g per bun
Verdict: Dough that is on the soft side, and one for those who like a high fruit content. Bold crosses, though not even — and the shine is patchy. Cloves come through as the dominant spice. 2/5
WAITROSE: Richly Fruited Hot Cross Buns
WAITROSE
Richly Fruited Hot Cross Buns
Price: £1.69 for pack of four
Fat: 3g per bun
Sugar: 14.7g per bun
Verdict: Plump, sweet buns with a golden glaze on top. Inside there’s plenty of fruit and the dough is infused with fragrant spices: I taste cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. The crosses are neat. But at 42p per bun, they’re not cheap. 4/5
SAINSBURY’S
Taste the Difference Fruity Hot Cross Buns
Price: £1.25 for pack of four
Fat: 2.7g per bun
Sugar: 15g per bun
Verdict: Made from a sourdough starter and filled with soaked Chilean flame raisins and Turkish vine fruit, these promise a lot — but sadly deliver very little. They’re chewy, dense and not nearly as pillowy as I’d hoped, while the fruits are are very sparse. 1/5