Mary Berry is wrong about hot cross buns

[rosebud5678]

Saw in the paper this week that Mary Berry, aka the Queen of Baking, has said in an interview that hot cross buns are very difficult to get right. She goes on to recommend that the best thing to do is buy them at the supermarket!

I'm no expert, but I manage to make them very successfully most years - they are really not much harder than bread! Yes - there are some things which it's definitely NOT worth trying to make yourself, and yes - I've had my fair share of homemade disasters. I just don't think hot cross buns fall into that category.

I'm also slightly disappointed that MB is promoting this view when surely her role is to encourage us all to have a go in he kitchen. Maybe she's sponsored by Waitrose?

Who's with me?

My other favourite is cinnamon rolls - but they really ARE a faff...

Ah, now I find cinnamon buns much less hassle and many times better than shop bought ones

Supermarket HCB are doughy and over-sweet.
Proper traditional bakery HCB are more breadlike and lovely.
MB doesn't know what she is talking about, and is clearly sponsored by or influenced by a supermarket. Was she in the Waitrose newspaper I wonder? She lives near Henley which is home to Lawsons bakery who make the most perfect HCB and are available from many of the local independent shops.

Lawlors Bakery sorry autocorrect

@steppemum We’ve had problems getting heart, but it’s widely available in the local Polish and Moldovan shops here in Dublin. Would you have any nearby?

Ffs Yeast not heart

Don't know who Mary Berry is, but I made some a few years back from Nigella's recipe. Delicious.

I buy them now but i did make a lovely batch last year 😋
Can't get hold of yeast for love nor money now though or bread flour so pretty much stuck with shop bought anyway which is a shame

We’ve had problems getting heart

loving the idea of us all searching the shops for heart - surely that is a lock down essential!

I'm not a great yeast baker. But I used the last of my yeast for cinnamon rolls. they were delicious.
You can't buy those in the shops, but you can get HCB.

There probbaly is yeast in the Polish shop, but it is in the centre of town and I'm just doing supermarket quick in and out when I need to.

@rosebud5678 Can you do that link again? It's not working, and there are loads of HCB recipes on BBC Good Food to choose from...

paul Hollywood's recipe with grated apple in is the best one I have made.
This year's were a bit of a disaster as I had no bread flour and was working with a sulky sourdough starter, and a weird recipe, they were tasty, bit a bit heavy and burly and all morphed into one tray of continuous bun

However I managed to get flour and yeast on amazon so I shall wait and do them properly!

as far as LaBerry goes, I am sure I remember an article with her where she said she doesn't get on with yeast so that'll be why she is recommending shop ones.

Sorry, might be my technical skills (or lack of!) Here it is:
www-bbcgoodfood-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/hot-cross-buns?amp&usqp=mq331AQRKAGYAbDGhaeLwdr91wGwASA%3D&amp_js_v=a2&amp_gsa=1#referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bbcgoodfood.com%2Frecipes%2Fhot-cross-buns

I made the Paul Hollywood hot cross buns with apple from the BBC good food website earlier this week they were superb. I now have to make more having eaten them. I have fresh yeast to try and bread flour from Shipton Mill which is lovely. Homemade are far better than shop bought.

I am testing out Delia Smith's bread machine recipe for hcbs here. They are on their second proving atm.

I have moved on from Delia Smith generally but thought this would be accurate at least. Not sure they are that much easier than doing it by hand though tbh! We'll see .... .

Never thought of using a bread machine - let us know how they turn out!

I used to make them and recall they were very easy. This was before they started to be on sale just after Christmas, and before all the vile “luxury” versions. I’m waiting for a cheese version...cba to make them since kids grew up and left.

They worked out ok. I used half white/half brown flour. The bases caught a bit unfortunately (very hot gas oven). I'm not sure it was hugely time-saving doing it in the bread machine tbh as you still have to do the second rise separately.

They look lovely!

Thanks Rosebud! They taste OK. I put in industrial quantities of mixed spice, but it's amazing how you can always do with a pinch more!

I made some the other day using a complicated recipe from bbc good food and they were rubbish.

Today I made a batch using a James Martin recipe (also on the bbc site) which was a doddle and they've come out fab!

Those look really good Catinboots very well risen!

Thanks @Slychomping99

And I'm really not a baker at all.

I can't get yeast right now where I am in the States, so I made hot cross biscuits (American biscuits so scone-like). I cut slits for the crosses and filled with honey after baking. I would post a picture but they are all gone.

I'm liking the idea of hot cross biscuits! All the HCB flavour but a lot less hassle to make

We make Hugh fearnley Whittingstall's recipe, they're very nice. I agree the home made ones are very different to supermarket ones, but I would view it as the supermarket ones are tolerable as long as you forget they're supposed to be HCBs and just treat them as a mediocre filler food.