How could anyone make such a mess of the traditional hot cross bun?
My wife came home the other day with a packet of hot cross buns and I started to think back to how they were made in the 1960s. They were hand rolled and marked with a cross on the top using a knife then well seasoned with cinnamon, spices and chopped candied peel. Then they were allowed to rise (called proving) and a cross was put on in a lighter mix from a piping bag. They were then baked in the oven and when they were cooked they were brushed with a glaze and tasted delicious. In the 1970s they were made in much the same way apart from the cross that was not piped on. As the buns came out of the oven they were glazed and a rice paper cross was placed on each one to save time.
However, the hot cross buns my wife brought home (a dozen, not metric) looked as if they had been pressed out in a mould, the crosses were straight, very neat and they were packed in cellophane. I opened the packet, keen to try, and sliced one open to spread with butter and it looked just like a teacake. There was no spicy smell, no trace of candied peel and as I sat and ate my bun I wondered how anyone could make such a mess of the traditional HOT CROSS BUN.