My tip for a great hot cross bun? Buy them at the shops, says Berry
Baking queen admits even she struggles with the effort involved in creating the staple Easter treat
MARY BERRY has long reigned as the queen of home baking and is a doyenne of domestic bliss.
But despite decades of experience, the cherished cook and presenter has not yet mastered the seasonal treat of hot cross buns.
Berry even admits that shop-bought buns are better than the ones she makes.
Her knowledge guided viewers on The Great British Bake Off during its BBC run from 2010 to 2016 and her expertise has featured in countless cookery books.
In her long career Berry has extolled her finest recipes in popular Christmas volumes, but the signature dish of Easter is not one she has perfected.
The 85-year-old admits she has never mastered the hot cross bun and she resorts to buying the spiced treats from the supermarket.
Despite misgivings about her buns, the cordon bleu-trained champion of home baking has provided her own recipe for the BBC as Easter approaches.
“Maybe you even want to tackle something like hot cross buns,” Berry told BBC Radio 4’s The Food Programme. “I have to confess that the best quality ones are in the supermarkets. They have the better quality. I have never really thought mine were better.”
Hot cross buns are made with flour sweetened by sugar, spices and dried fruit, then scored with a cross. The buns, symbolising the crucifixion, are traditionally eaten on Good Friday.
Although far from the technical wizardry of a Bake Off showstopper, they nevertheless present their own difficulties.
Berry said: “They are difficult to get light and right.”
The food expert explained that: “In my family we have hot cross buns throughout Lent. I love them with lots of butter.”
Despite appreciating the treat, Berry warned would-be bakers about their challenges.
In a video tutorial for her recipe she advises viewers that hot cross buns are “a bit of a palaver to make”.
The buns or something similar to them have been consumed around Easter in Britain since medieval times.
While the sweet morsels themselves are popular, the labour involved in making them is not.
Berry’s recipe takes more than two hours for 12 buns, with various testing stages. “I’m with Mary Berry on this one, she’s a beacon of common sense,” said food critic William Sitwell.
“I hate raisins and I hate sultanas, but I love hot cross buns. Saying that, it would never cross my mind to make them. When you come to Waitrose or Aldi or wherever, you can make your life a lot easier by just slipping a few packs of six ix into your shopping. It will bring you a lot more joy.
" I always ys encourage people to cook more and read more.
“But leave ave hot cross buns to the experts. s. It’s wasted time trying to make them.”
Mr Sitwell well has suggested various arious updates on the medieval recipe, including a chocolate orange ge hot cross bun.
He said: d: “I normally think chocolate orange is an abomination, on, but these se are amazing.”