It being Easter, Spring, and a pandemic, we decided to go local and narrow in search of the Very Best Hot Cross Bun.*
Our adventure took us through Oak Bay and parts of Victoria that are still accessible to people from anywhere else, or that you don’t risk getting stuck in forever if they reconfigure the streets while you’re eating your research and you can’t get out.
Our search for truth took us to Ottavio on Oak Bay Avenue, Bond Bond’s on Blanshard, Foi-Epi on Yates, Fry’s Bakery on Craigflower Road in Esquimalt, Cobs Bread on Oak Bay Avenue, and to our local bakery and caterer, De’lish. It was pretty gruelling, all things considered, but I’ve watched Jumanji, so I know what a quest is like. We returned to most locations several times to correct sampling errors. There were a lot of sampling errors, and it’s important that hot-cross-bun research be thorough. We’re just dedicated that way.
We used a totally subjective rating system. My co-rater identified texture, spice mixture, quantity of citrus, cranberry presence, sweetness, size. Blah, Blah, Blah. Me, I looked for how many I could shove down my cakehole before feeling woozy. I also looked at how they tasted cold versus toasted, because sometimes you need to eat the evidence before you get home, especially if your co-rater is watching your weight for you.
In the end, the Hot Cross Buns from De’lish won out as the Very Best Hot Cross Bun. This is because they are, and because they’re, like, only three blocks from the house, so trust me when I say there was no sampling error, over and over again.
*Individual results may vary, so create your own Best Hot Cross Bun Quest. You’ll have fun toodling about, discover some fantastic Hot Cross Buns, and will support the folks who have kept us fed, and in better spirits these past many months. Nothing wrong with any of that.