Each year a battle breaks out over hot cross buns.

While this battle is not about when the Easter favourite should hit supermarket shelves, it may divide friends and families.

Instead, this battle of the hot cross buns is about what is the best flavour and recipe. 

Some prefer fruitless hot cross buns, while others prefer chocolate-loaded hot cross buns. There is also the traditional fruit hot cross buns and an assortment of different flavours and fillings. 

In this blog, we will list some of the most favourite hot cross bun recipes and let you decide, which is the best hot cross bun recipe.

Let the battle of the hot cross buns begin!

Traditional Hot Cross Bun 

Whether you are an orange peel in or an orange peel out kind of person the traditional hot cross bun is packed full of fruity goodness, sugar, spice and all things nice.

Fruitless Hot Cross Buns 

Not a dried fruit lover?

For those that want to enjoy an Easter treat but don’t love all the dried fruit, the fruitless hot cross bun is for you.

Still packed full of flavour and those delicious spices, the fruitless hot cross bun can be topped with butter and makes for a great morning tea or afternoon snack.

Sourdough Hot Cross Buns 

Beautifully rustic, amazingly crunchy on the outside and perfectly fluffy and soft on the inside, the sourdough hot cross bun has plenty of things going for it.

While the sourdough hot cross bun is not as common as some of the other hot cross bun varieties, you may be able to find them in your local bakery or an artisanal bakery. 

Additionally, if you are always looking for ways to use your sourdough starter, why not try and make sourdough hot cross buns at home? 

Chocolate Chip Hot Cross Buns 

Well, it is Easter after all and what is Easter without chocolate.

Typically made using the same spiced dough as traditional and fruitless hot cross bun recipes, chocolate chip hot cross buns are perfect for sweet tooths and chocolate lovers.

According to an expert panel of foodies and hot cross bun 

aficionados at CHOICE, Coles and Bakers Delight sell some of the best cholate chip hot cross buns in Australia.

Vegemite And Cheese Hot Cross Bun

Certainly not a traditional hot cross bun recipe, but equally irresistible, the Vegemite hot cross bun is an Aussie hybrid.

Flavoured with the unique Aussie spread and filled with cheese, this hot cross bun is perfect for those that prefer savoury over sweet treats.

The Battle over the Origins of the Hot Cross Bun

The battle over the best hot cross bun recipe is not the only thing that is contested when it comes to the Easter treat. 

There are also many different theories on where the hot cross bun originated. 

Some of the earliest accounts of the hot cross bun date back to the Middle Ages when the Saxons(a group of Germanic peoples) baked buns marked with crosses in honour of their goddess of dawn, Eostre. 

In the ruins of Pompeii, Archaeologists have also found carbonised bread loaves that were marked with crosses. Variations of an Easter-baked treat have also appeared in Greek, Druid and Phoenician history.

There is also the theory about an Anglican monk in England who baked buns on Good Friday and handed them out to the poor and hungry.

From where the hot cross bun originated to when it should be sold or what is the best flavour, there are plenty of arguments and battles surrounding the hot cross bun.