You know Easter is coming when you see hot cross buns up for sale at the supermarkets … in December. There’s a wide gamut of price and quality to be found across Melbourne, from the cheap and forgettable to the gourmet and decadent. Baker’s Delight sits in a happy medium: affordable and delicious. No wonder they’re so popular. As with their other products, Baker’s Delight’s hot cross buns are baked fresh daily, and without preservatives.

Tonight we joined master baker Luke for an inside look at how they make their hot cross buns. The basic ingredients for the dough are mixed together before adding in the oil and spices. There is a science behind this; gluten that’s coated by oil has trouble developing, and spices can kill yeast, resulting in unleavened bread.

Before being added into the mix, fruit is soaked in water, which helps to keep the fruit moist, and the dough nice and soft. We make both traditional spiced, and chocolate hot cross buns. About 120 choc chips can be found in each chocolate bun – definitely no skimping here.

With his well-trained hands and many years of experience, Luke makes everything look easy. Portions of dough are scooped out of the mixer in exactly the same weight each time, shaped, then carefully spread over a mat. They’re then fed into trusty Dr Robot2 who conveniently divides the dough into smaller pieces and rounds them off within seconds. When each store is baking hundreds, if not thousands of buns to meet demand, every helping hand is welcome.

The smaller portions of dough are loaded onto trays, left to proof in a warm and humid cabinet, piped with crosses, then slid into a rotating oven. After a 20 minute bake, the hot cross buns are ready for eating. Almost. First they need a quick glaze, then we’re finally allowed to tear off individual buns and tuck in to the fluffy and piping hot treats. There’s nothing like freshly baked bread. I’m personally a fan of the corner pieces. I love a bit of crispiness in my bread, and the corners have double the amount of happiness.

Although hot cross buns can definitely be enjoyed as is, they can also be used in other recipes like ice cream sandwiches, french toast, bread and butter pudding, and even savouries. Get creative! Baker’s Delight has some ideas to get you started.