hot cross buns | Photo Credit: KVS Giri
Before Good Friday, bakeries in Chennai usually bring out fresh batches of hot cross buns loaded with spices and studded with pieces of fruit. Most of the bakeries and hotels are starting the sale of these buns from today and will ensure that they are available till Saturday. Apart from hot cross buns, chocolate Easter eggs, marzipan eggs, chocolate bunnies and special Easter hampers are also popular delicacies during this season. Here’s a list of spots, old and new, for this season’s warm and mild hot cross. Buns, a quintessential British tradition.
Smith Field Bakery, Purasaivakkam
Smith Field Bakery at Perambur Barracks Road in Purasaivakkam has been selling these buns for over 130 years. Along with spices and fruits, dates are also added to the buns, adding a sweet kick. They are exclusively about baking without preservatives or flavor enhancers and sell for ₹20 a piece.
He can be contacted on 9884600232.
Whitefield Bakery, Purasaivakkam
This bakery in Purasaivakkam has been making fresh buns since 1978. The recipe has been around for decades and is made with a special spice blend, usually consisting of cinnamon and nutmeg, called ”. Garam Masala’ locally. These buns cost ₹15 and are sold in thousands every season.
He can be contacted on 9841695339.
hot cross buns
Buhari Hotel, Anna Salai
The iconic Buhari hotel on Anna Salai has a secret ingredient that makes their buns soft and ‘healthy’: butter. The bakery attached to the hotel is famous for its hot cross buns, which are also eggless and sold for Rs 40 or Rs 45 for a bun.
Buhari can be contacted at 28551951.
macaroni
McRenett, a popular chain of bakeries and confectioneries with 47 outlets in Chennai, sells Hot Cross Buns as packs of four. They are soft with bright brown tops and chewy candied fruits. Like other bakeries in town, McRenett’s prepares this baked good just before Good Friday. The buns are subtly spiced and sold for ₹64 for a pack.
Les Amis, RA Puram
Les Amis, one of the newer bakeries in town, is seeing a rise in popularity for its hot cross buns over the past year. Spice-coated pistachios and almonds add to the mild spiciness of the batter. Cranberries, dark-colored and light raisins add tangy fruit to these festive delights. The Hot Cross Buns come in a pack of two per order and are priced at ₹195.
Les Amis can be contacted at 9840323635.