Shops / Features
Bristol’s best hot cross buns
It will take planning worthy of a military operation to get Bristol’s best hot cross buns today.
At Hart’s Bakery at Temple Meads yesterday, 360 hot cross buns were gone in minutes as they came out of the oven soon before 9am. If heading there today, make sure to either pre-order or get there in plenty of time.
Over at Mark’s Bread on North Street in Southville, they have a different tactic, cooking small batches of 12 throughout the day. They are certainly the stickiest in town.
is needed now More than ever
On a two-wheeled tour to five Bristol bakeries, a taste test inside or outside each business visited deduced that the best buns can be found at:
2) Mark’s Bread
3) Hart’s Bakery
4) Joe’s Bakery
5) Herbert’s Bakery
East Bristol Bakery on St Mark’s Road in Easton take the crown thanks in part to a delicious glaze. If I could have fitted a pair of scales into my rucksack, I would vouch that they are also the heaviest, with very dense almost cake-like dough.
Let’s hope that their timing is better today, however, as yesterday a longer proving than expected pushed back their appearance on the counter until after midday. Alex and co will be open today from 9am, with the aim to have hot cross buns ready by then.
Compared to Bristol’s three artisan bakeries, Herbert’s are bland with no glaze at all although there are plenty for sale.
Joe’s Bakery on the Gloucester Road in Bishopston have softer dough and are not particularly spicy, but won on the sight test alone for my three-year-old daughter.
They also get a special mention for their choc cross buns (below) – like circular brioches and well worth a trip to the Gloucester Road for them alone.
Main photo by Mersina Papageorgiou
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
