Test kitchen: Haute cross buns

and excellent ceramics for serving them

A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned I was working on a feature for Country Life about what to do with leftover hot cross buns, which should be live this weekend. I spoke to some London bakers (Anna Higham, owner of Quince bakery, Ian James, head of product development at Pophams, the Ottolenghi team, and Michael Engler, the executive baker at Daylesford) to find out what they do with their surplus goods, and supplemented the piece with a few of my own recipes (an egg, bacon and hot sauce hot cross sandwich, along with a baked granola). I have trialled (and errored) a few various toppings on the way, and I thought I would share the best of the bunch in a test kitchen dispatch today.

Of course, little beats a fresh hot cross bun. They should be very well toasted, so the edges turn crisp and the currants threaten to burst, and anointed with a ragged alp of salted butter that drips between the crevices. However, if you are feeling a little experimental, want something that feels indulgent without being terrible for you (though go ahead and sandwich an Easter egg between your buns if you want to— it is the only time of year you can do so), or want to ponder some new plates to serve them on, then I hope this dispatch is of use to you.

---

Quince bakery buns (267 New North Road, London N1)

Combinations that came out on top

• Pan-fried egg, bacon and tomato, splashed with hot sauce and sandwiched together

• Marmite and cheddar, grilled until the cheese bubbles

• A slab of dark chocolate, a sprinkling of chunky sea salt and a showering of desiccated coconut. I don’t really know why I did this, but I liked it so much. I would suggest a chocolate like Lindt, as the squares are wide and slim so melt slightly as you eat it

• Greek style vanilla frozen yoghurt (M&S) with honeycomb pieces. You can cheat and use a crushed Crunchie bar, or go a step further with a honeycomb ice cream

• Pan-fried halloumi with dark marmalade (thank you

  Emily on Toast
  )

• If you go a bit rogue and find yourself with triple berry hot cross buns like I did at one point, opt for cherry curd or compote, frozen greek yoghurt and a drizzle of honey. The Newt in Somerset cherry curd is a wonder

• Finally, go french toast. Soak the buns in a mixture of eggs, orange zest, a little milk, cinnamon and icing sugar before pan-frying until golden. Perfect with yoghurt and finely sliced orange

---

How to serve it

• I came across Minnie Mae Studio while compiling a Christmas Gift Guide a few years ago, and still love her products. The willow bough serving platter (£125) is inspired by the William Morris wallpaper that lined the walls of her great grandmothers bedroom. Every piece is handmade and can customised, which I love

• The beautiful ‘secret garden’ placemats are from Aquazzura Casa (£95)

• For many, a long weekend means breakfast in bed (£52, The Go-to)

• I don’t want to love this coral bone china menagerie plate (£18, Harrods) but I do

• Luke Edward Hall is a creative genius. His ceramics (bottom right image) are designed by him, thrown and moulded by an artist in Scotland, are then hand-painted by Hall, before being glazed and fired. You can email commission enquiries via his website

• A new wave of ceramics, courtesy of British artists Joanna Ling, whose porcelain wave sundae dish (£60, bottom left image) was practically created for a greek yoghurt and honeycomb stuffed hot cross bun, and Lucy Breton at Wavey Ceramics, who uses earthier tones throughout her collections (from £32)

• The brown patterned platter (£29) is part of the Ryu tableware collection at Ferm Living, crafted using the traditional ‘Nerikomi’ technique, where two coloured clays are kneaded, rolled and cut by hand

• Finally, The Newt cherry curd (£6.95), handmade using sour cherries, eggs, butter and sugar, perfect on hot cross buns or toasted wholeweat sourdough.

Have a very happy Easter.

Amie Elizabeth

x

---

---