In Honor of Hot Cross Bun Season - The Legend of the Hot Cross Bun

Tomorrow (Ash Wednesday) marks the start of the Hot Cross Bun season at Wild Oats Bakery. Our original recipe uses unique ingredients such as cardamom, lemon and orange zest, ground clove, nutmeg and more. Due to the limited season of the Hot Cross Buns - we only offer them from Ash Wednesday through Easter - they are truly a much-anticipated treat!

In honor of the start of the season, we are reprinting The Legend of the Hot Cross Bun from the King Arthur Flour 200th Anniversary Cookbook.

English folklore traces this bun, with its cross on the top, all the way back to pagan Britain, before the arrival of Christianity, to the celebration of the vernal equinox and the return of the sun's dominance in the sky. The bun represented the earth and the four sections, delineated by the cross on top, represented the seasons of the year. In addition to its seasonal implications, for the baker the cross also was a sign to ward off evil and to encourage the dough to rise.


During the reign of Elizabeth I, sweetened and spiced breads were allowed by law to be made and sold only on special occasions, Good Friday being one. While these laws were relaxed in the next century, hot cross buns continued, even as they are today, to be associated with Good Friday. It is said that if the buns are made on Good Friday itself they will protect the baker, and those sharing them, from misfortune in the coming year.

Click HERE to see the original Wild Oats Bakery Hot Cross Bun recipe and to watch owner Rebecca Shepherd making them on WCSH's 207 program.