Tesco White Hot Cross Buns

...buns I tried. Any Tesco in the country will have piles upon piles of these, strategically placed slap bang in the entrance to the store and again at the tills, with a pile on the customer services desk to make sure you've not missed them. Oh, and you can get them in the Cafe. Just in case you have a sudden attack of tunnel vision and miss them, these hot cross buns come in a typically Easter sunny yellow cardboard 'case'.

You can ...
...at first glance the buns look good. They've got a sheen on the top rather than the shine some supermarkets (Asda) put on their hot cross buns, I find the shinier they are the harder they are in texture. Not in a bad way, don't get me wrong, I just happen to prefer lighter buns. The cross on these is just off centre enough to give the buns a nice un-uniform look, the cross on Sainsbury's buns is so exact on each one I swear they've got someone out ... more

Foodwise, in our house we like to get into the spirit of Easter. Bowls of mini eggs have been available for the last two weeks, a Simnel cake is prepared and absorbing its flavours as I speak and then there's hot cross buns. Hot cross buns are made to be devoured by the dozen in the run up to Easter, we get through them at such a rate that it's pointless even trying to keep up by making my own so I usually buy them in bags of 6 from Greggs. I find the bakery buns don't warm up too well for buttering though so I've been hunting out alternatives.

Believe it or not I struck gold with the first 'mass produced' hot cross buns I tried. Any Tesco in the country will have piles upon piles of these, strategically placed slap bang in the entrance to the store and again at the tills, with a pile on the customer services desk to make sure you've not missed them. Oh, and you can get them in the Cafe. Just in case you have a sudden attack of tunnel vision and miss them, these hot cross buns come in a typically Easter sunny yellow cardboard 'case'.

You can see what you're buying through the clear plastic cover and at first glance the buns look good. They've got a sheen on the top rather than the shine some supermarkets (Asda) put on their hot cross buns, I find the shinier they are the harder they are in texture. Not in a bad way, don't get me wrong, I just happen to prefer lighter buns. The cross on these is just off centre enough to give the buns a nice un-uniform look, the cross on Sainsbury's buns is so exact on each one I swear they've got someone out the back with a set square!

Opening the pack the smell that comes out is decidedly fruity. The smell of these is similar to the overwhelming stench (sorry raisins fans) of Eccles cake. Eugh. To be honest I was surprised about this because the buns don't look like they contain as many raisins as the smell suggests. I'm odd when it comes to raisins, currants and the like - I can have a few in certain foods but they have to be 'good'. Slicing the bun in half shows the inside is nicely dotted with plump looking fruit (apparently sultanas, raisins and currants but who knows the difference?), those of you who like raisins will probably think there isn't enough fruit but for me they're just right.

During the slicing I noticed something odd. These are WHITE hot cross buns but they're the colour of brown bread, not the white dough I was expecting. I've got to check this. According to the ingredients list wheat flour is used so presumably this is what gives it the brown appearance but they're not strictly white...

In my opinion the only way to eat a hot cross bun is lightly grilled and buttered. These grill beautifully with no bits that decide to burn as soon as they go under, on a low setting they warm through well before going brown meaning the butter melts into the bun. The buns have a slightly breadier texture than the Greggs version and definitely aren't as light as they look. They're not huge hot cross buns but they feel substantial, you have to chew each bite rather than just bite, suck and swallow!

These taste delicious. The buns are sweet but not sugary, the sweetness comes from the fruit and mixed spice rather than sugar overload. They've got a lovely zesty taste which comes from 2% lemon and orange peel, this doesn't sound a lot but it lends a subtle tang to the buns. My mum's allergic to citrus fruit and she can't eat these because of the peel so if you've got a similar allergy be careful. The raisins are plump and juicy and not at all overwhelming in taste, they blend into the sweetness of the bun and it's only when you feel the wet in your mouth you realise you've bitten a currant in half. I did pick the big ones out though... It all comes together to create a subtly spiced, sweet and fruity hot cross bun. Despite being a cheaper version than I usually buy these have actually been eaten quicker; mine toasted, Mark's 'raw' with butter and jam and the kids have theirs plain like a cake. Everyone has commented on how tasty they are, and they've all noticed the lovely aftertaste the buns leave in your mouth. A cinnamon/mixed spice flavour which is actually stronger as an aftertaste than it is in the bun.

At 59p for 6 (currently on promotion at 2 packs for £1) they're worth a try. The only people I can imagine who might not like these are those of you who like their hot cross buns heaving with raisins, there's enough of these horrible little things in to make it taste like a hot cross bun but there really aren't very many in there at all. Which is good. At 202 calories and 4.8g fat these aren't too bad, compared to the Greggs hot cross buns I'd say these are pretty lightweight because they're not so stodgy.

You gotta love hot cross buns, thanks for reading.
 

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