Best hot cross buns in Dallas-Fort Worth for Easter 2009

by Teresa Gubbins

If you find yourself hungry on Good Friday and wonder what to eat, the answer is: hot cross buns.

One of the various seasonal breads that crop up around holidays -- like King cake or Irish soda bread -- hot cross buns are associated with Easter. In England, they're consumed on Good Friday only; happily, Dallas-area bakeries start selling them a few days, and even weeks, before Easter. Everyone will definitely have them this weekend.

Below are four worthy options found locally, in order of greatness (note "cross" rankings, from four crosses down to one):

+ + + + Ravelin Bakery in Denton $1.25 each

These top-ranking buns wouldn't have been discovered if not for the contribution of Pegasus News staffer David G, who lives near this excellent Denton bakery. Their texture was springy but still tightly knit, not too airy -- you want to know you're eating a BUN. It had a mild crust so there was some contrast between outside and inside. The bun contained a good assortment of dried fruit and citrus rind, not just raisins like some inferior versions out there. And the spice mix was pleasing, with cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove, along with a few drops of citrus oil, which gave them their distinctive taste. Icing was a teensy bit droopy, but that may be a result of the fact that they were imported from Denton.

+ + + Empire Baking Co. -- 95 cents each

Previously the local standard by which all hot cross buns were measured, Empire has come down a notch in recent years. Still, this year's rendition was none-too shabby. They were jam-PACKED with dried fruit, including currants, maraschino cherry, and lots of varied dried citrus rind. They also had a cool glaze that pooled up around the edge of the bottom of the bun, adding a sweet little ridge. And icing was applied in thick, delicious ribbons.

Over the past couple of years, they've expanded in size, and there's certainly nothing wrong with a bigger bun. However, their texture seemed fleshy, almost flabby, compared to the smaller, more compact profile of yesteryear. They also didn't have as much spice, with a somewhat "generic sweet roll" flavor.

+ + Whole Foods Market -- $2.99 for four

In prior years, Whole Foods' version used a larger proportion of whole wheat flour which gave the buns a "healthy" quality that made you (well, me) feel better about eating them. For the past year or two, since scrapping the wheaty deal, they've just seemed ... bready. But the top had a thin glaze that added some zing to the texture, and, as the package says, they're made with cage-free eggs. That's worth something. As for the mix of dried fruit, it seemed to be about 90% raisins and not much else. Icing was thin and had a definite droop.

+ + Central Market -- $2.49 for four

A month ago, Central Market would've beat Whole Foods; a batch of CM's buns purchased in mid-March was very good. The bun was high and rather fluffy, but still had body. There were raisins, mostly, but a few noticeable pieces of other dried fruit including a dried cherry or two. Best of all, it had a strong, delightful hit of the spice cardamom.

But the batch purchased last week (pictured) seemed to have shrunken and lost their zing, and there was no perceptible spice. Perhaps this was a bad batch and the next were as good as the ones from mid-March. In a way, that bodes well, in that there's still a human touch and it's not just some assembly-line supermarket-level product.

All of the above were worthy entries, and it's gratifying that times are so good for hot cross bun fans. These definitely aren't the only hot cross buns in town -- for example, this posting says that Panera Bread has them, and the branch at Park Lane confirms that their hot cross buns are "very, very popular".

Well then: See you soon, Park Lane Panera.