The best hot cross buns in Melbourne

Penny for Pound's sell-out-in-seconds-flat hot cross buns are back and we're hungry! Opt for the traditional classic with Earl Grey-soaked fruit, orange zest and cinnamon, or indulge in a sweeter pick via the triple choc hot cross bun oozing with rich dark chocolate chunks. You can pre-order the buns for pick-up from the store, or buy them now online.

Baker Bleu is known for supplying some of Melbourne's finest eateries with their bread, so you know everything they make is outrageously good. Including their hot cross bunnies, of course. Just in time for Easter, these dough masters have baked up brand new ones made with cinnamon-spiced raisins and fresh orange pulp. There's also the famous sour cherry and dark chocolate bun, artfully finished with a cocoa-spiked cross. The delicious sweet treats are available for purchase both in-store and online.

To Be Frank is an artisan bakery located in the backstreets of Collingwood. Their bread is made through long, natural fermentation from organic or sustainable products that have been responsibly farmed. And their traditional hot cross buns? They're some of the best going around in Melbourne right now – a delightful mix of organic sultanas, currants, candied-in-house oranges, cinnamon and nutmeg. You can buy 'em in a six-pack every day right up until Easter Sunday. Check out the website to place an order.

This year is the first time ever Morning Market has made its own hot cross buns, and the team have busily spent months perfecting the ultimate recipe. Theirs involves the use of pastis (a French anise-flavoured spirit), brandy, cloves, cardamom, currants, cranberries, lemon allspice, plus juicy handfuls of sweet dried prunes and apricots. These fragrant goodies are available for purchase online with a six-pack costing $26 and an individual one priced at $4.50 – they're available until Saturday, April 19 for those Easter weekend HCB cravings.

Prefer your hot cross buns on the savoury side? Then make your way to Exhibition Street, where bakery and viennoiserie Antara is slinging a cheddar cheese, chilli and rosemary hot honey version. Of course, you'll still be able to get your hands on traditional hot cross buns here as well, plus decadent and limited-edition flavours like vegan coconut; chocolate, sour cherry and spelt; and laminated cardamom in a pull-apart style. Warning: it might be hard to go back to your stock-standard hot crossies after a taste of one of these next-level creations. Check the Instagram page or pop in-store to see what's currently available. 

Mörk might be known for its cult hot chocolate, but don't overlook its mighty rendition of the humble hot cross bun. This take starts with a dough made with wheat and wholegrain spelt sourdough, which is then slow-fermented for more than three days and scented with aromatic spices, green aniseed and Tasmanian leatherwood honey. The dough is then studded with a medley of currants, sour cherries and orange peel that's been soaked in Earl Grey tea, and hearty chunks of 68 per cent dark chocolate from Mörk's award-winning chocolate factory. The buns are spiced with an irresistible cacao glaze and made with repurposed husk (cacao shell) from the cacao roastery. You can get these goodies from all stores and in packs of six from the website.

Candied Bakery knows its way around a sweet treat, and the hot cross buns here are no exception. Not only is the packaging box just so stinkin' cute and colourful, but these bright, glazed treasures within are packed to the brim with different Aussie fruits, spices, bursts of citrus from orange, and free-range eggs to give them a slightly cakey edge. Use them when they're stale in a bread and butter pudding of sorts, or pop them in the toaster and marry them with butter for the ultimate holy union this Easter.

From two French bakers with resumes referencing some of Melbourne's most loved carb-making institutions (see Woodfrog, Baker D. Chirico) comes Bread Club. The original North Melbourne store now has an Albert Park outpost, with hot cross buns on sale at both – or you can order online. These are the soft, moist kind best warmed just a little and served with lots of melted butter. Find out more at the website.

Wild Life Bakery specialises in 24-hour fermented loaves, and its hot cross buns receive the same sourdough treatment. The relatively traditional fruit buns are dense but fluffy, jam-packed with raisins, sultanas, currants, and candied peel. Want something with a bit more razzle-dazzle? Then try the chocolate and Irish stout hot cross bun, which is spiced only with vanilla for a sweeter take. Take your pick here.

These are of the sourdough nature, so expect a dense and complex bun. The Australian fruit is organic, the lemon and orange peel are candied in-house, and a dark malt syrup adds lustre to the glaze. These breakfasty buns reign supreme thanks to their savoury and slightly acidic nature. It’s only a few steps from Dench Bakers, putting Fitzroy North high on the bun-lover’s radar.

This artisan bakery specialises in wholewheat sourdough bread and pastries, and its hot cross buns are light on the spice, loaded with housemade orange purée, currants, raisins and sultanas, and feature a traditional cross. These bad boys are delicious when toasted and slathered in butter, and we dare say you could even add a layer of jam to your bun for added sweetness. And this year, wrap your lips around some special flavours, including crème brûlée, choc-orange, apple cinnamon and sticky date pudding – yum.

Woodfrog Bakery specialises in uncompromised, naturally leavened, hand-shaped sourdough breads, but it's the generosity of currants and sultanas, high tones of unintrusive citrus and soft interior that pushes this finely glazed bun to the top of the pile. Another plus is you won't need to order ahead to avoid disappointment, as production is plentiful across all branches.

Dense, chewy, flavoured headily with pureéd whole oranges and Australian vine fruits and spiced with a top secret blend, Dench's hot cross buns are rightly famous and flying off the shelves this year. They're best eaten the day of purchase.

Orange and ginger purée flavour the traditional sourdough buns, which are spiked with juicy currants and given the golden glaze treatment. Rather than cooking up a new recipe each year, chef Dan's tried-and-tested Italian formula plays on repeat. Fair warning though, these buns are on the hefty side, so if you're more used to a traditional treat, these benefit from a light toast.

Brioche fans can rejoice, as that is the base of Ned's gently spiced hot crossies. The European-inspired bakery makes two varieties of buns: the traditional spiced fruit (with sultanas, currants, mixed peel and ginger) and the cherry and chocolate kind. You can order them online or pick them up at the Armadale, South Yarra, Albert Park or Middle Park location.

Falco’s hot cross buns are made using organic Australian flour, Australian fruit and cultured butter and milk from St David Dairy. The base is a tender, light brioche bun, carefully spiced and sweetened with fruits that are rolled by hand daily. There is candied peel in the mix, so if you're not a citrus lover, beware. This is fantastic untoasted due to the brioche base, but toast it up and lather on some extra butter for luxury.

You must order ahead for these hot cross buns, as they usually disappear well before midday. These buns are perfectly round, cakey (they contain egg) and on the softer side, studded with juicy raisins, sultanas and currants. The zesty spice mix is warmed up with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice and clove for a festive flavour-loaded treat.