The best takeaway and delivery hot cross buns in Sydney

These are not the kind of buns that leave you surfing a high-GI wave after eating them. There's a rustic quality to Nadine Ingram's baking across the board at Flour and Stone, and it extends to her hot cross buns, which are still sweet and spicy without going into full cake territory. These ones aren't intensely fruity, and they keep the raisins and peel small, too. A very nice touch is that they'll send you home with a little pat of butter on your bun if you're eating on the run. 

Order online now – before they sell out. 

Dried fruit can be divisive, but if you're the sort of person who likes a few choice sultanas as opposed to a free-for-all in your hot cross buns, you'll want to lock down a six pack from Bake Bar. These are a people pleasing bun. Soft, white and fluffy; low on spice and fruit; and they develop a lovely crisp shell when you chuck them in the toaster. Also, in a very inclusive move, Bake Bar sell a gluten-free bun made from tapioca, sorghum and besan flours.

Buns are available for takeaway from the Bondi, Double Bay and Randwick stores (they're staying open Good Friday and Easter Sunday, too). 

At Sonoma outlets across Sydney, the Easter offering is all about French curves rather than right angles – their "not cross buns" are marked with an ‘S’ instead of an ‘X’ (you say Sonoma, we say secular, we can all be right). These sweet little buns are light and airy and only use a very limited amount of peel in their dried fruit mix. They also add cranberries for a little extra tart kick and opt for smaller raisins for more even fruit distribution throughout the spiced bread.

They're now offering home delivery within a 4km radius from most stores on all orders over $20. Otherwise, you can order online and pick up in-store.

It's not exactly a hot cross bun, but this list wouldn't be complete without mentioning the delightful HCB-inspired éclair from this Yves Scherrer's Clovelly pâtisserie. The 40cm pastry creation is made of crisp choux pastry, burnt butter cream and dried fruit, all dipped into a spiced syrup and piped with mascarpone cream. Et voilà!

Order online for pickup or home delivery. 

The Easter bun at Textbook is made with a mix of peel, currants, sultanas, and cranberries, along with ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg and wattleseed for that extra warm and spicy kick. But what really gives these buns an edge is the glaze, which they spike with yuzu, that sharp moreish Japanese citrus flavour that creates a high note to contrast with all the earthy flavour in a classic bun. 

Order online for your box – or pick up a croissant-bun hybrid known as the Hot Croiss Bun. 

Do you like raisin toast? Of course you do. And what’s better than fruit toast? Hot cross buns. The limited season of these sweet treats make them extra special, and Bourke Street's iteration is lighter and fluffier, having more in common with a fruit bread than a sweet pastry. Big, juicy sultanas and scant orange peel complete the effect, plus they'll toast and butter them for you on-site if you want a handheld snack in a hurry.

Head over to any of their stores (which are still open for takeaway only) to snag a box. 

We've veered away from the traditional hot cross bun again – but for good reason. These two local makers have put a seasonal spin on their care packages, fashioning the humble hot cross bun into crumpet form: the hot cross bunnies have the same warm, comforting spices, as well as a scattering of raisins and fragrant orange peel. Basically, they're the ideal base for a thick smear of hand-churned butter. Order the deluxe box for some local honey and Single O coffee thrown in. 

You can find the bunnies online, and they'll deliver to your door all around NSW.  

It's a very tight run if you want hot cross buns from pastry maestro Andy Bowdy. You can road test his spiced brioche spiked with brandy and bourbon-soaked fruit and peel over the Easter long weekend.

Drop by Saga's Enmore Road outlet for pick-up – and maybe grab some cookie dough to bake at home, too.