When it comes to hot cross buns, Reece Hignell doesn't muck about.
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The former MasterChef Australia contestant who owns Hamilton cake shop Cakeboi and Maitland's Acacia Dining is a firm believer that traditional hot cross buns are by far superior.
"There is honestly nothing better than a freshly made hot cross bun from a local bakery," he said.
Hignell sticks to baking traditional hot cross buns and said the furthest he deviates is a chocolate chip hot cross bun.
"We even have orange peel in it, we're talking proper tradition," he said.
Although he sticks to traditional hot cross buns, Hignell has definitely sampled his fair share of unique hot cross buns.
"I've tried the savoury pizza ones, I've had biscuit flavoured ones, an apple pie hot cross bun but I really think hot cross buns are already so good as they are," he said.
Hignell has been in the baking game now for five years but said he would have first started making hot cross buns 20-years-ago.
"I've been making them every Easter," he said.
His secret to making a really flavoursome hot cross bun is using a really good dough, allowing for enough time for it to rise and jam packing it full of spices.
"At Cakeboi we're using cinnamon and allspice, which has a really punchy flavour," he said.
"Flavour and texture makes a hot cross bun."
At Acacia Dining, their deep dish pancake breakfast item has been transformed into a hot cross bun deep dish pancake for this week.
"It is full of flavour," Hignell said.
Hignell will be serving hot cross buns at Cakeboi on Thursday, Friday and Saturday this week.