Christmas crossover as early rising hot cross buns hit supermarket shelves

BARELY have we dusted off the crumbs from the last of the Christmas mince pies than hot cross buns have started to appear on supermarket shelves.

Woolworths Bakery Manager Josh Perkins at their Neutral Bay Village store in Sydney with freshly baked hot cross buns. Pictur...

BARELY have we dusted off the crumbs from the last of the Christmas mince pies than hot cross buns have started to appear on supermarket shelves.

Plum pudding may still be fresh in our memories but the aroma of cinnamon and nutmeg, currants and sultanas, in a soft bun is now start tempt us even earlier.

The appearance of the fresh pillowy Easter favourites started to appear, for the past few years, in the big two supermarkets as early as January 1.

The Doble clan from The Rocks, including Elliot, nine, and Aidan, six, were happy to tuck in early.

Their dad Paul, said the girls loved the buns, no matter what the season.

"It was a bit of a surprise that the hot cross buns are out on sale already given that it's a little while away," he said.

Mr Doble said the treats were as much as a reminder that their family would soon be spending more holiday time together.

"I think it's more of the time together for us, over the Easter holidays, is what gets them excited."

Woolworths Bakery Manager Josh Perkins at their Neutral Bay Village store in Sydney with freshly baked hot cross buns. Picture: Katrina Tepper

Woolworths expects to sell more than 50 million individual hot cross buns in the lead up to Easter, launching a new nine-pack mini made with Cadbury chocolate and a premium four-pack triple coverture chocolate version this year.

Elsewhere sourdough and gluten-free, cocoa and choc chip, mixed fruit, fruitless, toffee, orange and cranberry, apple and cinnamon hot cross bun flavours have been seen.

"They are set to be one of our highest selling bakery items over the next few months," said Woolworths head of bakery, Alex Holt.

Coles sold more than 40 million buns last year at $4 a packet or two packets for $7.

"Customers want to get hold of them as early as possible," a Coles spokeswoman said. "Last January alone we sold a staggering 7.1 million buns. With buns that taste as good as ours who wants to wait?"

Bakers Delight will wait until the last week of January before buns go on sale.

"This year our bakers will be turning around 304 tonnes of sultanas and 140 tonnes of choc chips into our famously fresh hot cross buns around the country," Bakers Delight's head baker, Ben Dulloo said.

Elliot and Aidan Doble don't mind seeing their hot cross buns early, but do you? Picture: Katrina Tepper

"Aussies remain a traditional bunch with our fruit variety proving most popular year after year, although nearly a quarter of our customers are now opting for something a little sweeter with our choc chip variety."

Packaged traditional versions from the big bakers, such as Tip Top, are available pretty much all year round.

The Easter bun cross is a symbol of the crucifixion of Christ. Traditionalists usually will wait until the morning of Good Friday before they tuck into a toasted bun for breakfast, usually spread with lashings of butter.

The modern version is a long way from its origins in ancient Greece and the Saxons also ate buns marked with a cross in honour of the goddess of light, Eostre, whose name was transformed into Easter.