Here are some of our favourite buns from small-batch bakers around town.

Bread Club

Taking just enough liberties with tradition, Bread Club's bun holds surprises like blueberries and cardamom, but nails the basics like a fluffy dough. Fermented for 24 hours, it's got a good, generous mix of sultanas, currants and cranberries and a gentle peel taste throughout. Despite all that, the sweetness is in check. If you're open to hot cross bun experiments, try their twice-baked treat, made with yesterday's hot cross buns, sandwiched with almond cream and finished with flaked almonds. Top marks. $3.50 each

558 Queensberry Street, North Melbourne; 65 Cardigan Place, Albert Park

Sourdough Kitchen

If there was a weigh-in of Melbourne's buns, this would rank in heavyweight territory. The sourdough base is shaped into individual rounds (unlike the more common pull-apart ones) and flecked with ultra plump sultanas, currants and properly fresh orange peel. It's not the spiciest bun on the block but with all that slow fermentation time, it still manages to feel super grown-up. $4 each

172 Victoria Street, Seddon

Black Star Pastry

I can't believe it's plant-based! Black Star has been baking hot cross buns since 2015 and this year's is a real triumph. Subbing citrus-infused oil for butter, they're dark in colour, glossy on top and more on the savoury side, despite the frankincense glaze. Plus if you buy a pack of 12, the team throws in a "bun on the run", making it a true baker's dozen (and a genius way to reward the hot cross bun shopper of the household). $4.50 each

Kiosk 0105, lower level, Chadstone Shopping Centre, 1341 Dandenong Road, Chadstone

To Be Frank

Pop a tray of these on the table one morning and wait for the ooohs and aaahs. Glinting like a diamond, with perfectly formed Xs rather than crosses, To Be Frank's bun could be Melbourne's best-looking. If you can bring yourself to tear it open, you'll be rewarded with a pillowy texture that's good fresh or toasted. Vegan bun fans can get their fix, too. The choc-cranberry treat is made with all kinds of clever natural substitutes and the tangzhong method to create a very good approximation. $4.50 each

Shop 1, 4 Bedford Street, Collingwood

Baker Bleu

Even the most hardened choc cross bun sceptics could be won over by Baker Bleu's version. Dark Valrhona chocolate will banish all memories of cloying buns you've had in the past, while sour cherries are a smart choice of fruit. The bun also has a satisfying sourdough chew. Purists, head straight to the raisin and pecan shelf. $3.50 for raisin and pecan, $4 for choc-cherry

119-121 Hawthorn Road, Caulfield North; 42 Errol Street, Prahran