To me, Hot Cross Buns are as synonymous with Good Friday as scrambling around town to buy Easter Egg dye and synthetic blue grass. There’s so much legend and lore behind Hot Cross Buns, which date back to the old country. English folklore said that Hot Cross Buns baked on Good Friday would never spoil throughout the following year. Some bakers believed that holding on to one Hot Cross Bun and hanging it in the kitchen meant that all yeast products in the coming year would rise successfully. Some sailors took Hot Cross Buns on their voyages to ensure their ships wouldn’t sink. And friends who gift one another with Hot Cross Buns every year are said to remain friends for life.
I’m not sure if that’s due to inherent powers in the buns…or just all the yummy carbohydrate goodness. The line is kind of blurry.
Either way, Hot Cross Buns are a fun, meaningful Easter tradition. My mom used to make them, and now I do too.
