Every baker likes to think they have a hot cross bun recipe that’ll knock your socks off, but consumers vote with their feet so you have to be on top of your game. This is where Adelaide bakers get lucky, with a secret weapon for getting the perfect hot cross bun.

Introducing the Bun Club Adelaide. On the surface, this is a group of ladies who like to meet at local bakeries and eat some buns around the March to April Easter period. But these ladies take HCBs seriously, with a steady Instagram following of people who just want to know where they can get their hands on a good bun!

In fact, Jayme Davey of Orange Spot Bakery swears by the Bun Club’s expertise, and gets them in to sample his creations early so he can tweak his recipe as needed. And his gamble has paid off, winning the title of Australia’s Best Hot Cross Bun 2020.

“We’re very fortunate here in Adelaide,” Jayme told Baking Business.

“We get them down early every year to sample the buns and give us the feedback; good, bad or indifferent.

“They’ve been excellent, and they’re not backwards in being forward – if they don’t like it, they’ll tell you! They just love eating buns and are a great resource to bakers in the SA community.”

The Bun Club was founded by three friends, Monika Portella, Kimberley Kingsborough and Kate Warner, who have enjoyed eating and rating buns together for years before making it “official” in 2018.

“We have been friends for many years, sharing a love of baked goods,” Kate said.

“After a cheeky morning tea to try Orange Spot’s first batch of hot cross buns on the shelf in 2016, we started comparing bakery buns.

“The rest is history.”

Since February 2018, the trio have been eating buns and sharing their thoughts on Instagram.

“Each year our bun tasting and appreciation of independent bakeries of Adelaide has grown,” she said.

“We’ve built quite a community over our bun love!”

They’re willing to let you in on the secret to impressing their taste buds, too, explaining the the bun needs to have a fresh “squish” plenty of fruit – with peel an added bonus – and spices that “takes you back to childhood Easter times and the taste that lingers after your last bite.”

But the essential part to making it amazing? “Buns must be halved, toasted each side with lashings of butter.”

Although they love trying buns in many forms, the Bun Club are traditionalists at heart and stand by their hashtag #notimeforfruitlessbuns.