For the second consecutive year, Tatura Hot Bread in north-east Victoria recently won the coveted title of the baker of Australia’s Best Hot Cross Buns in 2012.

Tatura Hot Bread owner, baker and pastry chef Jeff Alexander and his wife Glenda are delighted with their win, especially as this year it recognises the skill of their baking staff and Jeff’s tutelage of them.

“Winning Australia’s Best Hot Cross Buns last year was truly an honour for me and our bakery, so this year I placed the serious challenge of a repeat performance with our baking staff, John Alexander and Graeme Johnson,” Jeff said.

“No one could be more pleased than me that they rose to the occasion and won. We at Tatura Hot Bread are just over the moon.”

The competition, organised by the Baking Industry Association of Victoria (BIAV), attracts entries from around Australia. Designated to spicy fruit buns only, the winner is judged on the flavour, density and colour of their buns, along with the fruit to dough ratio and the moisture of the fruit.

At the awards’ announcement, organised in Shepparton recently by BIAV, EOI national bakery manager Peter LeSueur congratulated the winner.

“We at EOI are proud to sponsor this national award which, once again this year, attracted many excellent entries from around Australia. However, there can only be one winner,” Peter said.

“Winning the status of Australia’s Best Hot Cross Buns for the second year in a row, confirms Tatura Hot Bread’s place as a top Australian bakery and its hot cross buns are a credit to the business and the Australian baking industry as a whole,” he said.

Tatura Hot Bread is also famous for its award-winning vanilla slices. They were judged best vanilla slice in 2011, 2007 and 2006 at the Ouyen Vanilla Slice Triumph and were runner up in 2008 and 2004.