A Victorian bakery has claimed the title of Australia’s Best Hot Cross Bun for the second year running.

Bendigo’s The Good Loaf Sourdough Bakery and Café took out the back-to-back award following two weeks of intense preparation.

According to the Bendigo Advertiser, under the guidance of The Good Loaf’s owner and head baker Laurie Whelan, apprentice baker Maddy Roberts mixed the dough for the winning batch and Bhupinder Singh’s cooking helped to claim the trophy from a field of more than 70 bakeries.

“This is only the second time in the history of the Australian Baking Association competition that a venue has won the award in consecutive years,” Mr Whelan said to the newspaper.

“The product was assessed on aroma, fruit distribution, symmetry and shape, and volume, with judges’ feedback advising they felt the semi-sourdough element of the product provides a more developed flavor.”

In 2018, The Good Loaf baked 43,000 hot cross buns, with almost half sold in the final seven days before the Easter period.