Hot Cross Buns

Spiced, fruited, enriched buns have a long history: as Elizabeth David noted, in 1592 the London Clerk of Markets restricted their sale to funerals, Christmas and Good Friday. The first reference to “hot cross buns” may be from as recently as 1733; today, industrial manufacturers in Britain mass produce what they call hot cross buns all year round. Duncan suggests serving them “toasted and smothered with but