Despite what the old ditty says, hot cross buns are anything but two a penny here in Tokyo. And there's no reason why these aromatic sweet breads traditionally (in Europe) eaten on Good Friday should have caught on in non-Christian Japan.
Nonetheless, it's not totally impossible to track them down. We found two different versions this year. But only one of them was right — meaning that it tasted like the kind of bun I grew up with in the old country...
One was soft and nicely textured, with a smooth melting brioche-type consistency. Delicious...
The other was bready and pasty, with dried cranberries inside and coarse white mealy strips forming the cross on top...
The first came from the bakery of one of Tokyo's high-end hotels — where they limit you to 4 per customer. The other was generic, found on the bread shelves of the Kinokuniya supermarket.
Which tasted right? Yes, the cheaper version from Kinokuniya. Not only did it taste like a yeasted bread (rather than a pastry), it had just about the proper spicy hints of cinnamon and other aromatics.
Toasted up and with some nice butter melting on top, this – rather than all the chocolate eggs and bunnies – is for me the real taste of Easter.
