The Great New Zealand Hot Cross Bun Competition 2017

The Great New Zealand Hot Cross Bun Competition 2017

The Baking Industry Association of New Zealand (BIANZ) Great New Zealand Hot Cross Bun 2017

On Saturday the 11th of February, a panel of bakery experts assembled at Nada Bakery in Wellington to judge the 2017 Hot Cross Bun Competition. After a thorough tasting session the judges scores we submitted. This year’s winner was Tong Min Li of Hillpark Bakery in Manurewa with his cinnamon, mixed spice, allspice, raisins, currants and mixed peel made with a butter and egg enriched dough.

The judging panel was made up of Chief Judge Michael Gray of Nada Bakery in Wellington and past BIANZ President, Thomas Thomas owner of Kapiti Cakes and Bakery Training manager for BIANZ, Matthew Keys from Farmers Mill and Ross Simpson a longstanding and well respected retired baker from Wellington.

Over 180 Hot Cross buns from all over New Zealand were submitted to the panel to be judged on visual appearance, technical skills, innovation and of course taste. This year the Judges found a good mix of a classic Hot Cross bun and some very adventurous flavours. Some of the standout flavours for the judges was a white chocolate fig and walnut, tropical fruit consisting of papaya, mango, starfruit, rock melon with toasted coconut and cranberry, cherry and sultana.
The Judges were impressed with the standard of entries and Chief Judge Michael Gray said “It is great to see so many high-quality buns on the table. It shows that the baking industry in New Zealand has very high quality bakeries all over the country. The innovation of ingredients is great to see and helps to keep baking an exciting industry to be involved in.”

The competition is open for all bakeries to enter whether they are a BIANZ member or not but it is pleasing to see that all of this year’s winners happen to be members which show the value that BIANZ helps to add to its member’s bakeries.
This year’s winners will receive a Pallet of flour from Farmers Mill, marketing material for the business and the BIANZ Executive trophy for Hot Cross Buns.

Second Place went to Angie Robertson from Hastings City New World with her tropical fruit consisting of papaya, mango, starfruit, rock melon with toasted coconut.

Third Place went to Deborah Bruce of Ubake in Timaru for her traditional Hot Cross bun containing mixed spices, orange soaked sultanas and glazed with an apricot, orange and clove infused sweet glaze and used a long fermentation period to develop the flavours.

The Top 10 Bakery’s will be listed on the BIANZ website later this week.

Winner - Hillpark Bakery 75 Grade Vue Road, Maurewa, Auckland
2nd place - Hastings City New World, 400 Heretaugna Street East, Hastings
3rd place - Ubake, 88 Hilton Highway, Washdyke, Timaru

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