A team of bakers from Sheeld on how to make their fabulous hot cross buns.

The tight-knit community of the Wadsley Bridge suburb of Sheffield doesn’t need a calendar to tell them when Easter’s approaching because a celebratory whiff of sweet and spicy cinnamon fills the air.
Meet Kevin Chapman and Jermaine Hibbert – two of the team from Fletchers bakery in Sheffield responsible for putting the Extra Special in our exciting new range of <a href="https://groceries.asda.com/product/hot-cross-buns-teacakes/asda-extra-special-4-extra-fruity-hot-cross-buns/1000015300000?utm_source=referral&utm_medium=article_hot-cross-buns-meet-the-tastemakers&utm_campaign=Good-Living" target="_blank">hot cross buns</a>.&nbsp;
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‘I always know – I can smell hot cross buns as I walk to work,’ says Jermaine, a development baker at Fletchers, the company that’s put baking at the heart of local life for generations.
Tempting aromas are nothing new to the locals, but the was emerging from the bakery at this time of year are especially cheering – the scents herald a season of fresh starts, warmer days, and sunny holidays on the horizon.
‘It’s hot cross crazy in the bakery right now – and it smells delicious!’ says Jermaine.

<h2>Heart of the city</h2>
Baked goods have been produced in this part of the city of She eld since George Henry Fletcher opened his first bakery in 1895. The family-run rm went on to operate a fleet of vans selling bread and cakes across the city. A jingle played on She eld’s local station, Radio Hallam, still rings in the ears of older residents – “Better fetch a Fletchers loaf!”.
The van fleet was disbanded in the early 1990s, but the current site on Clay Wheels Lane – which first opened its doors in 1950 – remains a She eld landmark. Now part of the Finsbury Food Group, Fletchers bakery is a leading producer of buns and rolls for the UK market, with 400 employees producing 120 million buns, rolls, mu ns, baguettes, doughnuts and breads every year. ‘It’s no longer a family business, but there’s still a family feel to the bakery,’ says Jermaine’s fellow development baker, Kevin. ‘There’s a real closeness to the Fletchers team – we’re a very friendly bunch who work hard but have a laugh, too.’
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Historically, Fletchers is a place where people tend to stick around. Some have worked here for over 30 years, and two members of the team recently retired after 50 years’ service.
‘That’s down to the culture,’ explains Jermaine. ‘It’s a warm place to work and part of the local community. There’s a brilliant social club where we do all sorts – daytrips, race days, cinema visits – regular raffles and season tickets on over for Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday football clubs.’

<h2>New taste adventures</h2>
Both Kevin and Jermaine work in the test kitchen at Fletchers as part of the six-strong development team, where a passion for baking runs deep.
‘I don’t know what it is about baking, but I just love it,’ says Kevin. ‘Maybe it’s in my blood. When I was growing up, my uncle ran his own baker’s shop and I remember going in aged 14 and thinking, that’s what I want to do.’
Jermaine worked his way up to new product development after taking a school-leaver’s job 11 years ago. ‘My first job in the test kitchen was developing hot cross buns,’ he laughs. ‘I’ve loved it ever since. Knowing I’m helping feed the nation with quality products is great. We work with the charity FareShare, which distributes surplus to local food banks, so we’re helping people in our area. I love the sense of history at Fletchers too – it makes the job so rewarding.’
There’s much history in hot cross buns, too. Spiced buns topped with a cross representing the crucifixion are believed to have been eaten on Good Friday to mark the end of Lent, since the sixth century AD when the cross was created with a simple knife imprint. Traditionally, the buns are packed with dried fruit, but tastes have grown more adventurous over time. This year Kevin and Jermaine have been involved in developing four tantalising new flavours of Extra Special hot cross buns for Asda: Lemon and White Chocolate, Blueberry, Triple Chocolate and Apple and Cinnamon.
The test kitchen team takes a brief, and different recipes are tried until the team arrives at a winning formula. ‘The formulation has to deliver on the brief,’ says Kevin. ‘If it species a chocolate hot cross bun, for example, it’s a question of how much chocolate do you put in? What works best, white, milk or dark? Then there’s the quality – we have a preferred supplier who provides us with premium quality chocolate; that’s what goes into <a href="https://groceries.asda.com/product/hot-cross-buns-teacakes/asda-extra-special-4-extra-fruity-hot-cross-buns/1000015300000?utm_source=referral&utm_medium=article_hot-cross-buns-meet-the-tastemakers&utm_campaign=Good-Living" target="_blank">Asda's Extra Special Hot Cross Buns</a>.’
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<h2>Hot buttery topics</h2>
As our customers know, the Extra Special range is all about great quality and fantastic flavours. But, behind the scenes at the bakery, consistency is important, too. ‘There’s no point creating something that tastes great in the test kitchen, but can’t be reproduced at scale,’ says Jermaine.
‘Baking is a craft and a science, and there are many things to consider – softness of the bun, shelf life, texture, and so on. And, of course, there must be a cross, made from our, oil and a little bit of salt. In the test kitchen it’d be piped by hand, but in the factory, it’s done by a machine.
‘Every element in the process must be just right – something can go wrong at any stage. There’s so much knowledge and skill involved, and it all begins with the bakers getting the recipe right in the Fletchers test kitchen first.’
Kevin and Jermaine love a hot cross bun, but don’t always agree on the best way to eat it… When it comes to the traditional fruity variety, Jermaine prefers his toasted and slathered with salted butter, whereas Kevin prefers his as it comes. But both vote Triple Chocolate as their favourite of the new Extra Special range, with Apple and Cinnamon coming a close second.
‘We do get to taste rather a lot of the buns at this time of year,’ says Kevin, ‘but I don’t remember ever thinking I couldn’t face another one, and I don’t think that time will ever come!’

<h2>Feeling inspired by our Tastemakers story?</h2>
Try using our <a href="https://groceries.asda.com/product/hot-cross-buns-teacakes/asda-extra-special-4-extra-fruity-hot-cross-buns/1000015300000?utm_source=referral&utm_medium=article_hot-cross-buns-meet-the-tastemakers&utm_campaign=Good-Living" target="_blank">Asda Extra Special Hot Cross Buns</a> in this tempting <a href="https://www.asda.com/good-living/recipe/hot-cross-french-toast-fingers?recipe_id=45056c51-b760-11ed-a5ee-09338e7e68fa" target="_blank">hot cross french toast fingers recipe</a>.
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<a href="https://www.asda.com/good-living/recipe/hot-cross-french-toast-fingers?recipe_id=45056c51-b760-11ed-a5ee-09338e7e68fa" target="_blank">Hot cross french toast fingers</a>
<a href="https://www.asda.com/good-living/recipe/hot-cross-french-toast-fingers?recipe_id=45056c51-b760-11ed-a5ee-09338e7e68fa" target="_blank">View recipe</a>
Serves: 4
Ready in: 15 min
Price per serving: £0.66
Recipe info: Vegetarian
Faff-factor: 2 out of 5
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Why not try our scrumptious french toast fingers for yourself? Make sure to stock up on everything you need at <a href="https://groceries.asda.com/?utm_source=referral&utm_medium=article_hot-cross-buns-meet-the-tastemakers&utm_campaign=Good-Living" target="_blank">Asda</a> or pop into <a href="https://storelocator.asda.com/" target="_blank">your local store</a>.

Hot cross buns - Meet the Tastemakers

By Asda Good Living,1st March 2023

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