When I was about five and first learning how to play the piano, one of my first songs was “Hot Cross Buns.” What were these things, I wondered. Cinnamon buns with an icing cross on top? The visuals in the songbook looked good enough to eat.

But it wasn’t until about fifteen years later that I actually had my first real hot cross bun in the U.K. What a revelation! A soft roll, studded with dried fruit and topped with a dough cross. My roommates toasted them and slathered them in butter and served them with tea. Other days, we’d toast them and top them with marmalade and cheddar cheese. Yes, cheese! It was a magical time.

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