year. Another encourages keeping such a bun for medicinal purposes. A piece of it given to someone ill is said to help them recover. If taken on a sea voyage, hot cross buns are said to protect against shipwreck. If hung in the kitchen, they are said to protect against fires and ensure that all breads turn out perfectly. The hanging bun is replaced each year. Other versions In the United Kingdom, the major supermarkets produce variations on the traditional recipe such as toffee, orange-cranberry, salted caramel and chocolate, and apple-cinnamon. In Australia, coffee-flavoured buns are also sold in some bakeries. There are also sticky date and caramel versions as well as mini versions of the traditional bun. Other newer variations that can be purchased from major supermarkets include chocolate chip, chocolate and cherry, butterscotch, apple and cinnamon, banana and caramel, jalapeño and cheese, and white chocolate and raspberry. In Slovakia and in the Czech Republic, mazanec is a similar cake or sweet bread eaten at Easter. It often has a cross marked on top. The cross The traditional method for making the cross on top of the bun is to use shortcrust pastry, though some 21st century recipes recommended a paste of flour and water. See also Pesaha Appam Bath bun Fruit bun Sally Lunn bun List of British breads List of buns List of foods with religious symbolism Semla References Australian breads British breads Buns Catholic cuisine Christmas food Easter bread English cuisine English traditions New Zealand breads Sweet breads Yeast breads