Many stories highlight the origin of the hot cross bun. A commonly held belief is that a 14th-century Anglican monk placed the sign of the cross on the buns to honour Good Friday, known at that time as the Day of the Cross. The story goes that in 1361, a monk named Father Thomas Rocliffe, made small, spiced cakes, stamped with the sign of the cross, to be distributed to the poor visiting the monastery on Good Friday.
On Easter Sunday the buns can be distributed and the events of Holy Week remembered.
Enjoy the Hot Cross Buns recipe in the attached printable PDF