The origin of the hot cross buns lies in the pagan traditions of ancient culture wherein the cross of the bun is said to represent the four
quarters of the moon.

English folklore believed that hot cross buns hung in the kitchen would
prevent fires in the kitchen and provide you with a year of successful
baking.

The tradition of hot cross buns dates back to the 16th century with
monks baking rolls to honour Easter and marking the tops of rolls with
a cross.

One theory is that the hot cross bun originates from St Albans, in
England, where Brother Thomas Rodcliffe, a 14th-century monk at St
Albans Abbey, developed a similar recipe called an 'Alban Bun' and
distributed the bun to the local poor on Good Friday, starting in 1361.

The first definite record of hot cross buns comes from a London street
cry: "Good Friday comes this month, the old woman runs. With one or two
a penny hot cross buns", which appeared in Poor Robin's Almanac for
1733. The line "One a penny, two a penny, hot cross-buns" appears in the English nursery rhyme "Hot Cross Buns" published in the London Chronicle
for 2-4 June 1767. Food historian Ivan Day states, "The buns were made
in London during the 18th century. But when you start looking for
records or recipes earlier than that, you hit nothing."

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