Buns From Home
Starting my Beyond the Dough series with a controversial bakery located all over London - Buns From Home.
In London there is a popular bakery specialising in one thing - cinnamon buns. Buns From Home is the name and I honestly cannot fault the branding. They hold their fame with hand-rolled buns baked fresh daily of different fillings and variations.
They started from home within the confines of lockdown and hastily made it across London and I believe they can go much further. I have tried just about every flavour on their regular menu (so excluding their weekend specials), and I haven’t been disappointed to the point of some peoples negative reviews. I can’t believe looking at Google Maps that some of their locations have such a low rating, as they have been consistently good through service and taste wherever I’ve bought one from. It is unusual, I must say, maybe some peoples tastes aren’t as good as mine, or maybe I’m just easy to please. Either way, if you’re in London this bakery is a must visit.
Now let’s go through my opinion of the best and the not so good:
The Classics
These classics are no American-style cinnamon buns; no cream cheese frosting or denser yeasted dough. Instead the base is airy and flaky, the butter fillings are heavenly spiced and oozing (in the best way) and whenever I’ve tried, they have been slightly warm which just elevates the experience to a whole new level.
Classic Cinnamon: One of my favourites. Mainly because I love cinnamon and this one is always gooey, soft and flaky. They don’t shy away from the filling, it isn’t dripping but can't go unnoticed. I like that they don’t add frosting on top as the bun with the laminated dough is the star and shouldn’t be covered up by the overpowering sugary flavour. I think executing the base without adding another element proves that this bakery knows what they’re doing with their dough.
Chocolate & Hazelnut: Decadent, I must say. The use of smooth dark chocolate balances against the crunchy hazelnuts and croissant-like dough is divine. It is a lot more moist than the classic and all the chocolate seeps into the dough with the not-so-sweet bitterness of the cocoa.
Cardamom: I am not a cardamom bun fan. They’re often a bit heavy, way under-spiced and too dense for me. I am up to be proved wrong though. However, the cardamom bun from Buns From Home is a take on the original that I loved. It isn’t as strongly spiced as their other buns, but it has hints of sugary winter warmth throughout the same crispy bun. It is definitely worth a mention.
The Twice Baked Buns
Using up leftover buns to bring to life the creation of their twice-baked selection. These are by far my favourite menu items and I am constantly going back to retry them. Me and my boyfriend (he’s more of a fan than I) have been back 3 days in a row before, as we couldn’t get enough of them. I will rate these from least favourite to the tastiest and will give my honest opinion on what is the better of the bunch.
Pistachio: I know… pistachio… least favourite?! To put it short, I was underwhelmed. I do know my pistachio bakes and I always expect a kick of creamy, nutty pistachio flavour. I want something a bit salty, very nutty and left with creamy notes at the end; this just didn’t deliver on flavour and I expected more. Maybe just a bad batch? I’ll have to try again one day and see.
Dulce de Leche: The most indulgent one of the list. The chocolate is the same as the one from the chocolate and hazelnut, layered between the cinnamon swirls and topped with a dollop of thick dulce de leche. I did expect more dulce de leche (as that was the name) as the chocolate filling is the dominant flavour. Definitely the greasiest out of all, the oils were coating my mouth like a pizza, which I didn’t enjoy. I would say it is a tasty treat and worth a try if you like buttery caramel and chocolate.
Spinach & Ricotta: Yes, Buns From Home do savoury buns, so if you are more of a savoury person then this bakery is still an option. From what I’ve seen, they either do ham and cheese or this vegetarian one. Super crispy bun, but definitely needs more cheesy filling to seep into the pockets of baked dough. The mild cheese and earthy spinach with a warmth of pepper is a classic combo and works well with the croissant bun. I do think a crack of salt would enhance the flavour but otherwise a great savoury bite.
Almond Frangipane: As you may be aware, I love almond croissants and this hit the spot. Again, I feel like this could have more almond to give a strong nutty taste, but it is a lot more flavourful and filled than the pistachio. With the double-bake, it was very reminiscent of an almond croissant but surprisingly lighter than expected. The contrasting textures from the almond paste and crunchy almonds made me want to get another.
Mince Pie: This shouldn’t really be included as it is a Christmas special but I think it deserves a mention. The croissant dough acted like the buttery crust of a mince pie and then packed with squidgy fruit and spiced frangipane. It brings the comfort of winter warmth and the filling melts into the bun creating a magical and moreish taste in every bite.
Banana Bread: My favourite item from Buns From Home to date and is within my Top 10 Sweet Bites of 2024. Banana bread is one of my favourite cakes (just the classic, no oat flour or refined sugar healthy versions), and I don’t know how but Buns From Home hit the nail on the head with this flavour. Cinnamon and banana are a great combo anyway, so adding banana bread filling to a cinnamon bun can’t be bad. The thick Nutella-like filling had a kick of banana filling, and not artificial tasting either, and melts in the mouth as you bite into it. I loved the contrasting textures of flaky croissant exterior and super moist centre. This doesn’t leave your mouth oily as the dulce de leche one even though it is heavily filled. I would happily eat this every day and if you like banana bread, this is a must try
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Cream Filled Buns
The cream based buns are heavy going and I am not the biggest fan, so I haven’t tried all their usual flavours. But if you like cream filled beignets that have been a craze in bakeries globally, then you would love these. If you like indulgent, creamy and sweet, then you will have to try one. Especially their weekend specials if you have the chance.
Vanilla: A classic vanilla cream. Thick and probably the most basic out of the others but surely delicious. It is sweet, slightly sickly, however I love the custard-like thickness of it; if you flipped it onto your head it wouldn’t get your hair messy. The taste also reminds me of the bougie custards you would get in supermarkets: like Tesco Finest, or Sainsbury’s Taste The difference.
Chocolate: Indulgently rich and compares similarly to a chocolate mousse with an intense dark cocoa flavour coming through. I prefer this one over the vanilla, as it is less sweet and the ratio of slightly earthy chocolate to sweet creaminess is delicious.
Tiramisu: This is by far the best out of the three I’ve tried. The coffee-soaked base added a bitter contrast to the sweet mascarpone cream, so was more manageable… to devour the whole thing. This bun has less cream which I favoured. However, I still prefer some of the twice-baked or classics (except the pistachio and savoury) but this was very good. I love that they don’t skimp on the coffee that soaks into the dough coincidently creating a texture similar to tiramisu also. The mascarpone cream top comes in last mellowing the strong flavours. I would definitely recommend this for any tiramisu or coffee lovers, like myself.
Focaccia: Surprisingly Buns From Home sells one other thing besides their buns (and coffee), and that is focaccia. I admire they’re mission on tackling food waste by using up leftover scraps and ingredients from their kitchens to create this bread. Focaccia is my favourite bread so I will be brutally honest and say I am disappointed; it was heavy and dry. The flavour was delicious but I wanted more bubbles and a more pillowy bite that I’m used to.
So these are all the buns I’ve tried so far. My favourite by far is the banana bread one, followed by the classic then the almond. But the list isn’t over as I have to try more and also delve into their weekend specials. I am hoping for maybe some twice baked weekend specials instead of cream based but they seem to be thriving with their bold and new flavours, so I don’t think I’ll be getting that request anytime soon.
