Bakery branded 'woke' for removing hot cross from 'Easter buns'

We all love a hot cross bun, don't we?

Second to the chocolate eggs themselves, these delicious fruity buns have been a staple of the Easter weekend, especially with some melted butter on top.

But one Australian bakery has stirred up controversy by removing a key part of the Easter treat.

riserbread/Instagram

Riser Bread in Brisbane was branded 'woke' after it brought out its 'Easter Time' buns, which are virtually identical to hot cross buns, bar the cross.

The cross has traditionally been included to symbolise Jesus' crucifixion, with the buns traditionally eaten on Good Friday to mark the end of Lent.

Instagram/@riserbread

Riser Bread's decision to go non-denominational with the sweet treat didn't go down well with everybody however.

The former CEO of Brumby's baker franchise, Michael Sherlock, was particularly peeved.

Speaking to The Courier-Mail, Sherlock fumed: "This is just another cause of woke madness removing the name hot cross buns.

"This wouldn’t have happened in my time at Brumby’s. You can’t have Easter without hot cross buns.

"They’ve been synonymous with Easter celebrations since the 12th century in England."

Pixabay

Riser Bread's CEO, Tom Cooney, insisted that he and the bakery's two other co-owners weren't trying to reinvent the tasty treat.

Cooney told Brisbane radio station 4BC: "It’s not an attempt at reinvention.

"We thought, ‘let’s just do an Easter time bun that’s non-denominational’. None of us are Christian, feels a bit weird to put a cross on there."

Some social media users came to Cooney's defence and pointed out that Easter can mean a lot of things to different people.

One person wrote: "Easter has evolved to be more than just the Christian take on things.

"It has come to mean time with family, creating a joy filled experience for kids with the magic of the Easter bunny. We have become a secular country so Christians can’t have tantrums and cry foul when everything is not centred around them."

Another sympathetic user pointed out: "It’s originally a pagan celebration so religious people have been doing the same thing for far longer.

"If you want to argue the toss, explain where rabbits and eggs fit into Christian mythos. Same goes for Christmas."

On the other hand, some people weren't as willing to defend the bakery.

One Christian commented: "I hope everyone has a great Easter. I don't care if others have Easter Time Buns but in our house we will be enjoying Hot Cross Buns. But whatever."

Another remarked: "Always avoid woke companies", as a fellow critic added: "The reality is.... Easter is a Christian religious festival. Australia is a Christian country. The Cross is a Christian symbol."