Their early appearance is certainly handy for us here at ����Vlog – it gives our expert taste testers plenty of time to gather and compare all the options on the market, so you can make the smartest, most delicious choice for your Easter treats. 

We tasted 15 hot cross buns – ‘traditional’ fruit and chocolate varieties, including gluten-free options – from national supermarkets Coles, Woolworths, IGA and Aldi and major bakery chain Bakers Delight, to see which buns are best.

On this page:

• Best traditional fruit hot cross buns
• Best chocolate hot cross buns
• Best gluten-free hot cross buns
• How to choose the best hot cross buns
• How we test

Best traditional fruit hot cross buns

When it comes to hot cross bun varieties, the options extend from Iced VoVo to Pizza Shapes flavours, and seemingly everything in between.

Last year we saw Wagon Wheel and Fairy Bread flavoured buns on the shelves and for this year’s annual not cross bun taste test our judging panel were exposed to Doritos, Mint Slice and Cinnabon flavoured buns among others. 

But despite the availability of these gimmicky options, you can’t go past a traditional fruit hot cross bun. It’s a crowd favourite.

So for those who’d prefer not to mess with a classic, which traditional buns are best?

Our panel of professionals taste-tested 15 hot cross bun products all up, toasted and untoasted, including six traditional fruit varieties (it’s a tough gig but somebody’s gotta do it).

For the second year running, Coles holds the top spot.

You can compare all products in our full hot cross buns review.

Coles Finest Luxurious Fruit Hot Cross Buns

• ����Vlog Expert Rating: 85%
• Toasted score: 83%
• Fresh (untoasted) score: 87%
• Price: $1.38 per bun ($5.50 per 4-pack)
• Experts say: “Fruit is evenly distributed and mixed peel is evident. Good to see the fruit variety.” “Appearance is typical of a hot cross bun. When cut there’s a good amount of fruit including peel. The texture is firm yet it has good eating quality.” “Lots of fruit and glaze which is nice to see. Lots of spice you can taste.” “This is a great hot cross bun. Would get this for my home.”

Best chocolate hot cross buns

Why wait for the Easter bunny to bring eggs when you can eat your chocolate in bun form? 

We taste-tested four chocolate hot cross buns from Aldi, Bakers Delight, Coles and Woolworths. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get our hands on IGA’s Community Co Chocolate Easter Buns in time for our test.

There was a clear favourite among our experts, scoring over 90% in our taste test – one of the highest scores we’ve ever given to a hot cross bun.

Woolworths took out top honours in the chocolate category, knocking off last year’s favourite from Coles, which had to settle for second place this year.

Woolworths Bakery Chocolate Hot Cross Buns Made With Cadbury Milk Chocolate Chips

• ����Vlog Expert Rating: 95%
• Toasted score: 97%
• Fresh (untoasted) score: 93%
• Price: 73 cents per bun ($4.40 per 6-pack)
• Experts say: “Great chocolate aroma with good glaze. It presents well and looks like the real deal.” “When toasted there’s a good chocolate aroma with melted chocolate evident. Toasts well with good texture. A great product.” “Great colour, appearance was full and rich. When cut the aroma was intense of rich dark chocolate. The texture was light and the flavour was excellent. Wow, a great product.”

Woolworths chocolate buns have shown a significant improvement compared to last year’s result, when they scored just 68%. Last year our judges said that although the Woolworths bun looked the part with a good chocolate aroma, the flavour was lacking.

One said, “it looks like it’ll be super sweet and decadent but it isn’t”, while another said “visually it looks great, the expectation is big chocolate flavour but you don’t get it.”

This year, it truly impressed our judges, not only looking great but tasting great too.

Coles Bakery Choc Chip Hot Cross Buns

• ����Vlog Expert Rating: 75%
• Toasted score: 77%
• Fresh (untoasted) score: 73%
• Price: 73 cents per bun ($4.40 per 6-pack)
• Experts say: “The bun isn’t high so the texture feels dense and harder to cut and eat.” “Full of chocolate bits. It’s a little dry but there’s a nice even chocolate flavour.” “When toasted the chocolate was enhanced. A great product.” “Good chocolate flavour. Looks great when toasted.”

Best gluten-free hot cross buns

Many people need to avoid eating gluten, so we’ve included gluten-free traditional fruit and chocolate bun offerings from Aldi, Coles and Woolworths in our taste test. Coles didn’t release a gluten-free chocolate option this year.

We also decided to give the gluten-free buns their own category, so the scores aren’t directly comparable to their regular counterparts.

The best gluten-free traditional and chocolate buns came from Woolworths this year. The experts particularly praised their appearance, with these buns looking similar to regular buns, rather than the hockey puck shapes seen in the Coles and Aldi options.

Woolworths Free From Gluten Fruit Hot Cross Buns

• ����Vlog Expert Rating: 77%
• Toasted score: 77%
• Fresh (untoasted) score: 77%
• Price: $1.38 per bun ($5.50 per 4-pack)
• Experts say:  “Good texture that holds together well. A little crumbly on eating.” “Aroma is typical of a gluten free product but toasting gets rid of it.” “Good fruit quantity and evenly distributed.” “The presentation was good. This was a pleasing product.” “A very good gluten free product.”

Woolworths Free From Gluten Choc Hot Cross Buns

• ����Vlog Expert Rating: 70%
• Toasted score: 73%
• Fresh (untoasted) score: 67%
• Price: $1.38 per bun ($5.50 per 4-pack)
• Experts say: “Chocolate pieces are evenly distributed. There’s a chocolate aroma but it smells artificial.” “When cut, the aroma was quite good and not like a gluten free product.” “When toasted, the chocolate was enhanced and improved the product.” “Not very natural, chemical flavour.” “When toasted, there’s better aroma, the bun holds itself together better but it’s not very chocolatey and still lingering with a chemical flavour.”

How to choose the best hot cross buns

Choosing a hot cross bun really comes down to personal preferences. Do you like lots of dried fruits and a spicy aroma, or would you rather a gooey chocolatey bun? 

Do you like to eat it toasted and slathered in butter, or do you just devour it fresh out of the bag?

There are some things to consider before you just grab the first bag of hot cross buns you see on the shelf.

1. Fruit or chocolate content 

Hot cross buns are usually wrapped in clear packaging so you can at least see what you’re about to buy. Look for an even distribution of fruit or chocolate pieces – it’s a pretty good indicator of a good bun that has well-balanced flavour and texture. 

You can also check the fruit and chocolate content (as well as the type of dried fruit being used) by reading the ingredients list – generally the higher the number the better.

In this year’s test, fruit content in traditional buns ranged from 19 to 28%. Coles Finest Luxurious Fruit Hot Cross Buns had the highest fruit content, evident in the results and comments from our experts.

The chocolate content ranged from 15 to 25% in the chocolate buns. Interestingly, our top-rate Woolworths product didn’t have the highest chocolate content in the group, with 19%. Bakers Delight Handmade Choc Chip and Coles Bakery Choc Chip buns both had 25%.

2. Do they look good? 

The first thing you’ll notice is how the bun looks. And if you’re serving them up on a platter to guests you’ll want to make sure they look the part. 

Our experts assess the appearance of each bun and look for an even shape and size with decent rise (or dome) as well as nice browning on the outside with a well-covered glaze and evenly centred cross. 

3. How do they feel? 

The bun should be light and fluffy to touch with a soft centre when you crack it open. A hot cross bun that feels dense and tough might be stale. 

Keep in mind that toasting can improve the texture and flavour of a dense and stale bun. In some cases though – if the bun has artificial flavours, for example – toasting can enhance these poor characteristics. 

4. Do they have a nice aroma? 

If you can smell the blend of spices or get a nice hit of chocolate, then chances are you’ll be able to taste it when you take a bite. 

Our experts noticed that some hot cross buns had little to no spice aroma but instead had a yeasty smell, which then came through on tasting.

5. Check the use-by date

If you like to buy freshly baked hot cross buns, you’ll want to look for those that are baked instore at Coles or Woolworths or made fresh daily from stores like Bakers Delight. These products will usually show a baked-on date as well as a use-by date. 

Other supermarket buns are usually frozen and then defrosted when they hit the shelves. This is convenient for supermarkets and helps them keep up with stock demands, but freezing can affect shape, freshness and texture.

6. Check the ingredients list 

Flour, sugar, spices, butter and dried fruit are some of the ingredients you expect to see when you look at the ingredients list of a hot cross bun. Unfortunately, they are usually packed with way more ingredients than the basics. 

Almost all the products we tested also contain emulsifiers, antioxidants, thickeners and gums, added flavours, acidity regulators and preservatives. Ingredients are listed on labels in descending order by weight, so the first ingredient will be present in the largest amount, and so on. 

Also be mindful that sugar can be listed multiple times under different names like maple syrup, sucrose and dextrose.

How we test

Products

We tested hot cross bun products available in major Australian supermarket chains and bakeries, including Coles, Woolworths, Aldi, IGA and Bakers Delight. 

Traditional fruit buns and chocolate buns, along with their gluten-free varieties, were tested separately. 

Price is for the pack size specified and bought in Sydney stores in January 2026 (not on special).

Tasting

Our panel of three experts tasted the hot cross bun samples ‘blind’ (without knowing the brands) in a random order. 

Each bun was tasted fresh (untoasted) and toasted. We do this so that whether you like a fresh or toasted bun, you can see how they’re rated by our experts.

Scores

The experts independently judged all hot cross bun products. The ����Vlog Expert Rating (our overall score) consists of the taste test score, which is made up of 50% for the toasted sample and 50% for the fresh (untoasted) sample. 

The experts rate each hot cross bun on flavour, appearance, aroma and texture. These sensory characteristics are weighted as follows:

• flavour (50%)
• appearance (20%)
• aroma (15%)
• texture (15%).

We recommend traditional and chocolate hot cross buns with a ����Vlog Expert Rating of 75% or more, and recommend gluten-free hot cross buns (all varieties) with a score of 70% or more.

Meet our expert taste testers

Brigid Treloar has been a freelance food consultant for over 30 years. The author of eight cookbooks, she also contributes to newspapers and magazines, reviews restaurants, judges cookery and recipe competitions, and judges chocolate in the Sydney Royal Fine Food Show Competition. 

Brigid has presented specialist cooking classes around Australia and overseas, and often appears on TV and radio. She’s an industry assessor for Le Cordon Bleu, advises many of Australia’s food companies on product and recipe development, and also provides recipes and cooking information for company websites.

Ian Huntley is an accomplished pastry chef with over 35 years of experience in the industry. Trained in the UK and Switzerland, Ian specialised in confectionery, cake decorating, and bread making before relocating to Australia in the mid-1980s. Upon arrival, he spent five years honing his craft at two of Sydney’s premier hotels, The InterContinental and The Regent.

Ian went on to establish his own wholesale patisserie business, supplying a variety of desserts and pastries to airlines, department stores, hospitals, restaurants, and coffee shops across the region. His commitment to excellence and innovation has made him a respected figure in the Australian patisserie scene.

Today, Ian serves as the Chair of Judges for the Royal Agricultural Society’s Professional Bakery competition and is an Assessor for Patisserie and part time teacher at  Le Cordon Bleu Sydney. His passion for pastry and dedication to nurturing the next generation of chefs continues to inspire.

Eddie Stewart started his culinary career at the young age of 16 and has amassed over 20 years of experience in the industry. Throughout his career, he has worked in various boutique restaurants and world-renowned hotels to develop his own unique style.

He has served as the Head Chef of Savoury and Business Development Manager for the internationally acclaimed Black Star Pastry in Sydney, where he has gained extensive knowledge of the intricacies of the culinary business.

In 2020, he joined forces with Min Chai to create a brand new concept called Tokyo Lamington, where you can indulge in deliciously created lamingtons and other baked items.

The post Best tasting hot cross buns: Aldi, Coles, Woolworths, Bakers Delight and more appeared first on ����Vlog.

But whatever. The important thing is that it’s hot cross bun season – which means it’s also not cross bun (NXB) season.

Never seen one? That’s not surprising: these limited-edition buns are hard to find in the wild, and shoppers tend to go into COVID toilet paper mode when they see them and grab as many as they can carry.

How did these elusive Easter treats come to exist?

It all started with fruit-free, choc chip and apple and cinnamon buns, through to the strange-but-not-completely-absurd Vegemite and cheese buns, but these last few years have been wild.

Previous crimes against tastebuds have included buns inspired by Pizza Shapes, fairy bread, Iced Vovos, burger sauce, and other egregious offerings.

These Frankenbuns seem to get weirder each year, and they’ve almost become a PR stunt to boost the supermarkets’ cred: better to be infamous for your questionable creations than ignored for playing it safe, right?

Each year, we dare intrepid ����Vlog bun enthusiasts to taste them, to help you decide which ones are worth the dough and which buns belong in the bin.

Here’s what was in this year’s bun bonanza (or bun-anza, if you will):

On this page:

Doritos Inspired Cheesy Jalapeno Hot Cross Buns (Coles)

Indulgent Cinnabon Bakery Inspired Hot Cross Buns (Woolworths)

Arnott’s Mint Slice Inspired Hot Cross Buns (Coles)

Reese’s Hot Cross Buns (IGA)

Bakers Life Indulgent Rocky Road Inspired Hot Cross Buns (Aldi)

Matcha & Raspberry Inspired Hot Cross Buns (Coles)

Terry’s Chocolate Orange Hot Cross Buns (IGA)

Coles Doritos Inspired Cheesy Jalapeno Hot Cross Buns

• Price: $5.50 per 4-pack
• Price per bun: $1.38

����Vlog staff still speak in hushed tones about one bun from 2023: the Coles Special Burger Sauce NXB.

Studded with pickle pieces and topped with cheese, it elicited such responses as “absolutely diabolical aftertaste”, “tastes like vomit”, “why would you do that??”.

The controversy seems to have spurred Coles on and now the supermarket creates increasingly unholy flavour combinations each year. 

In 2024 it was Pizza Shapes (described by one taste tester as “the worst tasting thing ever; 0/10”) and Iced Vovo (“tastes like playdough and jam”) NXBs. In 2025, they came out with the slightly more tame Wagon Wheel NXB (“it made promises it didn’t deliver”).

In 2026, Coles is living up to its reputation as a purveyor of gastronomic atrocities with a Doritos collab. (We’re already a little nervous about Easter 2027.)

Despite the horrors of years past, ����Vlog staff bravely lined up to trial these controversial buns. 

What the supermarket says:

“Inspired by the flavours of Doritos these hot cross buns are flavoured with cheese, Doritos inspired seasoning, spicy jalapenos and tomato granules.”

What our taste testers said:

• It’s an offense to mankind.
• I think it’s worse than the Coles burger sauce one. 
• It’s very spicy, quite salty, entirely unpleasant.
• I don’t like it but I don’t hate it as much as I thought I would.
• Would I buy it? God no.
• It does taste like cheesy jalapeno, so if that’s what you’re after in a hot cross bun, then (a) go for it, and (b) good god why would you want that.
• Flavour is beyond gross.
• It’s not a hot cross bun, but if you gave it to me heated up and said “this is a cheesy jalapeno bread” I’d be like mmmm.
• Tastes a bit like sick.
• They’re a zero out of 10 and they go in the bin.
• You could use these for chemical warfare.

Editorial director Mark had an especially violent reaction to the Doritos buns:

“I took one bite, I held it in my mouth for two seconds, then I started dry heaving,” he says.

“I tried to swallow it but I had to spit it all out in the bin. Honestly, it pretty much made me vomit.

“It’s the worst thing I’ve ever eaten in my life.”

Our verdict: 

We thought they’d crossed a line with the Pizza Shapes NXB, but it seems that Coles won’t stop in its pursuit of the most disgusting dough creation.

At this point the most shocking thing Coles could do at Easter 2027 is to stop making not cross buns altogether, but we have an uncomfortable feeling that they’ll find a way to top this faux-cheese faux pas.

Honestly, we’re not even sure what to think any more. Should you buy it? Sure, why not? $5.50 isn’t much to pay for the entertainment you’ll get from feeding this to your friends. (Though it’s probably better served to your enemies.)

We can only assume that these were created more for publicity than public consumption. Unless you want to risk permanently damaging your tastebuds (or those of your arch-nemesis), we suggest you avoid these at all costs.

Woolworths Indulgent Cinnabon Bakery Inspired Hot Cross Buns

• Price: $5.50 per 4-pack
• Price per bun: $1.38 each

In 2025, Woolies cleverly cashed in on the Biscoff craze.

The strategy paid off: the Biscoff buns were the most popular in our taste test last year.

They know they’re onto a good thing, so this year they’re leveraging people’s obsession with Cinnabon – the popular American chain of bakeries known for its signature cinnamon rolls topped with cinnamon-infused cream cheese frosting.

Since cinnamon is already a core HXB ingredient, a Cinnabon bun isn’t exactly pushing the envelope but given the hype around this flavour combo, it was almost guaranteed to be a sweet success for the supermarket.

What the supermarket says

“An irresistible cinnamon infused bun filled with ooey gooey cream cheese-style filling.”

What our taste testers said:

• Like a really indulgent cinnamon scroll.
• Tastes really good! Not as sweet as raw Cinnabon.
• These are my absolute favourite. I freeze packets of them and eat them throughout the year because I love them so much. 
• I love it! The soft centre is divine indulgence.
• The filling offsets the dryness of the bun but makes the dough around it soggy.
• This is the least unpleasant of the lot.
• Excellent – no notes.
• I will 100% be buying these.
• The GOAT. The best one by miles.

Our verdict:

Everyone wants these buns, hun! They were far and away the most popular, with many taste testers going back for seconds (and thirds and more).

Coles Easter Arnott’s Mint Slice Inspired Hot Cross Buns

• Price: $5.50 per 4-pack
• Price per bun: $1.38 each

This is the fourth Coles x Arnott’s collab, and the supermarket has continued its strategy of appealing to shoppers’ sense of nostalgia with this take on the beloved Australian biscuit.

Messing with an iconic treat is risky business – especially when it’s combined with something as traditional as a hot cross bun.

So, the biscuit-to-bun transition: delicious, or disappointing?

What the supermarket says:

“A true Aussie icon, inspired by the flavours of Mint Slice these hot cross buns are packed with choc chunks and peppermint flavoured fudge pieces.”

What our taste testers said:

• Not half bad, just a bit dry.
• It tastes exactly like a Mint Slice but without the benefit of the crunch.
• Poor cousin to the actual Mint Slice biscuit – lacks the crunch and fondant combo.
• Not chocolatey enough.
• Not terrible, but definitely worse than a normal hot cross bun.
• There’s not much point to it.

Our verdict:

If you’re a Mint Slice fan, these could be worth buying for the novelty factor alone. However, Mint Slice purists may be disappointed by the texture and dialled-down flavour.

If, like me, you’re not a fan of toothpaste flavour with your hot cross bun, leave these on the shelf.

IGA Reese’s Hot Cross Buns

• Price: $7.50 per 4-pack
• Price per bun: $1.88

IGA is giving the big supermarkets a run for their money by going for a big-name brand collab.

Choc hot cross buns are already popular – why not take them to the next level with Reese’s salty-sweet signature flavour?

Joining forces with a well-known brand has paid off for Coles and Woolies, but will it do the same for this smaller supermarket chain?

What our taste testers said:

• Very salty peanut butter flavour. The bun was a bit of a non-event.
• Pretty one-dimensional.
• I love Reese’s cups so expectations were high. Overall great combo, but needs more moisture and peanut butter.

• No real chocolate flavour; rather bland. 
• Disappointing!

Our verdict:

We say this every year, but if you want the OG, just buy the OG. 

At $7.50 a pack, these are a pretty pricey way to experience disappointment.

Head for the confectionery aisle instead.

Aldi Bakers Life Indulgent Rocky Road Inspired Hot Cross Buns

• Price: $4.49 per 4-pack
• Price per bun: $1.12

Budget supermarket chain Aldi is famous for creating cheaper knock-offs of popular products, and its in-house products often rival the big brands.

The German giant has always done its own thing rather than trying to compete directly with the Big Two supermarkets, so it’s gone with a classic flavour instead of relying on the popularity of a well-known brand.

Opinion was split over last year’s Aldi offering, a banoffee-flavoured bun, with some taste testers loving the bun-ana flavour and others feeling they should be hit with the ban(ana) hammer.

 It’s on shelves again this year if it a-peels to you. 

Has Aldi chosen a rocky path with its rocky road NXB, or will the classic flavour combo mean smooth sailing?

What the supermarket says:

“With milk & white choc chips, raspberry flavoured fudge pieces & toasted coconut flakes.”

What our taste testers said:

• Bit of a nothing bun really. Tastes fine.
• Too sweet and unpleasant fake flavour.
• The rocky road bits are really small; almost non-existent.
• Surprisingly not terrible.
• Not enough rocky road bits.
• This is awful! Dry, crumbly, weird Cherry Ripe/coconut thing going on.

Our verdict:

Aldi’s buns don’t actually contain any marshmallow, which is widely considered to be a key ingredient of rocky road. Can these even really claim to be rocky road without them?

Whether or not the lack of marshmallows is a dealbreaker, these are unlikely to rock-y your world.

If the mouldy-looking coconut pieces don’t put you off, the taste will: they’re dry, lacking in flavour and just generally underwhelming.

Coles Matcha & Raspberry Inspired Hot Cross Buns

• Price: $5.50 per 4-pack
• Price per bun: $1.38

Matcha seems to be everywhere and in everything these days – and now it’s in your hot cross buns.

But is that a good idea? Our taste testers munched through these matcha buns to find out.

What the supermarket says:

“Inspired by the flavours of a raspberry matcha latte these hot cross buns are flavoured with matcha green tea and packed with creamy white chocolate chips and raspberry flavoured fudge pieces.”

What our taste testers said:

• You can’t taste the matcha. I normally hate matcha and there is only a hint of it. I’d buy it.
• A bit doughy. 
• Flavour is a little lacking.
• Could be worse.
• Nooooo.
• Doesn’t taste like matcha at all.
• Odd. The raspberry dominates; it tastes like Allens raspberry lollies.
• I can’t taste the matcha, which is not a bad thing.
• It’s a disturbing colour.
• Matcha has to work hard for me in the first place, and this one isn’t working hard enough.

Our verdict:

Matcha is polarising: some people love it; others think it tastes like dusty grass clippings. 

Whichever camp you fall in, you probably won’t hate these because they don’t actually taste much-a like matcha.

IGA Terry’s Chocolate Orange Hot Cross Buns

• Price: $7.50 per 4-pack
• Price per bun: $1.88

An old-school British brand, Terry’s Chocolate Orange tends to have an older target market – some younger taste testers had never heard of it before.

But it has stood the test of time and now it’s in a bakery section near you. 

Were these buns Terry-ble or Terry-fic? 

What our taste testers said:

• Tastes like orange flavoured medicine. Would I buy it? NEVER EVER.
• Not too sweet but a little dry.
• Could do with some choc chunks.
• Good texture; not enough chocolate.

• Pretty meh.
• I love Terrys so I was very excited. True to taste. I liked it.
• Pleasant aroma but bland flavour.
• Disappointing – I thought this would be a lot better as I love Terry’s Chocolate Orange.

Our verdict:

As with many of these brand collabs, it doesn’t hold a candle to the OG product.

If you have a hankering for Terry’s Chocolate Orange, these won’t hit the spot. 

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The post Not cross buns: Culinary crime or tasty treat? appeared first on ����Vlog.

When I first began my sourdough journey during COVID-19 (yes, I’m a living cliche), I went down all the wormholes, read all the forums and basically just thoroughly confused myself with overly complicated baking information.��

I eventually found a routine that worked to produce a decent loaf, but as time went on, I kept wondering – is all this palaver really necessary to make bread? 

The intricate timings, the multiple sets of stretch-and-folds, the cold fermenting, the proofing. It’s all a-bloody-lot when you’ve got two kids, a job and a house to run.��

So gradually I started cutting corners. And I kept on cutting. Until eventually I realised that very few of the steps you read online are actually 100% necessary to produce a decent loaf of bread.��

My family devours a loaf every couple of days, so I just wanted to produce a homemade one that tasted good enough to be accepted by my kids.

I don’t need my bread to win any awards for the perfect crumb, the ideal sourdough ‘ear’ (that fancy-looking flap of crust on the top of the loaf) or the most artisanal sourdough bubbles.

If you’re in the same boat, here’s my lazy guide to sourdough.

What you’ll need

Kitchen stuff

• A bowl
• Kitchen scales
• A 4L Dutch oven or a standard loaf tin (glass or stainless steel)

Ingredients

• 500g flour (you can use organic flour or baker’s flour or just the cheapest plain flour from the supermarket)
• 350ml water 
• 8g salt (any kind)
• 60g sourdough starter*

Method

1. Grab your cold sourdough starter out of the fridge.
   
   
2. Add ingredients to the bowl and mix until it forms a shaggy ball (start mixing with a spoon then finish with your hands to get the last dry bits into the ball). Chuck a wet tea towel or beeswax wrap over it and leave it in the kitchen for half an hour or so (doesn’t have to be precise).
   
   
3. Wet your hands and do one set of stretch-and-folds in the bowl (why bother taking it out and dirtying your bench?).
   
   To do a stretch-and-fold, all you need to do is pick up a side of the dough, stretch it out and upwards a little, and fold it over into the middle. Rotate the bowl (or your hands) 90 degrees and repeat three more times until you have folded all four “sides”.
   
   If this explanation makes no sense, just google a short video and it should become clear. Stretch-and-folds are really easy and this process should take under 20 seconds. At this point you can mix in fancy things like olives, cheese or linseeds, but I prefer to keep it simple.
   
   
4. Leave the bowl on the bench all day long while you live your life without thinking about dough at all. Depending on the temperature in your home, this can be anywhere from 5–6 hours on a hot summer’s day, to 10–12 hours on a cold winter’s day.*
   
   But there’s plenty of wiggle room and you can always leave it for an hour or two longer or shorter if it’s more convenient for you. It’s ready to bake when the dough is nicely puffed up (if you leave it too long, the puff collapses and it won’t bake well).
   
   At this time of year, I usually mix my loaf at breakfast time, around 8am, then bake in the evening after putting the kids to bed at around 6–7pm.��
   
   
5. When you settle down to watch Netflix after dinner, preheat your oven to 230 degrees, wet your hands and scoop your ball of dough out of the bowl, tucking any raggedy bits under the bottom to make it more of a smooth, tight dome shape on the top (again, do this in your hands or in the bowl – no dirty benches here.)
   
   Chuck your ball into a baking paper-lined Dutch oven and pop the lid on. If you’re using a loaf tin, grease it or line with baking paper and then roughly pull the dough into a kind of log shape instead of a ball. Pop it into your lined tin for an hour or so before baking.
   
   
6. If baking in a Dutch oven, cook at 230 degrees for 30 minutes with the lid on, then 30 minutes with the lid off. For an open loaf tin, bake for 45 minutes at 200 degrees.

*Note that this guidance is based on the climate where I live in North Coast NSW. If you live in a significantly warmer or cooler climate, you’ll need to tweak the times to suit you. But the idea is the same – find out how many hours it needs to puff up and bake it then.

Healthy and cheap

My original motivation for making my own bread was to avoid all the additives and preservatives in traditional supermarket bread. I live in a small town where there is nowhere to buy real, fresh sourdough, so if I wanted ‘real’ bread, I had to make my own.��

But along the way I also realised my loaf was a hell of a lot cheaper than store-bought too. If using the cheapest plain flour, you can produce a loaf for about 60 cents.��

Nowadays I splash out on organic flour that I buy in bulk which ends up costing about $2 a loaf – still a significant saving on buying a decent loaf of bread at the supermarket or bakery.

It also takes less than 24 hours from start to finish, so in the morning I simply take stock of how much bread we have left after breakfast and school lunches are done and decide whether I need to mix up a batch of dough for tomorrow’s bread.

I actually find it more convenient than having to factor in emergency trips to the supermarket for tomorrow’s loaf. Mixing up a loaf is way faster than a supermarket run.

The post The laziest-ever sourdough recipe for cheap and easy bread appeared first on ����Vlog.

On this page:

• Which muesli bar tasted best?
• Which were the cheapest muesli bars in our comparison?
• How healthy are muesli bars?
• Tips for buying the best muesli bar

Muesli bars are a convenient option for everyday snacking or popping in the kids’ lunchboxes. While they’re often sold as a healthy option – many boast about being a source of fibre or whole grains – their health food claims should be taken with a grain of salt. Many can contain high amounts of saturated fat, added sugars and preservatives.

Nevertheless, there’s no arguing their popularity, and there are plenty of varieties on offer. As many schools have a nut-free policy, one of the most popular flavours is strawberry and yoghurt, and there are options on offer from many brands, including Coles, Woolworths, Aldi and Uncle Tobys.

We asked a panel of experts (a group of ����Vlog kids and teens) to tell us which version tastes best, and had a look at the health star ratings to help you decide which one to add to your shopping basket.

Which muesli bar tasted best?

Finding snacks that your children will actually eat is a continuous struggle for parents, so to find out which muesli bar tasted best, we went straight to the source. We enlisted the help of 28 kids to blind-taste each of these muesli bars and tell us which one they liked the best.�� 

Uncle Toby’s was the clear winner, with Aldi and Coles earning joint second place. The Woolworths version received the fewest votes.

Which were the cheapest muesli bars in our comparison?

Packaged snacks for lunchboxes are just one of the items adding to the increasing cost of our groceries, and if you’re adding a muesli bar to your kids’ snack packs every other day, the cost can really add up.

If you have two kids who eat one muesli bar at school every day and you buy the most expensive bar in our test, you’re looking at $6.70 per week or $26.80 per month, just for muesli bars! Alternatively, if you buy the cheapest bar, your kids’ muesli bar habit will only cost you $15.20 per month, which is a little easier to stomach.�� 

As with any groceries you’re shopping for, it’s important to not only pay attention to the price of the box and how many bars you’re getting, but also unit pricing, which will tell you how much you’re paying for each 100g of muesli bar.

While the Hillcrest Yoghurt and Strawberry bars from Aldi are the cheapest per box at just $2.49 they’re actually the second most expensive when you look at how much each bar costs: $0.42. The Coles and Woolworths bars are the cheapest: $3 for a box of eight, equating to $0.38 for each bar.

The Uncle Tobys bars were the most expensive in our test: $4 per pack and $0.67 per bar.

How healthy are muesli bars?

While all of the muesli bars in our test make claims about the health qualities of their ingredients – three mention “wholegrains” on the front of the packaging – it’s important to consider that this doesn’t necessarily mean they’re good for you, or the kids.��

While you might not see sugar mentioned more than once in an ingredient list, it doesn’t mean there aren’t other similar sweeteners present. In Australia, there are more than 60 different names used for added sugars and nine of them can be found in the muesli bars in our test: Sugar, raw sugar, invert sugar, glucose, glucose syrup, fruit concentrates, juice concentrates, syrup and polydextrose were all found across the four products.

While all of these bars should probably be considered an occasional treat rather than an everyday snack, if you are looking for the healthiest option, be mindful of the health star rating, which you can find on the front of every packet.

While the Uncle Tobys, Hillcrest and Woolworths bars all earned four stars, the Coles product has a 2.5 health star rating. With these results, it’s not surprising that the Coles bars have the highest amount of saturated fat (more than 2g per bar), the highest sugar content (7.8g per bar) and the highest sodium content. In fact, the Coles bars have 23mg of sodium per serving – almost four times as much as the Uncle Tobys and Woolworths bars, which both have only 6mg of sodium in each bar.��

Tips for buying the best muesli bar

Of course, it’s no use buying the healthiest muesli bar in the world if your kid refuses to eat it. As well as taste, here are some things you might like to take into account when shopping: 

• Energy per serve: A healthy snack should fill a hole without giving you too many unnecessary kilojoules. Nutritionists recommend that we limit our energy intake from snacks to 600kJ.
• Size: All the muesli bars in our test weighed around 31g (the Uncle Tobys and Hillcrest varieties were slightly less, just 30.83g. The Coles and Woolworths versions were exactly 31g each).�� 
• Nut-free: Many schools have a nut-free policy, so you need to avoid bars with nuts in the ingredients. None of the ones we tested contained nuts but all came with the standard “may contain traces” warning.��
• Ingredients list: These are listed by descending weight, meaning the ingredients listed first make up the largest amount of the product. Therefore, look for muesli bars that have more whole ingredients up front, such as rolled oats and whole-grain wheats and cereals, and less sugar.��
• Cost: As we’ve already mentioned above, look for unit pricing to ensure you’re getting the best value possible. If you have time, making your own muesli bars at home, using ingredients like bulk-bought muesli, seeds, oats and honey, could also be a more cost-effective alternative.

The post Muesli bars from Uncle Tobys, Woolworths, Coles and Aldi compared appeared first on ����Vlog.

Golden, salty and buttery, the cheese toastie or grilled cheese sandwich is oozing with elite snack status: it’s tasty, super easy to make and big on comfort. A traditional classic that’s loved far and wide, it’s also often morphed with various twists and fanciful fillings. But what makes the perfect melty cheese sambo? What’s the ultimate cheese combo, how should you cook it and is it really a crime to include a slice of tomato? 

Two ����Vlog experts share their advice on everything from which bread to use, how many cheeses you need and their insider hacks to take your toasties to oozy new heights.��

The bread

����Vlog expert taste-test panellist and self-proclaimed curd nerd, Penny Lawson of Penny’s Cheese Shop (home of arguably Sydney’s best cheese toasties), pumps out her famous sandwiches every day and they usually sell out before lunchtime. So she knows a thing or two about toastie perfection.

When it comes to bread, Penny uses day-old sourdough: “I think it makes a better toastie, as slightly less moisture in the bread creates a crispier crust.” Penny also believes the flavour of sourdough bread improves after a day.

����Vlog kitchen guru, Fiona Mair, recommends using a thick-cut bread (any type you like will do). You could use sourdough, sandwich-style bread or rye, whichever you prefer – just ensure the bread is not too soft or too thinly sliced.

The cheese 

Fiona says: “If you’re making a plain cheese toastie, choose a sharp, stronger-tasting cheese like cheddar or a great melting cheese like swiss, gouda or gruyere. My perfect combo is cheddar and swiss.” 

Penny also recommends using good-quality cheese and combining a cheddar with a melty cheese such as gruyere, mozzarella or alpine cheese.��

“To up the delicious factor you might also want to add a nice stinky cheese,” she says.��

Both experts give the top tip of grating your cheese onto the bread so it melts more quickly, softly and evenly. It’s not a good idea to use pre-shredded cheese as it is often coated with anti-caking agents that prevent it from melting evenly and can make the texture quite rubbery. If you enjoy the convenience of pre-sliced cheese, find out which is the best sliced cheese in our review.

����Vlog tip: If you’re using strongly flavoured meat or char-grilled vegetables, consider pairing it with mozzarella, which has a milder flavour than stronger cheeses such as cheddar or swiss.��

The butter

Our experts part ways when it comes to whether or not you need butter. Somewhat controversially, Penny doesn’t use butter at all. “Mine are more like a triple decker in the order of cheese, bread, cheese, bread, cheese,” she says.

But, hold up – did someone just say parmesan-crusted?

Fiona’s hot toastie tip is: “Sandwich the bread together and spread the outer sides of bread liberally with butter. For extra flavour, grate some parmesan onto a plate and press the outer buttered bread onto the grated parmesan. When you cook it, it will give you a nice golden parmesan crust.”

If you’re on Team Butter, check out our butter taste-test and reviews to find out which one you need to attain toastie perfection.

Cooking, condiments and fillings

Fiona says: “Add a sprinkling of pepper or cayenne pepper for a bit of spice. I like to add finely chopped chives, green onions or mayonnaise for added flavour.

“I also love a sandwich press to cook a toastie. We have reviewed some top-performing options in the ����Vlog labs if you’re wanting to up your toastie game, and they can range in price from around $20 to over $400 for grills with more sophisticated features.

“If you don’t want a new appliance, though, you could also consider a great little tool called a cast-iron grill press (see pictured). The idea is that you use your skillet or frying pan to cook your sandwich, then place the press on top to help achieve an evenly browned crust, remembering to flip halfway.”

Penny cooks hers under the grill and says: “I personally like adding raw finely chopped onion, just after the cheese has melted. Or fresh chives. My customers would argue very strongly for the inclusion of jalapeño and salami. I am an absolute ‘hard no’ on fresh tomato in the sandwich though (but I’m OK if it’s served on the side).”

Other popular cheese toastie additions, fillings and condiments include ham, of course, as well as kimchi, sauerkraut, mustard, avocado, tinned spaghetti… get as weird and wonderful as you like.��

The post How to make the best-ever cheese toastie appeared first on ����Vlog.

On this page:

• Kellogg's Corn Flakes
• Uncle Toby's Traditional Rolled Oats
• Kellogg's Coco Pops
• Kellogg's Nutri-Grain
• Kellogg's Froot Loops
• Sanitarium Weet-Bix

But while we tend to be on autopilot at breakfast time, perhaps we should be a little more mindful of what we’re putting in our trolley – some of the best-loved cereals can be expensive and not as healthy as you’d expect.��

So, how does your favourite cereal compare to other products in terms of price and nutrition? We compared six of the best-known Australian cereals with their peers to help you decide what to put on the breakfast table each morning.��

A note on Health Star Ratings

If you’re trying to find a healthy breakfast cereal, checking the Health Star Rating (HSR) on the pack is a quick and easy way to get an indication of how nutritious the product is.��

The HSR takes into account ‘good’ things like protein, fibre, and the amount of fruit, vegetables, nuts or legumes it contains. This is balanced against kilojoules and the three ‘negative’ nutrients: saturated fat, sodium and sugar.

The system has its limitations, but it’s a good starting point for comparing products. There are a few things to keep in mind when using it.

1. You can’t compare apples with oranges

HSRs should only be used for comparing like with like.��They’re are a great way to see how one cereal compares with another similar product so you can see which is the better option.��But you can’t compare cereal with bread, for instance, to determine which is healthier.��

2. Even highly-processed foods can score well

An HSR won’t tell you anything about how natural or unrefined the ingredients used in the cereal are, whether things such as artificial preservatives, colours and flavours and other additives are included, or how processed the product is.

Nutri-Grain, for instance, has a higher HSR than Corn Flakes, even though Corn Flakes are basically just squashed corn while Nutri-Grain is a mash-up of refined flours, flavouring, colouring, vegetable gum, raising agent and more.��

(Corn Flakes aren’t an especially nutritious choice either – they’re quite high in sodium and low in fibre – but we’re just using this as an example.)

3. A dietitian’s view on cereal HSRs

“Highly processed breakfast cereals often have fibre and protein added to increase the HSR,” says ����Vlog food expert Shadia Djakovic, who is an accredited practising dietitian and nutritionist.��

“Rolled oats also have a high HSR due to their naturally-occurring fibre content. But they have only one ingredient – oats – which means they have a higher HSR without the need for any added nutrients to make them healthier.” 

Here’s a nutrition tip from Shadia to help next time you’re shopping:

“Look at the shape and colour: does it look like a natural product? If it’s far from natural-looking, chances are it’s highly processed and needs things like salt and sugar to make it taste good.”

Kellogg’s Corn Flakes

• Health Star Rating: 3.5
• Added sugar: 8.9g per 100g
• Sodium: 485mg per 100g
• Fibre: 4.2g per 100g
• Price: $1.59 per 100g

Nutrition

They’ve been around for more than 95 years and began life as a health food, but are Kellogg’s Corn Flakes a nutritious option? 

Dr William Kellogg (the inventor of Kellogg’s Corn Flakes) might be shocked to hear this, but they’re actually not great in terms of nutrition. Here’s why:

• They’re high in sodium. Corn Flakes have a sodium content of 485mg per 100g. For context, a Big Mac has 438mg per 100g! (Keep in mind that the serving sizes are quite different though.)
• They’re low in fibre, with just 4.2g per 100g.
• For a plain cereal, they actually have a lot more sugar than you’d expect. In fact they’re almost 10% sugar (8.9g per 100g, to be precise).
• They have a Health Star Rating of just 3.5.��

If you’re looking for a healthier corn-based flake cereal, you’re better off going with Woolworths Macro Wholefoods Market Certified Organic Corn Flakes, which have 220mg of sodium per 100g and 4.5g of added sugar per 100g. They have an HSR of only 3.5 too, so they’re still not exactly the healthiest option on the block.��

To find a flake cereal that’s better for your body, think outside the (corn flake) box and consider wheat-based flakes instead. Here are our dietitian’s recommendations for flake cereals:

Kellogg’s All-Bran Wheat Flakes

• Health Star Rating: 5
• Added sugar: 10.8g per 100g
• Sodium: 360mg per 100g
• Fibre: 18.8g per 100g

Kellogg’s Guardian

• Health Star Rating: 5
• Added sugar: 12.6g per 100g
• Sodium: 200mg per 100g
• Fibre: 18.4g per 100g

Uncle Toby’s Weeties

• Health Star Rating: 4.5
• Added sugar: 0g per 100g
• Sodium: 375mg per 100g
• Fibre: 12.7g per 100g

Price

They’re described as “golden flakes”, but for the price you might wonder if Kellogg’s Corn Flakes actually are gold-plated! 

Of all the plain corn flakes we analysed, Kellogg’s Corn Flakes are the most expensive at $1.59 per 100g.��

If you’re trying to reduce your grocery spend, these are the cheapest corn flake options:

• Coles Corn Flakes: 40c per 100g
• Aldi Goldenvale Corn Flakes: 40c per 100g

Uncle Toby’s Traditional Rolled Oats

• Health Star Rating: 5
• Added sugar: 0g per 100g
• Sodium: 6mg per 100g
• Fibre: 9.2g per 100g
• Price: 90c per 100g

Nutrition

If you’re looking for a healthy breakfast, oats are a great way to go. They’re packed with fibre, vitamins, protein and minerals, and they have a lower GI, meaning they tick a lot of nutrition boxes.��

Since rolled oat products all contain the same thing – 100% rolled oats – there’s not really much difference between the various brands in terms of their nutritional value, so there’s no point in comparing the Uncle Toby’s version with others.��

All the 100% rolled oats products we analysed have a Health Star Rating of 5, so you can’t really go wrong with any of them.��

“Rolled oats are a fabulous breakfast option, particularly in winter. Don’t negate their goodness with lashings of cream and sugar though – try adding some frozen berries and a sprinkle of cinnamon to spice it up,” says Shadia.

Price

While they’re all essentially the same, the cost of different rolled oats products can vary dramatically.��Uncle Toby’s Traditional Rolled Oats is one of the more expensive products on the market (excluding rolled oat products with specific health claims like “cholesterol lowering”, “protein rich”, “Omega 3” or blends).��

Since you’ll be getting pretty much the same product once you take away the packaging, buying generic or supermarket-branded rolled oats is a good idea if you want to save money.��

Here are some cheaper alternatives:

• Aldi Goldenvale Australian Rolled Oats: 17c per 100g
• Coles Rolled Oats: 18c per 100g
• Woolworths Australian Rolled Oats: 19c per 100g

Kellogg’s Coco Pops

• Health Star Rating: 2
• Added sugar: 32.3g per 100g
• Sodium: 330mg per 100g
• Fibre: 1.7g per 100g
• Price: $1.87 per 100g

Nutrition

There’s no sugar-coating this: Coco Pops are in no way healthy. Loaded with sugar and low in fibre, they’re probably better described as a dessert than a breakfast food.��

But we know that some kids love them and families will continue to buy them. So, how do they compare to other cereals and what alternatives could you buy to make your chocolate breakfast cereal a bit healthier?

Not surprisingly, Kellogg’s Coco Pops had one of the highest added sugar levels of all the chocolate puff cereals we analysed with 32.3g of added sugar per 100g.��

That means you’re consuming around 9.7g of sugar per 30g bowl. Considering that the World Health Organisation recommends that adults eat no more than 54g of sugar each day, you’re burning through almost a fifth of your sugar allowance by the time you’ve finished breakfast!  (And that’s assuming you actually stick to the recommended serving size – how many of us do?)

We’re probably not telling you anything you didn’t already know, or at least suspect about Coco Pops. If you want to switch to a slightly more nutritious crunchy chocolate breakfast cereal, here are some better options:

Freedom Classic XO Cocoa Crunch Cereal

• Health Star Rating: 4.5
• Total sugars: 18g per 100g
• Sodium: 39mg per 100g
• Fibre: 11.5g per 100g

Farmer Jo Kids Chocolate Breakfast Puffs

• Health Star Rating: 4
• Added sugar: 7.2g per 100g
• Sodium: 156mg per 100g
• Fibre: 8.4g per 100g

Price

Coco Pops aren’t cheap: $1.87 per 100g. (And that’s before you’ve paid for all the dentist bills from the sugar!)

If you still want a choc hit for breakfast, there are a few cheaper options:

• Aldi Goldenvale Choco Rice: 61c per 100g
• Woolworths Crackling Cocoa Puffs: 63c per 100g
• Coles Cocoa Puffs: 71c per 100g

Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain

• Health Star Rating: 4
• Added sugar: 24g per 100g
• Sodium: 350mg per 100g
• Fibre: 5.3g per 100g
• Price: $2.31 per 100g

Nutrition

It’s hard to define exactly what Nutri-Grain is – is it a kids’ cereal, a health cereal, or something else entirely? Its marketing seems to cover all bases.

Regardless, it’s been around for so long that it’s sparked a range of Nutri-Grain spin-offs, including muesli bar-ish products, to-go packs and even flavoured milks.��

But is it something that ironmen and women would actually eat? Probably not. While it’s relatively high in protein and has added vitamins and iron, it’s actually a highly processed food with a high added sugar and sodium content and not a great deal of fibre.��

If your kids have their hearts set on a Nutri-Grain-type cereal but you want something less sugary, you could try Aldi’s Goldenvale Power Grain which has 18.1g of added sugar per 100g.��It’s also lower in sodium with 238mg per 100g. (This is still around double what the Heart Foundation recommends, but it’s a lower-sodium product than the Kellogg’s version.)

Price

At $2.31 per 100g, Nutri-Grain is one of the most expensive kids’ cereals in our review.��

Instead of giving your wallet an Ironman-worthy workout, you could try switching to a supermarket own-brand version. The copycat products from Coles, Woolworths and Aldi cost around 80c per 100g, which is a significant saving.��

But you’re probably better skipping the Coles and Woolworths versions if you’re watching your health. They both have Health Star Ratings of 2.5 and 26.7g of added sugar per 100g.��

Kellogg’s Froot Loops

• Health Star Rating: 2
• Added sugar: 38.8g per 100g
• Sodium: 360mg per 100g
• Fibre: 2.4g per 100g
• Price: $2.46 per 100g

Nutrition

Kellogg’s Froot Loops are probably better categorised as confectionery than cereal, but since they’re found in the cereal aisle we’ll treat them as such.��

Unsurprisingly, they make the list of cereals our in-house nutrition expert recommends you avoid due to their sky-high sugar levels and the absence of anything even vaguely nutritious.��

Per 100g, these cute loops pack a whopping 38.8g of added sugar and 360mg of sodium with only a tiny 2.4g of fibre, making them the stuff of dietitians’ nightmares.��

If you’re buying something like this as a treat, you’re best to give Froot Loops a miss and choose something lower in sugar, like Aldi’s Goldenvale Fruity Rings (18.8g/100g of added sugar), Woolworths Colourful Rainbow Rings (15.8g/100g total sugars), or Coles Frooty Rings (15.6g/100g sugars).��

If your kids have never actually tasted Froot Loops but they’re begging you for some, you could always try buying Uncle Toby’s Cheerios Vanilla O’s instead – they tick the box for loop-shaped flavoured cereal but they only have 4.1g of added sugar per 100g. Maybe you could pass them off as ‘healthy Froot Loops’? 

Price

At a whopping $2.46 per 100g, Froot Loops are the most expensive kids’ cereal we analysed.��

Similar products from supermarket own-brands all cost around 83c per 100g. So they’re lower in sugar and cheaper to boot.��

Sanitarium Weet-Bix

• Health Star Rating: 5
• Added sugar: 3g per 100g
• Sodium: 270mg per 100g
• Fibre: 12.9g per 100g
• Price: 87 cents per 100g

Weet-Bix is one of the most recognisable, well-known cereal products in Australia. For many of us, they were a first food and a staple breakfast option throughout our childhoods (and beyond).

So, how do they compare with other bix on the market? 

Nutrition

As far as nutrition goes, Weet-Bix compare very favourably! They have a Health Star Rating of 5, only 3g per 100g of added sugar, and are 97% wholegrains.��

Many of the wheat biscuit cereals we analysed score 100% for nutrition. They’re generally high in fibre, low in sugar and saturated fat and a source of whole grains.��

Aside from flavoured products, almost all the bix we reviewed have a Health Star Rating of 5, so you can be confident that most plain wheat biscuit cereals you put in your trolley will be good for you.��

Price

When you shop by brand, you’ll often pay more for a well-known name – and that’s definitely the case for Weet-Bix. Per 100g, it’s the second-most expensive wheat biscuit cereal we analysed at 88c per 100g.��

The cheapest is Aldi Goldenvale Wheat Biscuits at 36c per 100g – less than half the price of Weet-Bix.��

And according to ����Vlog taste testers, they’re not dissimilar to the OG Weet-Bix product. Check out our wheat biscuit cereal comparison.

The post Which popular Australian cereals are actually healthy – and cheap? appeared first on ����Vlog.

On this page:

• Top flakes
• Watch out for added salt and sugar
• Which is better: Corn flakes or oats?
• Which flakes are the best value?
• How we tested flake cereals

Times have changed, and we now have a smorgasbord of options at breakfast time. The health profile of flakes has probably changed a bit since then as well – in our analysis of 23 flake products we found that many come with plenty of added sugars and salt for flavour.

Read on to find out which flakes are better for you than others, which are the cheapest, and more.

Top flakes

Here are the top performing flake cereals based on Health Star Rating (HSR), lowest estimated added sugar per 100g and lowest sodium per 100g.

Kellogg’s All-Bran Wheat Flakes

• Price: $1.82 per 100g
• Health Star Rating: 5
• Estimated added sugar: 10.8g per 100g
• Sodium: 360mg per 100g
• Claims on pack: Very high in fibre to support a healthy gut, supports digestive wellness, helps you feel fuller, promotes regularity and good gut bacteria, supports digestive health.

Kellogg’s Guardian

• Price: $1.94 per 100g
• Health Star Rating: 5
• Estimated added sugar: 12.6g
• Sodium: 200mg per 100g
• Claims on pack: 97% fat free, 63% whole grains, supports digestive wellness, helps you feel fuller, promotes regularity and good gut bacteria, no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives, four essential B vitamins, zinc and iron, 25% of your daily fibre needs, psyllium to stimulate the breakdown of cholesterol, helps to support heart health.

Uncle Tobys Weeties

• Price: $1.00 per 100g
• Health Star Rating: 4.5
• Estimated added sugar: 0g per 100g
• Sodium: 375mg per 100g
• Claims on pack: All natural wheat, source of fibre, over 60% of your daily wholegrain target, no artificial colours or flavours, source of wholegrain, 99% wholegrain.

Watch out for added salt and sugar

When you’re watching your salt intake you don’t expect to find a large amount in your breakfast bowl.

The average sodium content from this category is over 300mg per 100g. To put these figures into perspective, a McDonald’s large fries has 269mg salt per 100g and a Big Mac has 438mg per 100g.

If your bowl of flakes is no larger than the portion size stated on the pack then you won’t exceed the Australian Dietary Guidelines recommendation of less than 400mg sodium per 100g.

But the guidelines also say that 120mg or less is best. Of the flakes we looked at, the only ones that meet this level are Woolworths Honey Nut Corn Flakes at 120mg per 100g, and Coles I’m Free From Gluten Wheat Special Flakes at 119mg per 100g.

The flakes with more than 400mg of sodium per 100g are:

• Kellogg’s Gluten Free Corn Flakes (510mg sodium per 100g)
• Kellogg’s Gluten Free Special K (500mg)
• Kellogg’s Corn Flakes (485mg) 
• Nature’s Path Gluten Free Corn Flakes (425mg).

When it comes to sugar, the flakes we assessed have an average 11.4g estimated added sugar per 100g. By way of comparison, some kids-style breakfast cereals have less than this – and kids’ cereals are the ones with the bad reputation for added sugars!

For example, you’d be better off having Uncle Tobys Cheerios Vanilla O’s (4g sugar per 100g) than Kellogg’s Corn Flakes (8.9g per 100g) if you’re watching your added sugar.

The Australian Dietary Guidelines recommend we avoid foods with more than 15% added sugar. We found four flakes products that exceed this recommendation:

• Kellogg’s Crunchy Nut Corn Flakes (31.3% estimated added sugar)
• Woolworths Honey Nut Corn Flakes (22.5%)
• Kellogg’s High Fibre Special K (20.6%)
• Goldenvale Honey Nut Cornflakes (20.3%).

Which is better: Corn flakes or oats?

Oats are rich in beta-glucan, a soluble fibre that helps keep your blood cholesterol down. They’re also low GI, which means their carbohydrate is slowly absorbed into your system, providing you with energy for hours after you’ve eaten. And they’re packed with B vitamins, vitamin E, protein and minerals. Eating oats is also associated with protective effects against heart disease in adults.

While corn flakes can be part of a varied healthy diet, the added sodium and sugars in some products and the lack of the benefits exclusive to oats can make them a less healthy breakfast option compared to oats overall.��

Which flakes are the best value?

The most expensive flake product in our review is the Nature’s Path Gluten Free Corn Flakes, which costs $3.33 per 100g, or $1.25 per serve. This can really add up if the family is scoffing bowlfuls every morning – to the tune of $456.25 per year per person, just for breakfast cereal! 

Even Australia’s OG flake, Kellogg’s Corn Flakes, are $1.59 per 100g, or 58c per serve (and that’s provided your teenage boys stick to the recommended six servings per packet).��

If you’re trying to cut back on your grocery bills but you also want a flake breakfast cereal that’s nutritious, the supermarket own-brand flakes have you covered here.��

Coles Corn Flakes in particular are a bargain, costing just 40c per 100g or 13 cents per serve, but have a Health Star Rating of 3.5.

Although double the cost of the Coles product at 80c per 100g, the Woolworths Free From Gluten Corn Flakes are still cheaper than premium-branded options and have a Health Star Rating of 4.

How we tested flake cereals

The flake cereals’ packaging was collected in November 2022. We analysed the nutrition information panels and recorded Health Star Ratings. Where the product did not have a labelled HSR, we estimated it based on the nutritional information that was available on the pack. The estimated added sugars per 100g were received from the George Institute for Global Health’s ���ٱ𲹳�.

We ranked the flake cereals by Health Star Rating, added sugars per 100g, and then sodium per 100g.

The post What’s the healthiest flake cereal? appeared first on ����Vlog.

On this page:

• Top scoring granola
• Is granola good for you?
• Which is better: Granola or muesli?
• How we tested granola

We analysed more than 70 breakfast cereals labelled with the word “granola” or “cluster”, to see which ones came out better nutritionally.

Top scoring granola

To find this selection, we assessed the granola products on their Health Star Rating (HSR) and the estimated added sugar content. Three of these products have less than four grams (one teaspoon) of estimated added sugar per serve.

Blue Frog Keto Almond, Peanut & Raspberry Cereal

• HSR: 5
• Estimated added sugar: 0g per 100g
• Fibre: 17.9g per 100g
• Claims on pack: 88% nuts and seeds, 1g sugar per serve, gluten-free

Carman’s Low Sugar Granola Raspberry and Coconut 450g

• HSR: 5
• Estimated added sugar: 4.8g per 100g
• Fibre: 17.2g per 100g
• Price: $1.53 per 100g
• Claims on pack: Excellent source of fibre, no artificial colours or flavours, low sugar, less than 3g sugar per serve, prebiotic fibre, suitable for a vegan diet

Jordan’s Low Sugar Granola Almond Hazelnut 500g

• HSR: 4.5
• Estimated added sugar: 0g per 100g
• Fibre: 7.9g per 100g
• Price: $1.70 per 100g
• Claims on pack: Less than 5% sugar (total sugar), no artificial colours or preservatives, suitable for vegetarians, whole grain oats

Jordan’s Granola Low Sugar Cherry Almond 500g

• HSR: 4.5
• Estimated added sugar: 0.7g per 100g,
• Fibre: 7.4g per 100g
• Price: $1.70 per 100g
• Claims on pack: Less than 5% sugar (total sugar), low sugar, no artificial colours or preservatives, wholegrain oats, suitable for vegetarians

Is granola good for you?

Sugar

Granola can be high in sugar because it is necessary to help form clusters of cereal. However, in our review of 300+ cereals that include categories such as muesli, oats, kids’ cereals and flakes, it was the granola category that had the most claims regarding sugar, with 21 products bearing a claim about low or reduced sugar.

Wholegrains

The use of wholegrains such as rolled oats and barley in some granolas means they have the benefit of containing fibre, and at least 26 different nutrients including carbohydrates, protein, minerals and a variety of phytonutrients. Consuming wholegrains is also shown to reduce inflammation-related conditions.

Fat

If the granola has been toasted with oils it may have a higher fat content than granola that’s been dry-toasted. So if you’re watching your kilojoule intake, look for those without added oils.

Which is better: Granola or muesli?

If you’re stuck between the choice of buying granola or muesli for breakfast, on average muesli will be the healthier choice.��

In our review, muesli has an average HSR of 4, with an average estimated added sugar content of 3.6g per 100g. Granola products had an average HSR of 3.6, with an average estimated added sugar content of 13g per 100g.��

If you’re looking to save money, then muesli again is the better choice. The muesli products in our review averaged $1.62 per 100g, compared with $2.24 per 100g on average for granola.

How we tested granola

The granola label information was collected, and where Health Star Ratings weren’t available on pack we estimated them, using estimates for fruit and nut content where necessary. Estimates of added sugar per 100g were sourced from the George Institutes Food Switch Team.

To find the top rating granola products, we ranked them by Health Star Rating and added sugars per 100g as listed by the George Institutes 

The post How to choose the best granola appeared first on ����Vlog.

On this page:

• Healthiest raw muesli
• Healthiest toasted muesli
• Types of muesli explained
• Cheap muesli vs expensive muesli
• Nutrition claims
• How we got our results

In this buying guide we help you find the healthiest muesli, and understand common muesli jargon.��

When ranking muesli products we looked at the Health Star Rating (HSR), the added sugars per serve, and the percentage of wholegrains, and used this info to come up with our list of the healthiest options.��

In general, when choosing a muesli, always check the nutrition information panel (NIP) first and don’t be swayed by nutrition claims alone – despite its reputation as a ‘health food’, muesli can be high in added sugars and low in nutritional value.

Healthiest raw muesli

Here are the healthiest raw mueslis. Raw muesli has not been toasted and tends to have less added oils and sugars than toasted muesli.

Recommended: Sunsol Muesli Almond Cashew Macadamia Walnut 500g

• HSR: 5 
• Estimated added sugar: 0g per 100g 
• Wholegrain content: 43% 
• Price: $1.20 per 100g

Recommended: Food For Health Liver Cleansing Muesli 475g

• HSR: 5
• Estimated added sugar: 0g per 100g
• Wholegrain content: Unclear. The first ingredient is rolled oats (a wholegrain), but the percentage isn’t specified.
• Price: $1.37 per 100g

Community Co. Fruit & Seed Muesli

• HSR: 4.5
• Estimated added sugar: 1g per 100g
• Wholegrain content: 76%
• Price: 53c per 100g

‘Liver-cleansing’ muesli?

One of the healthiest raw muesli products has “liver cleansing” in its title. Interestingly, when we took a closer look at Food For Health Liver Cleansing Muesli, we noticed that the liver-cleansing claim appears only in the name and is not repeated or explained anywhere else on the packaging.

What’s more, while the concept of eating specific foods to help aid liver detoxification is popular, there is actually no evidence to support it. In fact, the liver is constantly working to cleanse the body on its own, without a special diet.��

So, although this muesli has a great nutritional profile, don’t read too much into the name, and don’t expect it to “cleanse” your liver.

Healthiest toasted muesli

These are the three healthiest toasted muesli products. Toasted muesli usually contains added oils and sugars.

Recommended: Sunsol Pro-biotic Low Sugar Toasted Muesli, Almond, Superseed & Dark Choc 400g

• HSR: 5
• Estimated added sugar: 2.2g per 100g
• Wholegrain content: 57%
• Price: $1.75 per 100g

Sunsol Pro-biotic Low Sugar Toasted Muesli, Macadamia, Coconut & Dark Choc 400g

• HSR: 4.5
• Estimated added sugar: 0.4g per 100g
• Wholegrain content: 57%
• Price: $1.75 per 100g

Carman’s Low Sugar Toasted Almond & Cashew Muesli 500g

• HSR: 4.5
• Estimated added sugar: 0.5g per 100g
• Wholegrain content: 71%
• Price: $1.30 per 100g

Types of muesli explained

Bircher muesli

Muesli was created around 1900 by Swiss physician Max Bircher-Benner, who used a diet of raw vegetables, fruit and nuts to treat patients. The original Bircher muesli was uncooked rolled oats soaked in water or fruit juice, served with grated or chopped fresh fruit. Bircher muesli is more moist than most packaged mueslis and is like a cold, fruity porridge. These days, Bircher or Swiss-style mueslis tend to be oats mixed with other cereals, nuts, seeds and various dried fruits, but grated apple is still a common ingredient.

Natural muesli

Natural is one of those overused terms that has come to mean very little. While you might assume it means a product is healthier, in the context of muesli it usually just means that the product is raw rather than toasted or baked.

Toasted, roasted or baked muesli

In the past, toasted mueslis were often higher in fat. But these days many toasted (and roasted and baked) mueslis contain lower than average fat, and not all of them list oil as an ingredient. On the other hand, many contain added sugar, often in the form of honey. Honey is often used in the heating process to give that shiny, glazed look common to toasted mueslis.

Cheap muesli vs expensive muesli

Muesli has gone upmarket. For $20 (or more!) a kilo, you can get stylishly packaged organic grains mixed with exotic ingredients like wild figs, biodynamic pears, white mulberries and pistachios. While posh muesli may be delicious, the extra dollars you fork out – which can be more than $40 per kilo for some brands – won’t necessarily buy you a healthier product.

At the cheaper end (for as little as $3/kg) the fruit ingredients are more likely to be sultanas and apricots than barberries and goji berries. You’ll also usually get fewer nuts in the mix (mainly almonds), but you’re just as likely to get a nutritious start to the day.

Nutrition claims

When choosing a muesli always check the nutrition information panel (NIP) first and don’t be swayed by nutrition claims alone – despite its healthy image, muesli can be sugary and kilojoule-dense.

The most common claims on muesli packs are gluten and wheat-free or claims about fibre and/or wholegrain content, but “low in salt”, “no added sugar”, “high protein”, “low GI” and “low fat” claims are also popular.

The problem with nutrition claims is that they don’t tell the whole story – products claiming “no added sugar” can still be high in total sugar, for example, and on the flip side, products that are low-fat or contain more than average fibre may not proclaim it.

Fibre

Adults should be eating about 30g of fibre a day, and a bowl of high-fibre breakfast cereal is a good starting point – muesli will often fit the bill.

Tips for choosing higher fibre:

• Foods that contain at least 4g or 7g of dietary fibre in a serving are defined in the as “good” and “excellent” sources of fibre respectively, so check the NIP.
• Don’t rely solely on claims like “good source of fibre” or “high in fibre” – many mueslis with above-average fibre may not actually claim that on the packaging.

Sugar

With its healthy image, you might not expect muesli to be laden with added sugar. But even when sugar isn’t listed as an ingredient, muesli can still be high in sugar if it’s full of dried fruit. While it can provide valuable nutrients, dried fruit is also a concentrated form of sugar. A muesli might also claim “no added cane sugar” but contain enough dried fruit and honey (sugar, just in another form) to give you a decent sugar hit.

Tips for choosing lower sugar:

• Genuinely “low-sugar” mueslis have no more than five percent (5g per 100g) sugar, according to the Food Standards Code, so check the NIP.��
• Check the ingredients list for added sugar. It can be disguised as honey, maple syrup, golden syrup or glucose, for example.
• Watch out for dried fruit in the top three ingredients.

Fat

Mueslis are intrinsically higher in fat than other cereals, but the fat is often from oats, seeds or nuts, so it’s the “good” unsaturated type (and you get the valuable nutrients that are found naturally in these ingredients).��

Tips for choosing lower fat:

• Check the NIP. For true low-fat muesli look for ones with three percent (3g per 100g) fat or less.
• The type of fat is also important. Again, check the NIP – the lower the ratio of saturated fat to total fat the better. The ingredients list can help you determine whether the fat comes mainly from nuts and seeds (unsaturated fat) or added fat, depending on which is listed higher up. Where added fat is listed as “vegetable oil”, it could be from coconut oil, which is a saturated fat, or “hardened” vegetable oil, which can contain trans fat – as bad for us as saturated fat.
• Rather than avoiding higher fat mueslis, simply be restrained with the portion size you serve yourself – this will mean you get the benefits of these good fats while limiting your intake of the associated kilojoules.

How we got our results

We categorised a wide range of breakfast cereal products and collected their label data. We then calculated Health Star Ratings, used the ingredients list to determine wholegrain content where possible and used the George Institute for Global Health’s FoodSwitch app to determine added sugars per 100g. We then ranked the mueslis by Health Star Rating, added sugars and wholegrain content.

In some cases, there wasn’t enough information to get the most accurate Health Star Rating calculation, as percentages of fruit, nuts and seeds were not stated. In these cases, we calculated the rating without these figures. The manufacturers were given a right of reply.

The post How to choose the best muesli appeared first on ����Vlog.

Most of us are either Team Weet-Bix or Team Vita Brits, with the rivalry between the two brands almost as intense as Coke vs Pepsi.

But for the more open-minded, supermarkets also have their own bix offerings at less than half the price of the major brands. If your budget is feeling the squeeze, could it be worth switching from branded bix to a cheaper alternative?

We challenged ����Vlog staff to a blind taste test of four wheat biscuit products to see if they could tell the difference between two supermarket house brands and two well-known branded products.��

Our in-house food and nutrition expert also analysed 16 biscuit-style breakfast cereals and compared them in terms of nutrition, including sugar and sodium content. What we found may surprise you.

The blind taste test: Big brands vs supermarket own-brands

Just how much difference can there be between one wheat biscuit cereal and another? Surely they’re pretty much the same, right?

To test that theory, we asked a panel of ����Vlog staff to try four different biscuit brands (two of the big brands and two supermarket own-brands) to see if they could pick their preferred cereal from the lineup.��

Five devoted Weet-Bix fans and two die-hard Vita Brits-eaters showed up to find out how attuned their taste buds are to their breakfast cereal of choice.��

Could our panel pick their usual breakfast biscuit from the lineup?

Yes! Everyone nailed it:

• All five Weet-Bix eaters picked the Sanitarium product correctly.
• Both the Vita Brits eaters picked the Vita Brits sample as their regular cereal.

Not bad, huh? But what about the other two bix?

Aldi Goldenvale Wheat Biscuits

Surprisingly, Aldi’s Goldenvale Wheat Biscuits gave many of our testers pause for thought. While they all picked the Weet-Bix sample as the OG Sanitarium product, three wondered whether the Aldi product might be their old faithful cereal.��

“It’s hard to choose between sample 1 [Aldi] vs sample 4 [Weet-Bix],” said one taste tester. “Could be my usual brand of Weet-Bix but I’m not sure,” said another.

Looks like Aussie kids really are Weet-Bix kids. (But perhaps they could possibly become Aldi kids if their parents did a sneaky switch!)

Woolworths Wheat Biscuits

Unfortunately the Woolworths Wheat Biscuits weren’t a favourite, with tasters saying they “lack texture” and “go mushy quickly”, and many commenting that they tasted bland.

That could be because they’re very low in sugar (more about that below), which could mean they’re less flavoursome than sweeter bix. Despite added sugar not being great for our health, it seems we do have a taste for it!

Taste tester comments

Here’s what our testers said about the four products:

• Aldi Goldenvale Wheat Biscuits: “Good but not quite the one”
• Vita Brits: “Way too hard”
• Woolworths Wheat Biscuits: “Nice but a bit blander than the ones I usually eat”
• Sanitarium Weet-Bix: “Very crunchy and delicious”

Note: We didn’t include Coles Wheat Biscuits in the taste test because the product wasn’t available at the time of testing.

How do you eat yours?

Most of us are very set in our ways about our breakfast. We often eat the same food, prepared in the same way every time. There’s something comforting about predictability first thing in the morning.��

To ensure our testers were tasting the four bix in our taste test on an even playing field, we asked them to prepare each sample in the same way they do each day.��

The differences in prep styles were quite interesting. They ranged from broken vs unbroken, with and without sugar or honey, through to warm versions, including one that was deliberately turned to mush before being microwaved.

During the test, one ����Vlog staff member popped her head in to comment that she eats her Weet-Bix dry, smothered in butter and Vegemite – a contender for the most Australian breakfast ever!

Which is the cheapest wheat biscuit breakfast cereal?

Of the three big supermarkets, Aldi often has the lowest prices. True to form, its Goldenvale Wheat Biscuits are the cheapest of the lot, costing just 36 cents per 100g.��

However, they were neck and neck with Woolworths Wheat biscuits, which come in at 37 cents per 100g.�� Coles is the most expensive supermarket own-brand option at 41 cents per 100g.

Sanitarium Weet-Bix cost more than double all the supermarket own-brand products at 87 cents per 100g.��

If you’re looking to reduce your grocery spend, the Aldi bix could be a good option as they tick all the boxes for nutrition, price and taste. If you’re not an Aldi shopper, Woolworths is your best (supermarket-branded) bet as it delivers on both price and nutrition.��

Here’s how the branded products compare with supermarket products on price:

Are wheat biscuit breakfast cereals healthy?

We compared biscuit-style cereals using the to calculate estimated added sugar per serve, Health Star Rating (HSR), and the highest wholegrain content.

Almost all ‘bix’ cereals had an HSR of more than 4.5, so they’re generally a healthy option, and most are low in sugar, thought some have surprisingly high levels of salt.

No-added-sugar options

When we surveyed parents about their cereal buying habits, 44% said they look at the sugar content when choosing, or opt for low-sugar cereals.��

If you want to opt for the products no added sugar, these are the way to go:

Woolworths Wheat Biscuits

• Price: 37c per 100g
• Estimated added sugar: 0g per 100g

Uncle Tobys Vita Brits 

• Price: 88c per 100g
• Estimated added sugar: 0g per 100g

Uncle Tobys Shredded Wheat

• Price: $2.04 per 100g
• Estimated added sugar: 0g per 100g

While Vita Brits may have no added sugar, it actually has the highest sodium content of all the biscuit cereals we analysed, so take that into account when adding it to your shopping basket.

If you’re trying to reduce your sugar intake, make sure you avoid Sanitarium’s Weet-Bix Bites Wild Berry, which packs a huge 21.8g of sugar per 100g.

Low-salt options

Salt in your cereal? Yes, really.��

“Watch out for the sodium in these biscuit-type cereals,” says ����Vlog nutrition expert Shadia Djakovic. “You might be shocked by the amount found in some products.”

The Heart Foundation recommends that you choose foods with a sodium content of 120mg per 100g, but the average sodium content for this category was more than 237mg per 100g – almost twice as much!

The worst offender was Uncle Toby’s Vita Brits, with a sodium content of almost 400mg per 100g.��

Only two products out of the 16 we examined meet the Heart Foundation’s recommendation for low sodium content:

Sanitarium Weet-Bix Little Kids Essentials

• Price: $0.75 per 100g
• Sodium: 12mg per 100g

Uncle Toby’s Shredded Wheat

• Price: $2.04 per 100g
• Sodium: 21mg per 100g

“Uncle Toby’s Shredded Wheat is 100% wholegrain: just shredded wheat with only 21mg of sodium per 100g (and naturally occurring sodium at that), and no added sugar,” says Shadia.

The post Weet-Bix and Vita Brits vs house brand wheat biscuit cereals: Which is the best? appeared first on ����Vlog.