Bath Buns (Georgian)
Made using a bread machine
Bath Buns are probably this city's most famous gastronomic contribution. No one is sure of their origin, but they were mentioned as early as 1763.
The original Bath bun was the “Sally Lunn” a brioche or rich egg and butter dough topped with crushed caraway seeds. The Bath Bun we know today uses a sweet yeast dough containing dried fruit and sprinkled with sugar. This version was invented by Dr Oliver whose patients loved them so much their waistlines expanded at an alarming rate so were quickly replaced with the savoury Bath Oliver biscuit.
An original recipe:
'Mix together one quartern of flour and a pound of butter, five eggs and a cup full of yeast and set before the fire to rise. When effected, add quarter pound of sugar mauled fine in an earthern pottle and (add)an ounce of carraways mixed in. Add a little treacle. Make into little cakes the size of a pippen (sic) and place in an iron spider and cover with cloth, to rise. When effected, put on the iron top, cover same with hot ashes and coals and surround with same and bake. These cakes are good with tea. If they are to be sent to a fine gentleman's table, omit the carraways, split and butter and insert berries or fruit and pile same on top ........
Ingredients - makes 16 “bite sized buns”
| ½ tsp fast action dried yeast |
250g strong white flour |
| 1 tsp sugar |
25g butter |
| 1 tbs dried milk powder |
½ tsp salt |
| 1 medium egg |
100ml water |
| 75g Sultanas |
25g mixed chopped peel |
| A few spoonfuls of Demerara sugar |
8 glacé cherries, halved |
| A beaten egg |
|
Made using a bread machine
Method
- Follow the manufacturers’ instructions regarding the order of liquid/dry ingredients. Add all the ingredients except the sultanas and peel.
- Set your machine to the “raisin dough” setting.
- Add the sultanas and peel at the “raisin beep”.
- When the cycle is complete tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, knead well and cut into 16 pieces.
- Shape each into a small ball and arrange, spaced well apart on a greased baking sheet.
- Cover loosely with oiled cling film and leave to rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.
- Remove cling film, brush with the beaten egg, sprinkle with Demerara sugar and pop a half glacé cherry on top.
- Bake at 200°C (400F, gas mark 6) for 12-15 minutes.
