Let me tell you about a member of our little family. Our car Elphaba is a naughty racing green coloured creature that often likes to act up. She prefers it when I drive her to Mr NQN because as a half Finn, he drives cars like he is a rally car driver. I, with my newly acquired license (yes I will eventually shut up about this ;) ) am a bit gentler on her. She has been to the mechanic about twenty times and he and her creator Peugeot are completely baffled as to what is wrong with her. So shehas been christened Elphaba after the Wicked character because a) she is green and b) she is very misunderstood!
Since she is taking her 21st trip to the mechanics this week Mr NQN has had to do the grocery shopping on his bike. However things such as bread don't fare so well in a backpack and end up crushed (gleaned from first hand experience extracting a squashed loaf of bread) so I thought what better time to make some bread that I've been dying to make for ages. The famous Sally Lunn buns.
What are Sally Lunn buns? I first heard of these from my friend Queen Viv. She had visited the area of Bath in England last year and tried one of the Sally Lunn buns and they were a vivid memory for her. They're one of the most well known items in the area and are the creation of a French Huguenot immigrant called Solange Luyon whose name wasanglicisedto Sally Lunn. She fled from persecution in France to the city of Bath in 1680. Her buns are a brioche type of confection-light, airy andbuttery and have been mentioned in books by Charles Dickens and William Makepeace Thackeray. ButapparentlyJane Austen was not a fan of these buns claiming that they had upset her stomach. Too much butter perhaps? No such thing! ;)
Like many historical items, there is controversy at eateries calling these menu items Bath Buns but instead selling stodgy overly sweet buns. You see the buns are used as "trenchers" or plates which meant that they are largeish and they are covered in savoury spreads or toppings like Welsh Rarebit. They're also known as great hamburger buns too. Today only six people know the actual recipe that Sally Lunn used. It was discovered in the 1930s in a hidden cupboard over one of the fireplaces inthe kitchen. These four are of course sworn to secrecy about the recipe.
The version that I've made was borne of experimentation and picking bits and pieces from various recipes and brioche recipes. I consider these a simpler, less troublesome cousin of the brioche. It is rich, buttery and light and like they say the best Sally Lunn buns are, good with either sweet or savoury toppings. I was reminded of the Sally Lunn buns when I saw them on Fiona's lovely site NutsAboutFoodItaly and promptly wrote itdown on my to bake list. They were much easier to make than brioche yet still had that lovely butteriness and a hint of sweetness. The texture was airy and light and spongey and we used them with both sweet and savoury toppings.
And if you're like me and feel the slightly chilly whisper of autumn coming, the idea of baking bread to warm the house and fill it with a buttery, freshly baked aroma is too hard to resist. I say when cold, bake!
So tell me Dear Reader, what foods are you looking forward to in autumn (or spring if you are in the northern hemisphere!)
Step 1 - In a small saucepan, heat the milk and melt the butter on low heat until the butter melts but do not boil the milk. Cool for about 15 minutes. Beat the eggs in a bowl with a whisk until light and fluffy.
Step 2 - Meanwhile mix the flour, sugar and yeast in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. While mixing on the lowest speed add the butter mixture and then the eggs and mix for 6 minutes until it becomes elastic. In the last minute or so add the salt. It will be a wet and sticky mixture but don't fret, it is meant to be like that!
Step 3 - Grease a very large bowl with butter and place the now very sticky dough in the bowl and cover with cling film. Allow to rise for 1 hour to 90 minutes in a warm space in a draught free room. It will really rise up high! Punch it down and knead the dough for 2 minutes.
Step 4 - I made these using greased 12cm baking tins as they looked neater that way. You can make these free form and they will spread out more but won't quite get thehamburgerbun shape. Divide the intoabout 10-12 buns and allow to rise for another 30 minutes.
Step 5 - Preheat oven to 190C/380F. Just before they are ready, brush buns with the egg glaze and bake in oven for 15-20 minutes. Serve warm or toasted with just about anything!
So-called Bath Buns, on the other hand, are smaller and sweeter than Sally Lunn Buns, with a lump of sugar baked into the bottom, crushed sugar sprinkled over the top and, often, currants or raisins swirled throughout. Like many aspects of Bath's history, this bun, too, comes with a story.
Sally Lunn Buns, scented with just a hint of citrus, either lemon or orange, have a light, airy, and tender crumb with a thin and crisp golden brown crust. This recipe makes a delightful and delicious breakfast or tea bread, somewhat like brioche.
The story goes that Solange Luyon, a Huguenot refugee and baker, settled in the town in 1680 and began selling her breads, which quickly brought her both fame and a new Anglicized name, Sally Lunn.
The bun is generally eaten with a knife and fork but there are no fixed rules. Most guests enjoy their bun with a huge smile on their face. If for any reason your bun does not make you break into uncontrollable smiling then do please speak to a member of our team.
The Bath bun is a sweet roll made from a milk-based yeast dough with crushed sugar sprinkled on top after baking. Variations in ingredients include enclosing a lump of sugar in the bun or adding candied fruit peel, currants, raisins or sultanas.
Sally Lunn was a legendary figure associated with a type of sweet bun that originated in the English city of Bath. According to popular tradition, Sally Lunn was a French Huguenot refugee who arrived in Bath in the late 17th century and began making and selling the buns from a small bakery in the city.
Southern BBQ style rustic burger buns made with dough containing a dash of red malt. Each bun has an authentic wrinkled top which differentiates them from 'perfect' brioche style buns. The buns are topped with a mix of poppy and sesame seeds for extra bite and a nutty flavour.
Brioche (/ˈbriːoʊʃ/, also UK: /ˈbriːɒʃ, briːˈɒʃ/, US: /briːˈoʊʃ, ˈbriːɔːʃ, briːˈɔːʃ/, French: [bʁijɔʃ]) is a bread of French origin whose high egg and butter content gives it a rich and tender crumb.
Sally Lunn's is proudly owned and run by the Overton family. If there is anything about your visit to Sally Lunn's that you would like to tell us, we would be most grateful to hear from you – we really do care so welcome feedback.
The earliest evidence of commercial production is an 1819 advertisem*nt for the Sally Lunn "cakes" sold by W. Needes of Bath, bread and biscuit maker to the Prince Regent. Sally Lunns were mentioned together with muffins and crumpets by Charles Dickens in 1844 in his novel The Chimes.
Sally Lunn's is one of the oldest houses in Bath (c.1482) and serves one of the most famous local delicacies – the original Sally Lunn bun. According to legend, Sally Lunn, a French refugee, arrived in 1680 and established her bakery.
You can enjoy a bunn with a Full English for breakfast or at tea time, or with smoked salmon as a sandwich for lunch… Take a look at our daytime menu and work out what will be your favourite… For those guests who are sadly unable to enjoy a Sally Lunn Bunn we have 'no gluten' scones and 'no gluten' cakes.
One of the oldest building in Bath is the Roman Baths, which are located at the heart of the city. They are the site of the excellently preserved remains of what was one of the greatest religious spas of the ancient world.
Belgian buns are round in shape, filled with lemon curd and sultanas and finished with glacé icing and a cherry, while Chelsea buns have a distinctive square shape, are filled with cinnamon butter and dried fruit, and topped with a simple sugar glaze.
This modern recipe uses caraway seeds and crumbled sugar to create a lighter version of the famous bun. Serve them warm, split and spread with salty butter and you will understand just why Jane loved them so much.
Introduction: My name is Velia Krajcik, I am a handsome, clean, lucky, gleaming, magnificent, proud, glorious person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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