Bath Buns

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There's a good deal written about the Bath Bun. And a good deal of it is confusing and contradictory. 

But one thing on which we all agree - the Bath Bun is steeped in history and tradition. It has a place within the social fabric of the Roman city of  Bath, in the southwestern part of England; and in English bread cookery as a whole. 

If we are to make Bath Buns we need to do them justice. Bake them to the best of our ability and, most importantly, research them to ensure that the Bath Bun we bake is authentic. Believe me, you'll find all manner of variations which is both a shame and regrettable if we are to recognise this bun as significant within the world of bread baking. 

Prior to the 1851 Great Exhibition, the Bath Bun was made from a light batter. Fashions changed and the bun served at the Exhibition was a slightly heavier, fruited and sugared product. Over 1 million were produced and consumed within the five and a half months of the celebration.

The Great Exhibition

References to the Bath Bun go back to 1763. Jane Austen, in 1801, wrote that she had a 'disorder of the stomach' from eating too many. 

She looks as though she's struggling...

The original recipe was for a brioche dough, rich in egg and butter, and covered with caraway seeds, then coated in layers of sugar. 

William Oliver, who also created the Bath Oliver biscuit, is attributed with this slightly more modern version of the Bath Bun. 

And this is it. 

FORMULA

Up to 520 gms of strong bread flour (please read below carefully)

350 gms of tepid water

50 gms white sugar

75 gms sultanas 

28 gms unsalted butter (softened)

1 standard egg (beaten) (50-60 gms) 

3 gms crushed sea salt

21 gms dried milk

¼ teaspoon dried mace (approximately ½ gm) If you can't source mace - use ground nutmeg. 

5 gms instant active yeast.

for the glaze

1 beaten egg yolk

½ tablespoon of lemon juice mixed with 1½ tablespoons fine sugar

½ tablespoon milk

Grated sugar or sugar nibs for topping

METHOD

If you need to activate your yeast, do so before starting - use a little water and sugar.

1. Assemble all the ingredients. 

2. Add all the dry ingredients into a large bowl. 

Start off with 450 gms flour - because of the volume of water and the egg, you may well need to add more flour in small quantities until you have a shaggy dough. If you add too much flour, your mix will be too dry, too little and it will be too loose and difficult to handle. 

3. Slowly incorporate the wet ingredients until you have a shaggy dough. 

4. Knead until you have a soft and silky dough - it will be a little sticky. 

Watch the texture of the dough, you want a soft and silky dough. 

5. Place in a lightly oiled bowl and leave in a warm place until it has doubled in volume (about 1½hrs)

6. Knock back and incorporated the drained and softened fruit. 

7. Weigh the dough and divide it into 60 gms pieces. 

8. Shape into balls and then flatten the top. The Bath Bun is approximately 4 inches in diameter. 

9. Space them out on baking sheets. 

10. Brush the tops with beaten egg and then dribble with the sugar/lemon juice mixture. 

11. Cover and leave to rise until doubled. 

12. Preheat the oven to 180⁰C. 

13. Brush with milk and bake for approximately 25 minutes until golden. 

14. Place on a cooling rack and crumble a little hard sugar on the top as they cool. 

The Bath Buns will keep a day or two and freeze exceptionally well. 

Happy Baking