Be-ro London “Bath” Buns

This Be-Ro bake is a NEW recipe for me, London Buns, or London “Bath” Buns, and I can honestly say that I had NEVER made these before, and I am not sure if my mum or grandmother have made them either; but, I DO remember trying something similar in a café before, as well as a church fête cake stall.

The history behind these buns is interesting; little fruited and sugar topped buns that were produced outside of Bath were sometimes known as “London Bath buns” or “London buns”.

And, I could have made this recipe from several other recipe books of mine; in the book “Good Things in England” (one of my favourite historical cook books) the author, Florence White, gives two contrasting recipes for Bath buns – one from 1904 with peel, currants and crushed sugar, and one from the early eighteenth century with sack, rosewater and caraway comfits. 

The Be-Ro version is obviously based on the 1904 recipe, but the currants have been dropped and only the peel and crushed sugar remain. These “modern” London Buns were also though to have originated from the Great Exhibition of 1851, where vast amounts of “Bath” style buns were made, but without the yeast, and in the manner of  a scone or rock cake.

But, as I am baking my way through my collection of Be-Ro books, this recipe is the easy and rather “scone” like Be-Ro London Buns recipe…….taken from the 24th million edition of one of my old Be-Ro cookbooks.

I made the recipe as printed in my Be-Ro cookbook, but, in place of lemon essence, I added some grated lemon zest and some fresh lemon juice, as well as adding an ounce more of mixed peel too. These buns reminded me VERY much of Fat Rascals, they weren’t as rich, but the texture and shape were very similar.

These are a cross between a scone and a rock cake or rock bun, and just like scones, I think they are best eaten on the same day, although I popped a couple in the freezer and defrosted them this morning, and they were still lovely and fresh, so freezing them is an option too.

These will make a GREAT treat for the school or work lunch box, as well as family afternoon tea on Sunday maybe, and, the fat and sugar content is MUCH lower than most commercial cakes, scones or buns too.

They would also be great for children to bake along with mum (or dad) in the kitchen, and for a lower calorie count, you can make them smaller of course.

I love historical recipes, and next time, I am going to make a batch from the Florence White book, “Good Things in England”, and see how they turn out.

London “Bath” Buns

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Serves	8 Buns
Prep time	10 minutes
Cook time	20 minutes
Total time	30 minutes
Allergy	Egg, Milk, Wheat
Dietary	Vegetarian
Meal type	Bread, Breakfast, Dessert, Side Dish, Snack
Misc	Child Friendly, Freezable, Pre-preparable, Serve Cold
Occasion	Birthday Party, Casual Party, Christmas, Easter
From book	Be-Ro Home Baking 24th Million Edition

Delicious little London Buns, made quickly with self raising flour and no yeast; London buns, also known as London Bath Buns, date back to the 18th century. They are large, plump fruit buns with a taste of citrus with crushed sugar on top. They go well with a cup of English breakfast tea and can be eaten as a breakfast bun or as a tea time treat.

Ingredients

• 8 ozs Be-Ro self raising flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 ozs margarine (or butter)
• 2 ozs caster sugar
• 1 oz mixed peel (I used 2 ozs)
• 1 egg (beaten and 1 tablespoon put aside for the tops)
• 2 tablespoons milk
• a few drops of lemon essence (I used lemon juice and a little grated lemon zest)

Note

Delicious little London Buns, made quickly with self raising flour and no yeast; London buns, also known as London Bath Buns, date back to the 18th century. They are large, plump fruit buns with a taste of citrus with crushed sugar on top. They go well with a cup of English breakfast tea and can be eaten as a breakfast bun or as a tea time treat.

Directions

Step 1	Mix the flour and salt in a bowl. Rub in the margarine or butter. Add the sugar, mixed peel and lemon zest. Add the beaten egg and the lemon juice.
Step 2	Mix with a little milk to form a dough. Divide into 8 portions, forming into buns in well-floured hands.
Step 3	Place on a greased baking sheet. Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with coarse sugar. (I used coffee "rock" cane sugar and crushed it in a pestle and mortar; you can also use sugar cubes crushed too)
Step 4	Bake in a hot oven at 200C/425°F (gas mark 7) for about 20 minutes, until risen and golden brown.
Step 5	Best eaten on the same day; freezes well.