...is a closely guarded secret, but here is the one that Sally Lunn's House
in Bath, England, hands out as an "alternative traditional" recipe.
This elegant tea-room is in Bath's oldest surviving house. Sally Lunn
established a bakery there in the 1680s.
When we visited Bath (also the home of Bath buns, but that's another
story), I treated my husband to a Sally Lunn tea at the tea-room (the only
way I could entice him to enter this charming spot which he felt wasn't a
guy kind of place. But that's another story, too). The price was
*shocking* but then, that's what holidays are for. The recipe doesn't
state how to form the buns, but the ones we had were round and about 6
inches across with a smooth, dark top. I would say they had been baked in
baking tins with about a 2" lip, not free form on a tray despite the
recipe they hand out. The recipe is in metric. This is exactly as it is
written:
Warm 50g of butter in a pan and 90ml of milk. Into another 90ml of milk
dissolve 1 teaspoon of caster sugar and then cream in 15 g of fresh yeast.
Pour both of these liquids into the flour and add 2 eggs. Mix to a smooth
dough and kneed (really!) well or mix thoroughly in a food processor. Leave
in a warm place to rise until it doubles in size. Turn onto a floured
board and kneed (again!) lightly. Divide into 5 or 6 pieces and let rise
again on a baking tray in a warm place. Bake on the baking tray for 8-9
minutes at 420F to a golden colour.
Cut in generous slices and serve toasted with soft butter, strawberry jam
and clotted cream.
My note: I can't personally see the difference if you dissolve 1 teaspoon
regular white granulated sugar in place of the caster sugar, but I have
given you the exact recipe. Caster sugar is like berry sugar or super-fine
sugar, but not icing (confectioners') sugar. If you can't locate it, whir
some sugar in a blender for a few seconds.
Sara Miller
- on beautiful Shuswap Lake in super, natural British Columbia