Bath Buns Recipe – Jane Austen’s Favourite

Said to have originated in the UK spa town of Bath, these sweetened buns are made from a sweet bread dough mix and are ideal for an afternoon treat with a cup of tea. Perfect served with clotted cream and jam.

The culinary heritage of the spa town of Bath in the historic county of Somerset in the South West region of the UK, includes Bath buns. These tea time treats made from bread-like dough are slightly different to the traditional Sally Lunn buns of the area because they sometimes include dried fruit such as candied peel or sultanas and are topped with crushed sugar.

If you enjoy these, you’ll love my very similar Cornish Splits recipe – also delicious served with clotted cream and strawberry jam.

History of the Bath Bun

The city of Bath, in Somerset, is the only place in the UK which has naturally hot springs. It became a select watering place of the rich and famous in Georgian times. It also developed a culinary heritage over the years by giving its name to the Bath bun, a cut of pork called Bath chaps and, of course, Bath Oliver biscuits named after their inventor, the 18th century physician, Dr. William Oliver.

It was also Dr Oliver who published a dissertation on the waters of Bath, encouraging people to drink it as well as bathe in it for the sake of their health. He firmly believed that the mineral waters of bath spa were excellent for curing all manner of ills including rheumatism and gout.

Bath buns were extremely popular throughout Georgian and Victorian Britain although some bakers tried to maximise profits by substituting some of the ingredients. The Times newspaper of December 20th 1859 reported on one such baker from Bath who managed to poison several customers after buying something called chrome yellow from a pharmacist.

The Times initially reported that the chrome yellow the baker used to substitute eggs was chromate of lead but a follow up letter said that what had actually been use was yellow sulphide of arsenic. At the subsequent inquiry, the baker admitted that he used colorants from time to time and on this occasion had accidentally added a larger dose than normal. Please don’t try this at home!

Ingredients Needed for Bath Buns

Scroll down to the recipe card for exact quantities.

Semi-skimmed milk – or even whole milk is fine!
Eggs
Unsalted butter
Strong white flour
Golden caster sugar
– you can use normal caster sugar if you don’t have any.
Salt – table or sea salt is good.
Fast-action yeast – this means it can go direct into the flour without having to leave it bubble first.
Olive oil – for greasing bowl.
Sugar lumps – for crushing into ‘sugar nibs’.

Bath Bun Serving Suggestions

In my opinion, you cannot beat a Bath Bun with clotted cream and strawberry jam! But if you’re not a strawberry fan, why not try lemon curd or raspberry. You could even go wild and try perhaps a marmalade. The clotted cream would offset the bitterness wonderfully.

Equipment Needed

  • Small pan x 2 – for warming the milk and making the glaze
  • Fork/whisk for beating egg
  • Medium-sized mixing bowl
  • Wooden spoon
  • Measuring spoons
  • Weighing scales
  • Kitchen mixer with dough hook
  • Tea towel to cover when proving
  • D-scraper for dividing dough
  • Baking paper
  • Large baking tray
  • Small bowl
  • Pastry brush
  • Rolling pin for crushing sugar cubes

How To Make Bath Buns (step by step)

Step 1 – Pre-heat your oven to 240 degrees C. Warm your milk in a small pan until steaming (not boiling). Take off the heat for now.
Step 2 – Rub your unsalted butter (cubed) into your strong flour until a breadcrumb-like consistency is achieved.
Step 3 – Whisk an egg into the milk once it has cooled down a little.
Step 4 – Stir your sugar, pinch of salt and yeast into the flour mixture. Make a well in the middle of the flour and pour in the egg/milk mix. Mix together using a kitchen stand mixer and a dough hook, until a dough has formed. Mix for 5 minutes more.
Step 5 – Once the dough is smooth and springy, place into an oiled bowl (I used the same one) and cover with a damp tea towel (just run under the water and squeeze out the excess). Place in a warm place to rise until doubled – this will take about an hour.
Step 6 – Once proved, knock back by pushing your hands down on the inflated dough and turn out onto a floured surface. Divide into 6 equal pieces. Shape into balls and place on a lined baking tray. Prove again, covered, until doubled in size. This may take 30 -45 minutes.
Step 7 – Make an egg glaze by whisking together an egg and 2 tbsp of milk. Brush over the proved buns. Bake in your oven for 20 minutes, until brown.
Step 8 – Whilst the buns bake, make your sugar syrup glaze by boiling caster sugar and water in a pan, until the sugar has all dissolved. Once the buns come out of the oven, brush the warm syrup over the buns. Sprinkle on your crushed sugar cubes (I used the end of a rolling pin to crush mine).

A sliced bun filled with clotted cream and jam on a white plate with buns, jam jar and cream pot in the background.

How To Store Bath Buns

Bath buns are best stored in a sealed container and will keep fresh for 2 days. If you still have some past that time, I would heat in a medium temp oven to ‘refresh’ them. They’ll still be delicious!

If you wish to freeze, the best way to do so is on a tray and once frozen, place in a sealed freezer bag. This will stop the buns sticking together when frozen. They will keep in the freezer for 4 months or more. Defrost before eating, either covered on a kitchen surface or in a warm oven for 15 minutes. Check the bun has fully defrosted bedore eating.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the difference between a Bath bun and a Sally Lunn bun?

The Sally Lunn bun is a famous treat from Bath, UK. The original recipe is a secret, but it has inspired many versions of the sally lunn bun. The difference between the Bath bun and Sally Lunn is the texture. A Bath bun has a firmer, more bread-like texture and a Sally Lunn is more like brioche; fluffy and airy.

How to eat an original Bath bun?

When served with sweet or savoury accompaniments, the bun functioned as a plate or ‘trencher’ for the meals placed on top. The Bath buns are still eaten in the same way at Sally Lunn’s tearoom, which is located in the tall medieval building where Sally baked her original buns: savoury with toppings such as Welsh rarebit; sweet with homemade lemon curd or cinnamon sugar; or as the backdrop to a meat dish, such as Beef Bourguignon. Always toasted.

A roll-like bread bun filled with clotted cream and jam on a white white

Bath Buns

A sweetened bread bun heralding from the city of Bath, in England. Delicious served with clotted cream and jam.
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Prep Time 2 hours
20 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 20 minutes
Course Snack
Cuisine British
Servings 6 people
Calories 388 kcal

Equipment

  • 2 small pans
  • 1 fork/whisk
  • 1 medium mixing bowl
  • 1 Wooden spoon
  • 1 measuring spoon
  • 1 Weighing scales
  • 1 kitchen stand mixer with dough hook
  • 1 Tea towel
  • 1 D-scraper
  • 1 sheet of baking paper
  • 1 Large baking tray
  • 1 Small bowl
  • 1 Pastry brush I washed mine in-between the egg/milk glaze and sugar glaze
  • 1 Rolling Pin

Ingredients
  

  • 150 ml semi-skimmed milk plus extra for glaze
  • 2 eggs
  • 60 g unsalted butter
  • 350 g strong white flour
  • 80 g golden caster sugar
  • salt a pinch
  • 1 1/4 tsp fast-action yeast
  • 80 ml water
  • 5 sugar cubes crushed

Instructions
 

  • Pre-heat your oven to 240 degrees C. Warm your milk in a small pan until steaming (not boiling). Take off the heat for now.
  • Rub your unsalted butter (cubed) into your strong flour until a breadcrumb-like consistency is achieved. 
  • Whisk an egg into the milk once it has cooled down a little.
  • Stir half your sugar (40g), pinch of salt and yeast into the flour mixture. Make a well in the middle of the flour and pour in the egg/milk mix. Mix together using a kitchen stand mixer and a dough hook, until a dough has formed. Mix for 5 minutes more.
  • Once the dough is smooth and springy, place into an oiled bowl (I used the same one) and cover with a damp tea towel (just run under the water and squeeze out the excess). Place in a warm place to rise until doubled – this will take about an hour. 
  • Once proved, knock back by pushing your hands down on the inflated dough and turn out onto a floured surface. Divide into 6 equal pieces. Shape into balls and place on a lined baking tray. Prove again, covered, until doubled in size. This may take 30 -45 minutes. 
  • Make an egg glaze by whisking together an egg and 2 tbsp of milk. Brush over the proved buns. Bake in your oven for 20 minutes, until brown. 
  • Whilst the buns bake, make your sugar syrup glaze by boiling 40g caster sugar and water in a pan, until the sugar has all dissolved. Once the buns come out of the oven, brush the warm syrup over the buns. Sprinkle on your crushed sugar cubes (I used the end of a rolling pin to crush mine).

Notes

Storage – You can store these in a tightly sealed container for about 2 days. You can freshen them in the oven for 5 minutes on a low temperature (100 degrees) if they feel like they’ve hardened. 
Freezing – You can freeze these buns for 3+ months. I would place them on a tray to freeze first and then once frozen, place in a freezer bag. This helps stop them from sticking when freezing. 

Nutrition

Calories: 388kcalCarbohydrates: 61gProtein: 11gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 78mgSodium: 37mgPotassium: 140mgFiber: 2gSugar: 18gVitamin A: 356IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 51mgIron: 1mg
Keyword Afternoon tea, British, Somerset
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