• Home
  • Audio/Podcasts
  • Austensites
  • AV/E-Texts
  • History
  • JA Novels & Bio
  • Links
  • Original Sources/19th C. Texts
  • Social Customs During the Regency
  • Teacher/Student
  • Writer/Literature Resources

Jane Austen's World

This Jane Austen blog brings Jane Austen, her novels, and the Regency Period alive through food, dress, social customs, and other 19th C. historical details related to this topic.

Feeds:
Posts
Comments
« Jane Bennet’s Apothecary in Pride and Prejudice
Beau Brummell’s Broken Nose »

Sally Lunn Buns Recipe: Food and Drink from Jane Austen’s Era

June 14, 2010 by Vic

Inquiring reader: Jean at The Delightful Repast is a freelance writer who writes mostly about food, weddings, etiquette and entertaining for numerous publications. Her blog reflects her culinary heritage–an English grandmother, a Southern grandmother and a mother who could do it all. Jean’s love of reading and cooking (often done simultaneously) is definitely in her genes. She has (delightfully) offered to share her thoughts about tea in Jane Austen’s day and her recipe for Sally Lunn buns!

It came as quite a disappointment to me that day long ago when I, an avid afternoon tea aficionado, realized that afternoon tea was not part of Jane Austen’s life. (I am still taken aback by the thought as I write those words!) Tea drinking, popular at Court since the 1660’s, had by the Regency Period long since trickled down through all strata of society. Jane and her family no doubt enjoyed a nice cup of tea at least twice a day, at breakfast and in the evening after dinner.

Tea, being the magical all-purpose beverage that it is, was surely drunk at other times as well. I drink tea a minimum of four times a day. My grandmother Elizabeth (from the Lake District) drank tea several times a day, including once in the middle of the night. Her mother Mary Ann was constantly putting the kettle on. And it was Mary Ann’s grandmother Mary who was a contemporary of Jane Austen’s, though at the other end of the country.

There are a number of things Jane might have had with her tea, including hot, buttered Sally Lunn buns, good with both sweet and savory toppings. Those made today in Bath are very large, perhaps six inches across and four inches high. My own version, which I’m sure Sally Lunn’s in Bath would scorn as an inadequate imitation, is much smaller. I’ve made them as large as a hamburger bun but, preferring them smaller yet, usually make them in a muffin tin.

Sally Lunn Buns
(Makes 18 )

4 packed cups (20 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour

1/3 cup sugar

2 1/4 teaspoons (1 package) instant yeast

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
4 large eggs

1 cup milk

In medium bowl (I use a 2-quart glass measure), whisk together flour, sugar, yeast and salt. In small saucepan, melt butter.

With electric mixer, beat the eggs until fluffy and pale lemon yellow, about 5 minutes. Add the milk and beat until smooth, about 1 minute. By hand with a dough whisk or wooden spoon, add the flour mixture to the egg mixture in three additions, alternating with the melted butter and beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Cover with lid or plastic wrap. Place in refrigerator for at least 24 hours and up to three days.

About 2 1/4 hours before serving time, remove dough from refrigerator. Stir down the dough, just a few strokes, with a wooden spoon. With a 1/4-cup measure or scoop sprayed with cooking spray, scoop dough into well-greased or cooking-sprayed standard muffin tins. Lightly butter a sheet of plastic wrap and place, buttered side down, over the buns. Let rise until puffy but likely not doubled in volume, about 1 3/4 hours. During last 15 minutes, preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Uncover buns. Bake at 375 degrees about 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Transfer tins to wire racks and let cool for 5 minutes. Turn the buns out of the tins onto the racks and serve warm or continue to cool before storing.

By Jean at The Delightful Repast at http://delightfulrepast.com/

Share with others:

  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)

Like this:

Like Loading...

Related

Posted in jane austen, Jane Austen's World, Regency Customs, Regency food, Regency Life, Regency style, Regency World, Tea in the Regency era | Tagged Regency Recipe, Sally Lunn Buns, The Delightful Repast | 19 Comments

19 Responses

  1. on June 14, 2010 at 15:20 Sally Lunn Buns Recipe: Food and Drink from Jane Austen's Era … « Internet Cafe Solution

    […] Here is the original:  Sally Lunn Buns Recipe: Food and Drink from Jane Austen's Era … […]


  2. on June 15, 2010 at 01:30 Camilla

    Thank you for this delightful recipe! I am going to try it out on my fellow Inklings at our next meeting, on Thursday!


  3. on June 15, 2010 at 01:56 Jean at The Delightful Repast

    Thank you, Camilla. I’m so glad you’re going to try it out. Do let me know how you like it. If you have leftovers, be sure to reheat them before serving for the best flavor and texture.


  4. on June 15, 2010 at 03:56 hary P

    Hi, nice post! I really like your post about Sally Lunn Buns Recipe.
    Love the picture!


  5. on June 15, 2010 at 10:05 mefoley

    Your post prompted me to get out my Kentucky grandmother’s Sally Lunn recipe. She was known for wonderful Sally Lunn bread, which she made in loaf pans, with the leftover batter in the kinds of little aluminum pie pans that old-fashioned frozen pot pies used to come in, and I suppose you could call those buns. They were less than 6″ across and very much less than 4″ tall!

    But I find the proportions in her recipe so different from what you’ve published–only 3 eggs, twice as much milk, etc.–that I wonder whether my mother, who wrote the recipe down for her own mother, perhaps got them wrong.

    The only way to tell is to make a batch. Oh, dear, there’s nothing for it; I shall just have to make (and eat) a whole lot of Sally Lunn…


  6. on June 15, 2010 at 10:55 Jean at The Delightful Repast

    Thank you, hary P. I really appreciate the compliment and hope you’ll visit my blog, The Delightful Repast.

    I wouldn’t say, mefoley, that your mother “got them wrong.” I think there are just two different types of Sally Lunns. Whilst the English make buns, Southerners (US) make more of a cake, I believe. I’m sure I would love that version too–how can you go wrong with flour and yeast!


  7. on June 15, 2010 at 15:18 mefoley

    No, no, no! I didn’t say my grandmother got her Sally Lunn wrong, only that my mother, who wrote down the recipe, might have garbled it a bit and not written down exactly what my grandmother said (or did)!

    It’s like yours except, as I said 3 eggs (not 4) and 2c milk (not 1c). The only other difference is 1t salt rather than 1.5t salt.

    Happy baking!


  8. on June 15, 2010 at 17:03 Jean at The Delightful Repast

    Right, I did say “your mother.” It happens all the time, someone writing down her mother’s recipe and not getting it quite right. But, as I said, I don’t think this was necessarily an error on your mother’s part–it’s just that your grandmother made the other kind of Sally Lunn, the kind that is popular in the South.


  9. on June 15, 2010 at 17:25 mefoley

    Oh, so you did! SO sorry, Jean (and sorry to the site for all this verbiage from me on cluttering up the comments).

    Clearly I need to slow down and be more careful — apologies!

    (My Sally Lunn is rising–I hope–in the kitchen as we speak.)

    I beg your pardon!


  10. on June 15, 2010 at 17:32 The Redhead Riter

    This is a delightful blog!


    • on June 15, 2010 at 23:12 Vic

      Thank you! And may I say that I adore the color of red hair.


  11. on June 16, 2010 at 05:51 Lorraine

    I love your blog, it´s perfect!!! , and this recipe… i think i´ll try to do Sally Lunn Buns to celebrate the end of the exams!!!


  12. on June 16, 2010 at 08:44 Vic

    Thanks, Lorraine. Try out the other recipes on The Delightful Repast as well. They look scrumptious!


  13. on June 16, 2010 at 10:11 Lorraine

    Perfect! , i ´ll have a lot of time this summer to prepare some delicious recipes *_*. Thanks!!


  14. on June 16, 2010 at 11:53 Jean at The Delightful Repast

    Thank you, Lorraine. And do let me know how the recipe turned out for you and what you put on the buns. And, as Vic said, try out more of my recipes at The Delightful Repast, and tell me about it. I never tire of hearing about FOOD!


  15. on June 16, 2010 at 15:31 Stephani

    These sound wonderful! I’m definitely going to try them. What kind of toppings would have been eaten with these? Jams, fruit curds, cheese spreads, savory sauces or gravy?


  16. on June 16, 2010 at 18:38 Jean at The Delightful Repast

    Cheese, along with bread, was a popular breakfast food. And, of course, jams. (I’ll be posting a strawberry jam recipe on Friday at The Delightful Repast.) Though they contain sugar, the buns are not sweet. They could accompany any meal. At Sally Lunn’s in Bath they are used in hot dishes as well as cold sandwiches. Do let me know how you like them.


  17. on June 29, 2010 at 22:34 Thekla Richter

    Those sound delicious! Maybe when my baby is older and lets me have a few seconds to myself, I’ll give this recipe a try :)


  18. on July 3, 2010 at 11:46 Jean at The Delightful Repast

    Thekla, reall,y of all breads, this is the bread you can make now with a baby in the house. Just stir it up, put it in the fridge, scoop it into a muffin tea, bake and eat. That said, I don’t know how mothers manage anything at all!



Comments are closed.

  • Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

    Join 7,149 other subscribers
  • Items of Interest

  • Follow Jane Austen's World on WordPress.com
  • Blog Stats

    • 16,740,103 hits
  • RECOMMENDED BOOKS AND RESOURCES

  • Fashionable Goodness: Christianity in Jane Austen's England is now available! By JAW contributor Brenda S. Cox. See Review. Available from Amazon and Jane Austen Books.
  • Praying with Jane: 31 Days through the Prayers of Jane Austen, Rachel Dodge, and a bookmark with the quote "A whole family assembling regulary for the purpose of prayer is fine!" Jane Austen, Mansfield Park
    We also recommend JAW contributor Rachel Dodge's devotionals based on Jane Austen's prayers and classic literature. Reviews:
    Praying With Jane: 31 Days Through the Prayers of Jane Austen;
    The Secret Garden Devotional;
    The Anne of Green Gables Devotional;
    The Little Women Devotional.
  • Book cover of Bath: An Adumbration in Rhyme by John Matthews
    Bath -An Adumbration in Rhyme. Edited by Ben Wiebracht. Read the review of the book at this link. Click to order the book on Amazon US or Amazon UK
  • In Sri Lanka lies the grave of Rear Admiral Charles Austen CB, Jane Austen’s Brother

    The neglected tombstone found in an overgrown burial ground.

    Rear Admiral Charles Austen CB

    Died off Prome, the 7th October 1852, while in command of the Naval Expedition on the river Irrawady against the Burmese Forces, aged 73 years.”

    The grave after restoration

    Read the full article in The Sunday Times. June 27, 2021.

  • The Obituary of Charlotte Collins by Andrew Capes

    Click on image to read the story.

  • Comments

    “My idea of good company…is the company of clever, well-informed people, who have a great deal of conversation.” – Jane Austen, Persuasion

     

    Gentle readers: Please feel free to post your comments and continue the conversation! Due to SPAM, we will no longer accept comments on posts after 30 days of publication. In some instances, links will be removed from comments as well.

  • Administrators and Contributors

    Vic Sanborn, founder of this blog, is supported by a team of talented and knowledgeable writers about Jane Austen and the Regency era. They are:

    • Brenda Cox
    • Rachel Dodge and
    • Tony Grant, who now contributes his photos from London and England

    Click on their names to enter their own blogs.

    In addition, we thank the many experts and authors who frequently contribute their posts and opinions, and who continue to do so freely or at our request.

  • Pin It!

    Follow Me on Pinterest
  • Top Posts

    • Highclere Castle Floor Plan: The Real Downton Abbey
      Highclere Castle Floor Plan: The Real Downton Abbey
    • Jane Austen and Rom Coms: Enemies-to-Lovers in Pride and Prejudice
      Jane Austen and Rom Coms: Enemies-to-Lovers in Pride and Prejudice
    • Regency Fashion: Men's Breeches, Pantaloons, and Trousers
      Regency Fashion: Men's Breeches, Pantaloons, and Trousers
    • The Servant's Quarters in 19th Century Country Houses Like Downton Abbey
      The Servant's Quarters in 19th Century Country Houses Like Downton Abbey
    • Men's hair styles at the turn of the 19th century
      Men's hair styles at the turn of the 19th century
    • Regency Hygiene: The Bourdaloue
      Regency Hygiene: The Bourdaloue
    • Pride and Prejudice Economics: Or Why a Single Man with a Fortune of £4,000 Per Year is a Desirable Husband
      Pride and Prejudice Economics: Or Why a Single Man with a Fortune of £4,000 Per Year is a Desirable Husband
    • Social Customs During the Regency
      Social Customs During the Regency
    • Parisian Milliner's Advice in 1801 to a Visiting Lady: Regency Fashion
      Parisian Milliner's Advice in 1801 to a Visiting Lady: Regency Fashion
    • The Thorn, William Wordsworth
      The Thorn, William Wordsworth
  • Recent Posts

    • Jane Austen and Rom Coms: Enemies-to-Lovers in Pride and Prejudice
    • Lady Hester Stanhope: Traveler and Trailblazer
    • Jane Austen-Themed Valentines
    • Winter, Regency Style
    • Book Review: Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin
  • Links to Jane Austen Blogs

    Click here to enter the page. Topics include Regency fashion, historic foods, Jane Austen societies, British sites, related topics. Click on image.

  • May we suggest?

  • Hello, my name is Vic and I live in Maryland, USA. I have adored Jane Austen almost all of my life. I am a proud lifetime member of the Jane Austen Society of North America. This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me and my team. We do not accept any form of cash advertising, sponsorship, or paid topic insertions. However, we do accept and keep books and CDs to review.

    If you would like to share a new site, or point out an error, please email us. (Yes, we are fallible. We'll own up to our mistakes and will make the corrections with a polite smile on our faces.) Write us at

    gmailbw

    Thank you for visiting this blog. Your comments and suggestions are most welcome.

  • Project Gutenberg: eBook of Stage-coach and Mail in Days of Yore, Volume 2 (of 2), by Charles G. Harper

    STAGE-COACH AND MAIL IN DAYS OF YORE: A PICTURESQUE HISTORY
    OF THE COACHING AGE, VOL. II, By CHARLES G. HARPER. 1903. Click on this link.

     

  • Top Posts & Pages

    • Highclere Castle Floor Plan: The Real Downton Abbey
    • Jane Austen and Rom Coms: Enemies-to-Lovers in Pride and Prejudice
    • Regency Fashion: Men's Breeches, Pantaloons, and Trousers
    • The Servant's Quarters in 19th Century Country Houses Like Downton Abbey
    • Men's hair styles at the turn of the 19th century
    • Regency Hygiene: The Bourdaloue
    • Pride and Prejudice Economics: Or Why a Single Man with a Fortune of £4,000 Per Year is a Desirable Husband
    • Social Customs During the Regency
    • Parisian Milliner's Advice in 1801 to a Visiting Lady: Regency Fashion
    • The Thorn, William Wordsworth
  • Page copy protected against web site content infringement by Copyscape
  • Disclaimer: Our team makes no profit from this blog. We may receive books (physical or digitized) and DVDs for review purposes.

  • Copyright Statement: © Jane Austen's World blog, 2009-2022. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owners is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Jane Austen's World with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Blog at WordPress.com.

WPThemes.


  • Follow Following
    • Jane Austen's World
    • Join 7,149 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Jane Austen's World
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Copy shortlink
    • Report this content
    • View post in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...
 

    %d bloggers like this: