Light Buns of Different Kinds

Ingredients

• an ounce of sweet German yeast
• a large tablespoonful of quite solid and well washed English yeast
• a pint of warm new milk
• about two pounds
• half a pound of sugar
• a little salt
• a few currants
• two or more ounces of butter

Method

1. 1

   Dilute the yeast with warm milk and mix with flour to form a thick batter.

2. 2

   Cover and let rise until bubbly.

3. 3

   Add salt, sugar, and more flour to form a light dough.

4. 4

   Let rise again, then beat and place in buttered cups or pans.

5. 5

   Bake in a quick oven until browned.

As published

This recipe was extracted from Modern cookery, in all its branches (1884) by Eliza Acton, page 485. The excerpt below is the record exactly as published.

LIGHT BUNS OF DIFFERENT KINDS. Quite plain buns without butter. — Very good light buns may be made entirely without butter, but they must be tolerably fresh when served. To make them, dilute very smoothly an ounce of sweet German yeast or a large tablespoonful of quite solid and well washed English yeast with a pint of warm new milk ; mix this immediately with as much flour as it wdll convert into a rather thick batter, throw a double cloth over the pan, and place it where the warmth of the fire will search, without heating it. When it is well risen and bubbles appear on the top, add a little salt, some pounded sugar, and as much flour as will form it into a light dough. Leave it to rise again, when it will probably be too little firm for moulding with the fingers, and must be beaten up with a strong wooden spoon and put into cups or tin pans slightly buttered, to be baked. The buns should be sent to a quick oven, and baked until the entire surface is well browned. These directions may appear to the reader somewhat vague ; but we must frankly state that we have no precise memorandum by us of this receipt, though we have had buns made by it very successfully in former years : we cannot, however, exactly recall the proportion of flour which was used for them, but believe it was about two pounds. For this quantity half a pound of sugar would be sufficient. The batter will be a long time rising to the proper height ; an hour and a half or two hours. Currants, carraways, nutmeg, or mixed spices, can always be added at dis- cretion. It is usual to strew a few currants on the tops of the buns before they are baked. To render them richer and firmer, it is merely necessary to di- minish the proportion of milk, and to crumble up very small two or more ounces of butter

Cook this with the app: pantry check, scaling, and the assistant.