Butter Buns from Cirencester

After having baked a treat from my childhood, I started to wonder if I could recreate a treat for my husband: The Butter Bun, which is the doughy confection well beloved of many Cirencester Residents.  When I first met Mr S he often mentioned these buns to me, trying to describe them to me. 

 

A year into working at a Company in Cirencester, it was a colleague's birthday, and we were invited to partake in the customary cake fest...instead on the usual bags of doughnuts etc, there were two large baker's trays, arranged with a variety of cakes...nestled to one side were half a dozen of very plain looking rolls heavily dusted with icing sugar.  They looked like nothing I had seen before so I eschewed the usual vanilla slices, chocolate eclairs, cream puffs, etc., and  placed one of these buns on my plate and walked calmly back to the office, stopping off to collect a cup of coffee.

I shut the door, and sat looking at my bun.    The dough was only just sweet, not tasting of anything spicy,  with a fold of dough with something to keep the dough separate with the walls of the fold soft and sweet, and below a sticky sweet bottom.  With sufficient icing sugar on top that you need to develop a special eating technique: breathing in before you take your first bite, then putting the cake down slowly.   One bite in and I knew that this must be the butter bun of Cirencester, now made only by Whiddetts. I savoured it slowly with eyes closed. 

When I got home that evening, I had words with Mr S...why oh why had he waited so long to introduce me to the Butter Bun.  Its a bun that in my opinion does not travel well...the icing gets knocked off, the buttery sticky bottom leaks away, and it is at its best bought straight from the shop, that is if there are any left when you get to the front of the queue, and eaten within minutes of buying it!  Five years ago they cost about 80p each, but the good people of Cirencester thought they were worth every penny, and if you see them in the window, still on their baking paper, and you think you will do a spot of shopping or sightseeing before you buy your buns, think again, they sell out very quickly!!

I have looked high and low for a recipe but no luck.  Yesterday I made my first butter buns, and Mr S who would have me believe that he was almost been weaned on them, pronounced them perfect!!

Sweet Dough:

500g strong white flour
50g butter
50g sugar
1 large egg
250ml milk
15g fresh yeast or 7g fast acting dried yeast
1.5tsp fine sea salt

Filling:

75g melted butter but cooled, or butter which is soft enough to brush on thickly to the dough

about 75g caster sugar for sprinkling

I also sprinkle on a little powdered mace these days, probably this is not authentic.

I used goats milk and butter, but it would work equally well with cows milk and butter.

Warm the milk and dissolve the sugar, when lukewarm, add the yeast.
Sift the flour into a large bowl, rub in the butter, then add the milk mixture, the beaten egg, and the salt.  Knead the dough for 10 minutes, then put it in a large oiled bowl to rest for around one and a half  hours or well risen.

Turn out the dough from the bowl, place on an oiled surface, ,knock back gently allow to rest for about five minutes covered, then roll into an oblong, about 20cm wide.  I used only half of the dough for the butter buns, with the other half I made some Chelsea buns.

Use a brush to spread the cooled butter leaving a 2 cm edge on each of the long sides.   You don't want the butter so thick that too much will just ooze out in the oven.  You want the flavour, and the butter will make a lamination and give a bed for the sugar to sit on. You can either spread very soft butter just as you would with on a piece of bread, or melt the butter, allow it to cool to a soft consistency, then bush on with a pastry brush.  Then bush some more on, finally sprinkle generously with caster sugar. I like to sprinkle on a little powdered mace before rolling this is optional.  

Cut along the middle, then cut each half into slices, which are rolled up from the centre to the clear edge.  You will need some more butter to brush on the buns as soon as they come out of the oven, so keep any left overs for this.

Transfer them gently well spaced to rise on the parchment lined baking sheet, with the seam underneath, such that they will just touch when they have risen.  It will take between 45 minutes and maybe over a hour before they are ready to go in the oven. Pre heat the oven to Gas Mark 5 -6, about ten minutes before they are due to be baked.

After they are baked for about 15 minutes at Gas Mark 5-6 and are golden, remove from the oven and brush with melted butter immediately.  Allow to cool on the tray placed on a cooling rack.  There is a little oozing of butter and sugar which sets on the bottom of the buns as they cool on the baking parchment.

Normally bakes are not cooled on the tray, but cooling on the baking tray allows the butter and sugar which has run out to set on the bottom of the bun.  It will be quite pale underneath, but the buns should be cooked on top, this is the quintessential characteristic of butter buns from Cirencester.

After about 15 minutes, sift to cover with a generous coat of icing sugar.  They are ready to eat when slightly warm, and any other time the same day. These are buns to make and share the same day.  MC received some.

I thought Mr S would be sad but he knows that they must be savoured the same day....You can freeze them, but omit the icing sugar, thaw then warm gently, brush with melted butter, then sift over the icing sugar again.

With my sweet dough, this is what I made....chelsea buns are in the freezer for another day.

I've just been asked how much butter and sugar to sprinkle before rolling up.  It depends how many buns you are making, ie what proportion of the dough you are using, but I've adjusted my notes above, and hope you enjoy making these.  

I have had several comments showing interest and 4.5K hits on 'Butter Buns from Cirencester' by 2023 and emails from people who enjoyed these when they bought them in Cirencester.