Apricot, Almond and Orange Fruit Loaf

Unusually for me, I set to and watched the June instalment of Bake with Jack Homebaker's Club almost as soon as it was live.  One of the bakes for June 2026 is the Apricot, Almond and Orange Fruit Loaf.  Two loaves are made from the 400g flour recipe.  

Apricot, Almond and Orange Fruit Loaf

This morning Mr S and I enjoyed  a fabulous guided tour of Chancellor's Farm by Somerset Wildlife Reserves Manager, James Ozolins and  Kate Lawrence, the Wildlife Trust's tenant farmer, who grazes the land with her herd of Ruby Red Devon cattle.  After a light lunch at home, the afternoon was free so I decided to tackle this recipe. Watching Jack really lifts my mood, and I learnt a few tips along the way.  I was also in between the various stages, working out in the garden.

This loaf is slashed just after shaping, with egg wash  applied just before they go into the oven.  As one loaf is going into the freezer, it didn't get its orange sugar glaze, and I have kept the balance of the glaze to apply when we eat that one at a later date.  As you can see here, I didn't quite get the egg glaze down to the baking sheet level of this loaf.  Tomorrow is Bun Friday, and this is what we shall be having for our breakfast, along with fruit and coffee for me, and tea for Mr S. 

As many of my local friends and others further afield may be aware, over the past couple of weeks there was an 'iced bun story' in the media, following the announcement by local baker Burns the Bread, that they were to call an end to their Iced Buns. Several years ago our WI went for an evening visit to Burns the Bread. Behind the shop front, the bakery, which serves a small number of their local shops, including one in Wells, is situated in a warren of rooms  on the High Street in Glastonbury. We we shown round the bakery, and show various lines of bread being kneaded, and I can confirm that their bread undergoes the long overnight fermentation. We all had a go at making our pasties too.

Yes, I have made iced buns, and they really are delightful when they are fresh.  On our trips out, when passing a good bakery, Mr S's choice is often an iced bun.  Of course he was 'weaned' (not really) on Butter Buns, as he was a Cirencester lad.  Sadly Whiddetts closed, and it is also one of those buns loved by those who knew, that have passed into the annals of time. The lesson both from the passing of Whiddetts and very nearly passing of the Iced Bun from Burns the Bread range, is that unless we buy specialities from good local bakeries, the products and the bakeries may disappear!

Just how do you tell AI that they are wrong when they quote that Butter Buns are coated with caster sugar when it was definitely coated with icing sugar?  All those who loved these buns knew of the techniques for eating these involved avoiding breathing in the fine dust of icing sugar when taking a bite! If you fancy making Butter Buns I wrote about them with my recipe some time back: https://noellemace.blogspot.com/2012/07/butter-buns.html

Being a person who likes to get things done, and even if I have to learn how to, I have just contacted AI and effected the change to their description of Whiddetts Butter Buns. I rather enjoyed my various corrections and their response.  How strange: I am communicating with AI as if they were a person, and I must say it is very polite!

One of the original sources for AI's original mistakes was from a Scandinavian source Dan Sukker, which I visited: they have a good range of excellent Scandinavian recipes well worth a try.

If you read this post, why not leave a comment, I would love to hear what your favourite bakes from a craft bakery might be, whether it is a currant/current one or one from years ago.

Butter Buns from Whiddetts in Cirencester

Whiddetts, sadly now closed produced a bun beloved in Cirencester. A plainish bun, with simple ingredients: The Butter Bun.  I wrote about this some time ago, with a recipe, and today for Friday Bun Day.  Today another half batch of sweet dough became buns.....

Some went to neighbours........

Butter Buns again

Its really wonderful that we are having some good weather at last.  This afternoon after a big nap much needed after several hours at the Leamington Food Festival, I went out to wash the car.  When I wash the car, Mr S is always grateful, and feels the need to recriprecate with lots of tidying up, washing up etc.

I was at the stage of carefully cleaning the alloy wheels when I sensed I was being observed....MC and Steve were there.  They had brought me a lovely present, and MC asked me about some specific details about the butter buns.  I've revised my previous blog, and added details about the second rise.  Anyway, MC has asked about coming over for a butter bun tutorial. 

I recently made up the recipe again, and used the batch of sweet dough to make butter buns and macatia ena coco, also known as coconut buns. 

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.