The Legend of Sally Lunn

Singing about Sally

One of the crazier things we did in our 2012 production of “The Sorcerer” was to dress as hippies. The hippies in this photograph are singing about “Sally Lunn”

Now to the banquet we press;
Now for the eggs and the ham;
Now for the mustard and cress,
Now for the strawberry jam!
Now for the tea of our host,
Now for the rollicking bun,
Now for the muffin and toast,
And now for the gay Sally Lunn!
Now for the muffin and toast,
And now for the gay Sally Lunn!

But who or what is Sally Lunn? And how can you make your own?

Answers below…..

The Sally Lunn Legend

There are several stories about how the famous bun got its name. This is one.

Solange Luyon, a young Huguenot refugee, came to Bath in the late 17 century to escape religious persecution in France. She found work in a bakers and began to bake a rich brioche bread for them which she sold from a basket in the lanes of Bath. Her colleagues, unable to pronounce her name, called her Sally Lunn. Her bun was a huge success and became known as a Sally Lunn. The Sally Lunn is still made in the Bath bakery and has found worldwide fame.

Sally Lunn Bun (for a bread machine)

Ingredients

350g bread flour

75ml whole milk

2 eggs (beaten)

50g butter

3 tbls sugar

? tsp salt

1 ? tsp fast action yeast

1 tbls grated zest of lemon/1tsp vanilla extract (optional)

Method

Put all ingredients in bread tin in order suggested by your bread machine instructions.? Set for sweet dough.

When ready remove dough and punch down.? Fit the dough into a 6″ buttered, loose bottomed cake tin.? Cover loosely and put in a warm spot until doubled in volume.

Bake in a preheated oven 180C/350F/Gas 4 for 25-30 minutes until golden and a skewer inserted comes out clean.

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