Hippies and buns

The Sorcerer and Sally Lunn, a legendary connection.

Our 2013 production of The Sorcerer saw us dressing up as hippies and singing about buns. Specifically gay Sally Lunns.

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

The Sally Lunn Legend

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.

Here’s a recipe to make your very own Sally Lunns.

Sally Lunn Bun (for a bread machine)

Ingredients

350g bread flour

75ml whole milk

2 eggs (beaten)

50g butter

3 tbls sugar

half tsp salt

one and a half tsp fast action yeast

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

Method

Put all ingredients in the bread machine in the order suggested by your machine’s instructions. Set your machine 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.