Celebrating Heritage British Food & Cooking
Mothering buns are iced yeast-leavened buns decorated with hundreds and thousands. These buns are a speciality of the Bristol area in southwest England.
The rolls are made on only one day of the year, the day before Mothering Sunday. This annual celebration of mothers, and historically Mother churches ie the one in which you were baptised, is held on the fourth Sunday of Lent when fasting rules are relaxed.
Unlike the modern commercial creations of Fathers Day and Grandparents Day, Mothering Sunday has been celebrated since the 16th century.
This year, 2022, Mothering Sunday is on 27th March.
For future years the dates are listed below:
- 2023 – 19 March
- 2024 – 10 March
- 2025 – 30 March
- 2026 – 15 March
- 2027 – 7 March
- 2028 – 26 March
- 2029 – 11 March
- 2030 – 31 March
- 2031 – 23 March
So get busy on Saturday 26th March, make some mothering buns, buy some flowers (not from the petrol station), and celebrate your Mum.
If you fancy an easy to make home baked loaf try our easy loaf.
Mothering Buns
Ingredients
FOR THE BUNS
- 500 g strong white bread flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 50 g caster sugar
- 7 g sachet instant yeast
- 50 g unsalted butter diced and softened
- 300 ml water
FOR THE ICING
- 200 g icing sugar
- 2-3 tbsp water
Instructions
- Put the flour in a large bowl. Add the salt and sugar on one side, the yeast on the other. Add the butter and three-quarters of the water, then turn the mixture round with the fingers of one hand. Add the remaining water a little at a time, mixing until you have taken in all the flour and the dough is soft and slightly sticky; you might not need all the water.
- Oil the work surface to stop the dough from sticking. Turn out the dough and knead for 5 mins, or until smooth and no longer sticky. Lightly oil the bowl, return the dough to it and cover with cling film. Leave to rise for at least an hour, until doubled in size.
- Preheat the oven to 220°C/Fan 200°C/425°F.
- Line 2 baking trays with baking parchment.
- Scrape the dough out of the bowl onto a lightly floured surface and fold it inwards repeatedly until all the air has been knocked out and the dough is smooth. Divide into 12 pieces.
- Roll each piece into a ball by placing it into a cage formed by your hand on the work surface and moving your hand in a circular motion, rotating the ball rapidly.
- Put the balls of dough on the prepared baking trays, spacing them slightly apart. (They should just touch each other when they have risen.) Place each tray in a clean plastic bag and leave to prove for about 40 mins, until the rolls have doubled in size.
- Bake for 10–12 mins, until the rolls, are golden and sound hollow when tapped underneath. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
- For the icing, mix the icing sugar with enough water to give a thick but pourable consistency. Dip the top of each roll into the icing and then into the hundreds and thousands.
You may also like one of my other recipes …
