Bun Times Ahead

Buns are fun. They're always a treat whether they're plain , infused with cinnamon and raisins or spiced. They're a great mid morning snack or even a quick way to start the morning. They have more oomph than plain rolls and go better with coffee or tea. Buns are the perfect sweet when you;re craving some kind of pastry.

Buns have been around since medieval times in the form of hot crossed ones. These were spiced and fille d with raisins, However the Anglo Saxons ate them as a sacrifice to the moon goddess Eostre, where our Easter comes from. The cross symbolizes the four quarters of the moon. Later the newly minted English Protestants declared them too Papist tried to ban them. That didn't work and England's wise Elizabeth I relegated bun making to only Christmas and Easter. The 18th Century brought two new forms of bun,. the Sally Lund and the Bath. the first was created by French Huguenot. Solange or Sollie Lyuon.These were a spin of the mancette a type of dinner roll eaten only by the rich. Sally Lunn had nutmeg, rosewater and cinnamon in them. The bath bun created by Dr. William Oliver in the spa town of Bath, England These were a rich yeast dough wrapped around a lump of sugar. it had more crushed sugar on the top and was chock full of raisin sultanas and citron peel.

Nowadays buns are even richer. The chain Cinnabon offers them liberally laced with Madagascar cinnamon and topped with a mega rich cream cheese icing. Local bakeries around the Philly and South Jersey area offer sticky buns. This is again another rich treat more like a gooey cake than a bun. It's made in the same roll around way as the Cinnabon but his also laced and sprinkled with chopped pecans. Again all of these are to be eaten with a knife and fork and usually constitute a dinner as opposed to a snack. However grocery stores in the New York metro area and some bakeries sell traditional buns and these are good split open and slathered with butter.

Buns are a fun treat no matter what time of day. They are great for mid morning and mid afternoon breaks. They're good at breakfast when you're reading the paper or at the mall when you're tired of shopping. Treat yourself to one today.