Paris Buns
Delicious little buns, popular in both Scotland & Ireland. Paris buns are best enjoyed when full of fruit and topped with sugar nibs.
Following on from my success with Granny’s Rock Buns recipe, I was keen to try something else from the “Aerated Buns” section of her little blue book of recipes. There are lots of other great recipes (which I’ll share with time), but Paris Buns was one that stood out to me above the rest.
They were something which I’d never heard of before, but the mention of Pearl Sugar Nibs was enough to tempt me into trying to bake a batch for myself. It turns out from a bit of brief research that Paris Buns are another recipe with Scottish roots – something that seems to be a recurring theme here on Baking with Granny!
Similar to Rock Buns and known for being popular in the poorer areas of Scotland, Paris Buns are definitely one of those bakes that look & sound a bit fancier than they really are. Perhaps that’s why they were given the name of ‘Paris Buns’? What could easily be a Rock Bun is smoothed out and topped with little gemstones of sugar, giving it a little bit more of a luxurious appearance!
In regards to the Pearl Sugar Nibs, I got mine online after having little success locating any in my local supermarkets. You can, however, make your own, which I have yet to try, but it seems to be much easier than you may first think.
INGREDIENTS
- 250 g Self-raising Flour
- 60 g Butter or Margarine
- 55 g Caster Sugar
- 1 Free-range Egg
- 115 ml Milk
- 50 g Mixed Dried Fruit
- Pearl Sugar Nibs
INSTRUCTIONS
- Pre-heat your oven to 190° (or 170°c for a fan assisted oven) and grease a couple of baking sheets with a little butter/maragrine.
- In a large bowl, sift the flour. Add the butter/margarine and rub together with your fingers until it resembles breadcrumbs.
- Add the sugar and egg to the mixture. Add the milk a spoonful at a time, mixing together to create a thick, sticky dough (you may not need all the milk).
- Add the mixed dried fruit and mix until evenly dispersed through the dough.
- Using wet hands, form your dough into 12 even sized balls, placing each onto your pre-greased trays with a bit of space between.
- Sprinkle a small amount of your pearl sugar nibs on top of each bun.
- Bake in your pre-heated oven for around 15-20 minutes until they have have flattened out slightly and have a nice golden colour.
- Allow to cool a little on their trays before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
All my recipes are developed using a digital scale and the metric system (grams and millilitres). Cup measurements are available as a conversion but these, unfortunately, won’t always be as accurate. For best results, I always recommend baking with a digital scale.
Just came across a mention of these in a diary written in 1941 in Glasgow – the writer is trying to gather goodies for a leaving party and has to go to three bakeries to find enough supplies to feed everyone.
These look lovely and will be giving them a try in the morning …… in my memories of Paris Buns there was no fruit
Brilliant recipe! These turned out just like the ones I remember from years ago. I didn’t have the pearl sugar for the top (essential! half the fun when I was wee was picking off the sugar first!) so I took another lady’s suggestion of whacking a few sugar lumps to get small chunks and it was a pretty good substitution. Superb cut in half with proper butter piled on.
Got them in the oven now. So looking forward to having one with a cuppa. I started an office junior job in Glasgow in the early 70s – these were the most popular order from the local bakery – Paris buns with butter. I had to get the order every morning. Everyone loved them ❤️
I have just made these using gluten free flour. I did not have the sugar but will send for some. They are great but need the extra sweetness of the topping! I am going to slice the top off one and add a little jam and see how that tastes.