These shrovetide buns are jam buns that are a traditional Shrove or Fat Tuesday sweet treat. These are lovely light rolls, topped with jam and drizzled with a sweet glaze.
About Shrovetide Buns
Shrove Tuesday, also known as Shrovetide, Pancake Tuesday and Fat Tuesday is a traditional day for indulging before Lent and when it comes to indulging, it’s all about the sweet treats.
These shrovetide buns offer a lovely hit of sweetness, fruity jam and delicious, light rolls. They’re a bit like jelly donuts without the filling and frying fuss! They are also super easy to put together and enjoy.
Ingredients and substitutions
Some notes about the key ingredients …
Jam – You can use any jam you like for these buns. I used apricot, raspberry and blueberry. For best results, use a thicker jam that will stay in place a little better.
Recipe tips!
- Some of my shrove buns bubbled up under the jam as they baked. If this should happen to some of yours, fear not. Simply spoon some more jam on top right after you take them out of the oven to replenish any that got away.
- It can be a little tricky to get the consistency of the icing sugar glaze just right. It needs to be loose enough to drip down the buns, but thick enough so that it doesn’t all flow right off the bun. Mine could probably have used a tad more icing sugar. I suggest trying yours with one bun and experimenting with it to get it the right thickness before moving on to the rest. I found a squirt bottle an easy way to put the glaze on and don’t be afraid to go back and add another layer.
- I’d suggest that these jam buns would be a lovely treat any day of the year. You can skip the sweet glaze and just enjoy the buns with jam. Great if you have some jam you need to use up and lovely to have on hand for a morning treat.
Making ahead, storing and freezing
These buns are best enjoyed on the day they are made. If you can’t eat them all, freeze them to enjoy later. They freeze beautifully.
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Get the Recipe: Shrovetide Buns
Ingredients
Dough:
- 2 cups milk, scalded and cooled to lukewarm (see instructions)
- 2 1/4 teaspoons Active Dry or Instant yeast
- 1 Tablespoon white granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, (a bit less if using fine salt)
- 1 large egg
- 2 Tablespoons butter, at room temperature
- 3 cups all purpose flour, spooned and levelled
Topping:
- 1 large egg, beaten, for brushing before baking
- 12 Tablespoons jam, assorted, for topping
- 1 Tablespoon Icing/confectioners' sugar, for dusting after baking
Glaze:
- 1 cup icing/confectioners' sugar
- 2 Tablespoons milk, plus bit more, as needed
Instructions
- In a small saucepan or in a glass measure in the microwave, heat the milk until it simmers. Allow to cool to lukewarm (about 105F).
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the lukewarm milk with the yeast and sugar. Allow to stand for 5 minutes. Add the salt, egg and butter and mix to combine. Add 2 cups of the flour and mix to combine. Begin adding more flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until you have a smooth, moist dough. Remove the dough to a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled, about 45-60 minutes.
- Remove dough to a floured surface, deflate and divide in to 12 equal pieces. Form each piece in to a ball and place on to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover with a towel and allow to rise until puffy, about 30 minutes more.
- Preheat oven to 400F. (non-convection)
- Using your thumb, make a deep indentation in the centre of each roll. Fill with jam of your choice. Brush dough with beaten egg.
- Bake rolls in preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, or until golden. If any jam has slipped out while they cooked, simply replace with a bit of fresh jam as soon as you take them out of the oven. Remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- For the glaze, combine the icing sugar and milk and stir to combine. Add more milk as needed to created a glaze that’s thin enough to drip off a spoon. Spoon or use a squirt bottle to apply glaze in a ring around the edge of the jam, allowing it to drip down the sides of the bun. (If too much of the glaze drips right off the bun, thicken the glaze slightly before proceeding with the rest of the buns. Likewise, if the glaze doesn’t drip on it’s own, thin it with a bit more milk.) Allow glaze to set, before dusting with a bit of icing sugar to serve.
- These buns are best enjoyed on the day they are made. If you can’t eat them all up, freeze them to enjoy later.
Notes
- Some of my shrove buns bubbled up under the jam as they baked. If this should happen to some of yours, fear not. Simply spoon some more jam on top right after you take them out of the oven to replenish any that got away.
- It can be a little tricky to get the consistency of the icing sugar glaze just right. It needs to be loose enough to drip down the buns, but thick enough so that it doesn’t all flow right off the bun. Mine could probably have used a tad more icing sugar. I suggest trying yours with one bun and experimenting with it to get it the right thickness before moving on to the rest. I found a squirt bottle an easy way to put the glaze on and don’t be afraid to go back and add another layer.
- I’d suggest that these jam buns would be a lovely treat any day of the year. You can skip the sweet glaze and just enjoy the buns with jam. Great if you have some jam you need to use up and lovely to have on hand for a morning treat.
More Shrovetide recipes to love!
Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress free, rewarding and of course, delicious!
Well I simply had to check out the recipe. It looks delicious. Thanks for the extra tips. I think I will try these out sometime soon :-)
P.S – never knew there was a thing called Fat Tuesday :-D So need to keep abreast!!
Thanks Jenny and yes, you might always want to watch for Fat Tuesday every year. Permission to indulge ;)
Happy belated Fat Tuesday, Jennifer! I have ZERO clue how I’ve never heard of Shrovetide buns before, because ummm these are amazing! Seriously, where have they been my whole life?!? I’m all for a jelly donut minus all the fuss and frying! These are just perfection! Cheers, friend!
Thanks so much, Cheyanne :)
I love everything about these Jennifer, from the simplicity to the wonderful jam and iced topping to the super tender looking insides! And I’m certain the aroma, as they bake must be incredible!
Thanks Chris :) We loved these and they were a great Fat Tuesday treat!
These Jam Buns looks so sweet and scrumptious Jennifer. I’ve always got extra jam I’m trying to use up, so they would be the perfect treat.
Thanks Mary Ann :)
These jam buns look gorgeous and so scrumptious! I love that you can pick and choose different jams to mix up the flavors. And yes, perfect for some Fat Tuesday celebrating.
Thanks so much, Cindy and yes, the mix of jam flavours was great!
What delicious buns, such a perfect treat for Fat Tuesday!
Thanks so much, Laura :)
A fluffy yeast buns with jam and icing – I’m all in! I was just reading about these the other day and think they’re perfect for this Fat Tuesday! Your’s are absolutely gorgeous and the texture looks like heaven. I love that you used different kinds of jam too. Great post!
Thanks Tricia and yes, the texture and taste of these little buns was perfect!