These jam buns are a traditional Shrove or Fat Tuesday sweet treat, with lovely light bread rolls, topped with jam and drizzled with a sweet glaze.

Shrovetide Jam Buns

Happy Fat Tuesday! Today is Shrove Tuesday, also known as Shrovetide, Pancake Tuesday and Fat Tuesday. It’s a day for indulging before Lent and when it comes to indulging, I’m all about the sweet treats. I grew up with the Pancake Tuesday tradition, but once I discovered all the other wonderful treats enjoyed around the world, I was happy to jump on their bandwagon.

I’m a big fan of the Polish traditional of Paczki, but I made and shared Paczki a few years ago. So I went in search of another sweet treat for the day and found these lovely Jam Buns on a Danish website. They 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.

Beyond a Fat Tuesday treat though, 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. These also freeze beautifully.

Shrovetide Jam Buns

Cook’s Notes

You can use any jam you like for these buns. I used apricot, raspberry and blueberry.

Some of my buns bubbled up under the jam as they baked. As this was my first time making these, I’m not sure if it’s something that was a one-off or not. In any event, 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’s 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.

These buns are best enjoyed on the day they are made. If you can’t eat them all, freeze them to enjoy later.

Shrovetide Jam Buns

shrovetide jam buns cut open on cooling rack

Get the Recipe: Shrovetide Jam Buns

Sweet dough buns, topped with assorted jams and with an icing sugar glaze. A great treat for Shrove Tuesday or any day!
5 stars from 1 rating
Prep Time: 2 hrs
Cook Time: 15 mins
Total Time: 2 hrs 15 mins
Yield: 12 buns

Ingredients

Dough:

  • 2 cups milk, scalded and cooled to lukewarm (see instructions)
  • 2 1/4 tsp yeast, instant or dry active
  • 1 Tbsp sugar
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt, (a bit less if using fine salt)
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 Tbsp butter, softened
  • 3 cups all purpose flour

Topping:

  • 1 egg, beaten, for brushing before baking
  • 12 Tbsp jam, assorted, for topping
  • 1 Tbsp Icing sugar, for garnish

Glaze:

  • 1 cup icing sugar
  • 2 Tbsp 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 110F).
  • 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.
  • 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.
Cuisine: American, Canadian
Course: Snack
Author: Jennifer
Serving: 1bun, Calories: 163kcal, Carbohydrates: 34g, Protein: 3g, Cholesterol: 13mg, Sodium: 104mg, Potassium: 41mg, Sugar: 11g, Vitamin A: 20IU, Calcium: 10mg, Iron: 1.5mg
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