So now it is soon Shrovetide. The 19th of February to be exact.
I love Shrovetide. But especially I love the Shrovetide Buns. The old original ones. Which looks like ordinary buns, but has a little treasure hitter inside – the custard. Not those from the bakery with unappetizing inflammation-like yellow custard in the middle of a dry puff pastry. Don’t misunderstand me – I like puff pastries. Just not when it’s in Shrovetide Buns.
This is the recipe on REAL, old-fashioned Shrovetide Buns – as my grandma made them and my grandmother before her. But they are low-fat compared to all the other Shrovetide Buns I know. These are fluffy and soft and very delicious. I really hope you’ll like them! They reminds me of my younger childhood and my very kind grandmother 🙂 Enjoy!
Shrovetide
For hundreds years ago Shrovetide was an adults party. They drank and ate partied. The ostlers rode from farm to farm to have a glass of beer. After that they met at the village pond to beat the cat of the barrel. On that time it was a real cat hidden in a barrel. The ostlers took turns to hit the barrel until the barrel broke and the frightened cat could escape. The people thought the cat was the witch’s black cat. Most people dressed up funnily and wore masks and ran around the streets to scare each other.
Today the part mostly is a children-party. The kids dress up like fairies, soldiers, princesses etc. Then they hit the cat of the barrel. Today there is not a real cat in the barrel of course. Instead theres is a black paper cat and a lot of candy. The child who knock down the barrel becomes the cat-king and the child who knock down the last board of the barrel becomes the cat-queen. They will both become a crown of paper.
After that, the kids go trick-or-treating like Halloween.
Shrovetide Buns, low-fat
Ingredients
- 18 buns
- Dough:
- 50 g. yeast
- 1/2 dl. water 0,2 cups
- 1 1/2 dl. milk 0,6 cups
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp. butter or oil
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. cardamom ground
- 2 tsp. sugar
- 500 g. flour
Custard:
- 1 egg
- 3 tbsp. honey
- 2 dl. milk 0,8 cups
- 1 tbsp. corn starch
- Beans from 1 vanilla pod or 1 tsp. vanilla extract
Instructions
- Warm milk and water in a saucepan till it has the same temperature as you little finger. Put it in a bowl and add the yeast. Add the rest of the ingredients (not all of the flour). Knead it well and let it rise for approx. half an hour. Meanwhile make the custard.
Custard:
- Mix all the ingredients very well. Heat it in a saucepan. Bring it to the boil and boil it for 1 minute whisking constantly. Let cool on a plate.
- Let it cool down on a plate.
- (This is made without vanilla. Therefor it has not got all the small black “dots”)
- Split the dough in two parts. Roll each part out with a roll pin and cut it into 9 squares each (so you will get 18 in total). Place 1 tsp. of custard on each square.
- Place 1 tsp. of custard on each square.
- Fold the corners of the squares as shown on the picture below. Place them “upside down” (with the corners down) on a baking sheet with non-stick paper.
- Fold the corners of the squares…
- Brush the buns with milk (or egg).
- Bake the buns in a pre-heated oven on 200 degrees C. (390 degrees Fahrenheit) for approx. 12-15 minutes.
- Eventually put on some icing.
