This Boston Bun recipe features a soft and fluffy dough, speckled with raisins or sultanas for a great afternoon tea loaf. Topped with a layer of the easiest creamy icing and adorned with a sprinkle of coconut, this bun is a true indulgence for any sweet bread lover.
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Whether you enjoy this raisin loaf for breakfast, as an afternoon snack, or as a comforting dessert, the Boston Bun is an easy sweet bread that will satisfy your cravings at any time of the day.
What is a Boston Bun?
A Boston Bun is also known as a Sally Lunn is a large bun enjoyed throughout Australia and New Zealand. It is known for its soft and fluffy texture thanks to strained mashed potato. Often found filled with a delicious mix raisins or sultanas.
History of Boston Bun
The Boston Bun is uniquely Australasian. It's origin was only created in the 1950's or 1960's, though there is a bigger back story to this sweet bread here.
There are many similarities between New Zealand and Australia; so it's no surprise we share this dish, with New Zealand using the name Sally Lunn (closest to the British origins).
Ingredients and substitutions for the best Boston Bun
- Potato: The finely mashed potato adds a soft texture to this bun. Any mashing potato such as a Russet or Yukon Gold will be best here.
- Plain flour: Plain flour gives this a tea loaf a cake like soft texture. Bread flour with it's higher protein content creates more of a crust in baked goods and we don't want that here.
- Sugar: The light superfine/caster sugar in the bun helps sweeten. Whilst the powdered sugar in the icing gives this bun it's beloved flavor.
- Baking powder and baking soda: Helping the loaf rise to create a light bread.
- Milk: The whole milk adds moisture though you could sub in non dairy milk in equal measure. A creamier milk closest to dairy milk with a neutral flavor would work best.
- Sultanas or raisins: These help add a classic element to this raisin bread with either sultanas or raisins working here. Though if you hate them, they aren't essential so you could leave out. They do add caramel sweetness, so you might want to add a further 30 grams / 2 tablespoons of sugar.
- Desiccated coconut: The icing is not complete without the coating of coconut. The sweet dry coconut doesn't just add texture and help set the icing, it adds complimentary flavor to the bun.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make Boston Bun:
Step 1: Combine the potato and sugar: With sugar being hygroscopic, when you add it to the finely mashed potato, it will loosen and then be easier to combine with the dough for the Boston Bun.
Step 2: Dry ingredients: Combine the dry ingredients.
Step 3: Make the bun: Toss the raisins to the wet ingredients and stir together. Pour into the dry ingredients and form your dough.
Step 4: Bake the bun: Bake until a skewer comes out clean and the top is golden.
Step 5: Make the icing: Whilst the bun is still warm, make that icing and smear over the top.
Step 6: Finish with coconut: The coconut rounds out this bun in the best possible way.
Step 7: Serve: Definitely serve alongside your favorite hot beverage.
FAQ's for the best Boston Bun
Traditionally finely mashed potato is included in this spiceless raisin bun before being topped with an icing that makes this part sweet bread part cake.
Absolutely! While this traditional raisin bun recipe calls for raisins or sultanas, you can certainly customize the filling to your liking. Feel free to experiment with different combinations of spices, fruits, or even add in some chocolate chips or shredded coconut for a unique twist.
The total time required to make a Boston Bun may vary, but on average, it takes about 2 hours. This includes the time for proofing the dough, preparing the filling, and baking the bun to perfection.
The Sally Lunn is the New Zealand name for the Boston Bun, so called in Australia. They are one and the same in using mashed potato and raisins or sultanas in the bun and topped with an icing finished with a coating of desiccated coconut. The British Sally Lunn bun is not the same as the New Zealand or Boston Bun in that it more closely resembes a brioche, therefore, would include butter in the dough.
The cake tin used here is 20cm or an 8 inch cake tin. If your tin is smaller the loaf might be shaped more like a large burger bun. You could also bake on a tray instead.
Definitely! The icing recipe here is a great base for any vanilla flavored icing such as on top of Carrot Cake or Banana Cake. It's a perfect quick icing when you don't have cream cheese on hand.
Yes, you can! If you have any leftovers or want to prepare them ahead of time, you can freeze the Boston Bun or Sally Lunn Bun. Make sure to cover fully or place into an airtight container before freezing. When ready to enjoy, simply thaw at room temperature or reheat in the oven for a few minutes.
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Boston Bun
Ingredients
Boston bun
- 320 grams / 2 cups plain flour
- 8 grams / 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3 grams / ยฝ teaspoon baking soda
- ยผ teaspoon sea or kosher salt
- 210 grams / 1 cup mashed potato
- 150 grams / ยพ cup superfine/caster sugar
- 160 grams / โ cup milk
- 80 grams / ยฝ cup sultanas or raisins
Icing
- 30 grams / 2 tablespoons butter room temperature
- 170 grams / 1 ยฝ cups confectioner's/icing sugar
- 20 grams / 1 tablespoon milk
- 22 grams / ยผ cup desiccated coconut
Instructions
Boston bun
- Greaseproof a round baking tin and preheat the oven to 180C/350F.
- Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a bowl and stir together, making a well in the center. Set aside.
- Press the mashed potato through a sift to get it nice and fine into a separate bowl and combine with the sugar until well combined and smooth.
- Add in the milk and and sultanas or raisins and stir until the milk is fully incorporated.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold until combined and the mixture is slightly shaggy.
- With floured hands lift the dough out of the bowl and shape into a round loaf.
- Place into your tin and bake until golden all over, approximately 50 minutes.
- Remove and allow to cool on a cooling rack.
Icing
- While the bread is still warm, prepare the icing by placing the butter, confectionerโs sugar and milkย into a bowl and beat with a whisk until smooth and combined,
- Smear over the top of your loaf and sprinkle over the desiccated coconut evenly.
- Allow to cool fully.
- Slice and serve with a cup of your favorite hot beverage on the side.
Video
Notes
- Potato: The finely mashed potato adds a soft texture to this bun. Any mashing potato such as a Russet or Yukon Gold will be best here.
- Milk: The whole milk adds moisture though you could sub in non dairy milk in equal measure. A creamier milk closest to dairy milk with a neutral flavor would work best.
- Sultanas or raisins: These help add a classic element to this raisin bread with either sultanas or raisins working here. Though if you hate them, they aren't essential so you could leave out. They do add caramel sweetness, so you might want to add a further 30 grams / 2 tablespoons of sugar.
- Desiccated coconut: The icing is not complete without the coating of coconut. The sweet dry coconut doesn't just add texture and help set the icing, it adds complimentary flavor to the bun.
- Sally Lunn is the same as a Boston Bun: The Sally Lunn is the New Zealand name for the Boston Bun, so called in Australia. They are one and the same in using mashed potato and raisins or sultanas in the bun and topped with an icing finished with a coating of desiccated coconut.
- Baking tin: You could use a cake tin or baking tray to bake this. A spring form tin of 20 cm or 8 inches was used to bake the bun, however, a standard cake tin of similar size would also work well.
- Perfectly versatile icing for other baked goods: The icing recipe here is a great base for any vanilla flavored icing such as on top of Carrot Cake or Banana Cake. It's a perfect quick icing when you don't have cream cheese on hand.
- Freezing the bun: Make sure to cover fully or place into an airtight container before freezing. When ready to enjoy, simply thaw at room temperature or reheat in the oven for a few minutes.
Nutrition
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