Boston Bun
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.
Servings 10
Calories 309kcal
Ingredients
Boston bun
- 320 grams / 2 cups plain flour
- 8 grams / 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3 grams / ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon sea or kosher salt
- 210 grams / 1 cup mashed potato
- 150 grams / ¾ cup superfine/caster sugar
- 155 grams / ⅔ cup milk
- 80 grams / ½ cup sultanas or raisins
Icing
- 30 grams / 2 tablespoons butter room temperature
- 170 grams / 1 ½ cups confectioner's/icing sugar
- 21 grams / 1 ½ tablespoons milk
- 22 grams / ¼ 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, confectioner’s sugar and milk 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
Calories: 309kcal