Plum Shuttles - Valentine Buns

by Andrew Barrow, Posted Feb 4th 2006 @ 2:00PM

Not sure when the tradition of giving Plum Shuttles originated but they hail from the weaving and lace making areas of Rutland - hence the buns shaped like weavers' shuttles. I have heard that carraway seeds are sometimes used in the recipe. Not in this one though -

Valentine Buns - Plum Shuttles

450g Plain Flour
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 tbsp dried yeast
1/2 teaspoon sugar
50ml warm water
50g butter
125ml milk
1 egg
255g currants

Heat oven to 200C/400F/G6. Mix the yeast and sugar together and mix with water, leave until frothy. Sift flour and salt together. Melt the butter in a pan with the milk and beat in the egg. Add with the yeast to the flour and salt and stir in the currants. Mix to a smooth dough and knead well. Cover and lave to rise until double in size. Knock back and knead again.

Divide the dough into 12 pieces. Shape each into hearts or weavers shuttles, place on a greased baking tray and again leave to rise for half an hour or so. Brush with egg and bake until golden (25 minutes or so). Allow to cool on a wire rack.

You can't quite tell from the picture but I had some success in shaping these little curranty pleasures - some even look heart shaped! From an historic point of view these have a stronger Valentine connection than any cookie.

[Photo Andrew Barrow]

Filed Under: Food Porn, Feast Your Eyes, Methods
Tags: bake, baking, british isles, currant bun, CurrantBun, food andd drink, food porn, FoodAnddDrink, FoodPorn, plum shuttle, PlumShuttle, valentines