A bun is a type of
bread
Bread is a baked food product made from water, flour, and often yeast. It is a staple food across the world, particularly in Europe and the Middle East. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cu ...
that is round and small enough that it can generally be eaten hand-held. Whether a bun is considered sweetened or unsweetened differs between countries: it is considered sweetened in the United Kingdom, a savory bread in
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
,
and either a sweet bread or a savory
bread roll
A bread roll is a small, oblong individual loaf of bread served as a meal accompaniment (eaten plain or with butter). Rolls can be served and eaten whole or are also commonly cut and filled – the result of doing so is considered a '' sandwic ...
in the United States.
Terminology
In England and Scotland, a bun is considered a type of sweet cake, understood as very rich, spiced and studded with fruit in Scotland, seen in the example of the
currant bun.
In the US, a roll is understood as a bread roll, particularly one that holds a burger, and is cut horizontally.
Chinese
baozi
Baozi (), or simply bao, is a type of yeast-leavened filled bun in various Chinese cuisines. There are many variations in fillings (meat or vegetarian) and preparations, though the buns are most often steaming, steamed. They are a variation of ...
, with savory or sweet fillings, are often referred to as "buns" in English.
Composition
Buns are usually made from a
dough
Dough is a malleable, sometimes elastic paste made from flour (which itself is made from grains or from leguminous or chestnut crops). Dough is typically made by mixing flour with a small amount of water or other liquid and sometimes includes ...
of flour, milk,
yeast
Yeasts are eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms classified as members of the fungus kingdom (biology), kingdom. The first yeast originated hundreds of millions of years ago, and at least 1,500 species are currently recognized. They are est ...
and small amounts of sugar and/or butter. Sweet bun dough is distinguished from bread dough by the addition of sugar, butter and sometimes egg. Common sweet varieties contain small fruit or nuts, topped with
icing or
caramel
Caramel ( or ) is a range of food ingredients made by heating sugars to high temperatures. It is used as a flavoring in puddings and desserts, as a filling in bonbons or candy bars, as a topping for ice cream and custard, and as a colorant ...
, and filled with
jam or
cream
Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this proces ...
. Many types of bun are brushed with egg yolk to produce a golden appearance.
History
The etymology of the word ''bun'' is unclear. The
''Oxford English Dictionary'' pins the earliest known use to 1371 in the
''Assize of Bread and Ale'', a law of Medieval Europe in the form "bunne" where they identify the meaning as "doubtful", understood from the context simply to refer to a type of "loaf or cake".
As of the 14th century in Japan,
steamed buns
Steaming is a method of cooking using steam. This is often done with a food steamer, a kitchen appliance made specifically to cook food with steam, but food can also be steamed in a wok. In the American Southwest, steam pits used for cooking hav ...
stuffed with vegetables or the sweet
''yōkan'' were eaten by Buddhists. By the 16th century in Europe,
spiced bun
A spiced bun is a sweet roll, sweet bun to which spices were added during the baking process. Common examples are the hot cross bun and the Jamaican spiced bun.
Common spices
Spices used in the preparation of spiced buns include:
* cinnamon
* ...
s, commonly served with sweetened wines or ale were consumed as part of funeral customs.
See also
*
List of buns
*
List of breads
*
List of bread dishes
*
List of cakes
A list is a set of discrete items of information collected and set forth in some format for utility, entertainment, or other purposes. A list may be memorialized in any number of ways, including existing only in the mind of the list-maker, but ...
*
List of pastries
pastry, Pastries are small buns made using a stiff dough enriched with fat. Some dishes, such as pies, are made of a pastry casing that covers or completely contains a filling of various sweetness, sweet or Umami, savory ingredients.
The six basi ...
*
List of sweet breads
Here is a list of sweet breads. Sweet bread, also referred to as pan dulce, buns, or coffee bread, is a bread or cake that is typically sweet in flavor. Some sweet breads, such as Portuguese pão doce, may be prepared with potato flour, which im ...
*
Cheung Chau Bun Festival
Cheung Chau Bun Festival or Cheung Chau Da Jiu Festival is a traditional Chinese festival on the island of Cheung Chau in Hong Kong. Held annually, and with therefore the most public exposure, it is by far the most famous of such Da Jiu fest ...
*
Chinese bakery products
References
External links
*
{{Bread
Quick breads
Sweet breads
Yeast breads