Home » Baking Recipes » Bread & Buns » Vegan Saffron Buns and The Great Cornish Bake Off
| | |

Vegan Saffron Buns and The Great Cornish Bake Off

ByChoclette
Jump to Recipe

A fruity yeasted roll, lightly spiced with saffron, integral to the Cornish town of Liskeard. These vegan saffron buns are delicious with butter, either warm from the oven, cold or toasted.

Vegan Saffron Buns aka the Liskeard Bun

Once upon a time, many years ago, back in the 1960s in fact, or possibly the 1970s, reports are a bit vague, the Mayor stopped handing out the Liskeard Bun. This was an annual event when the newly invested mayor of Liskeard would hand out buns wrapped in brown paper bags to the local children.

What a lovely tradition. Read on to find out about the Great Cornish Bake Off and how we rediscovered the Liskeard Bun.

The Liskeard Bun

Earlier on in the year, rumours were alive that the hunt for the Liskeard Bun was on. The rumours were correct. Two intrepid Liskeard residents did a bit of sleuthing. The baker who used to make it was found, but the recipe remained shrouded in mystery.

A number of people remembered receiving them and described them as a round fruity yeasted bun that may or may not have had saffron in it. A recipe was found in Cousin Jennie’s Cook Book by local author Pamela Pascoe, written in 1976. This may or may not have been the original Liskeard Bun.

Liskeard Bun judges.

Some tough decisions to be made. Photo courtesy of John Heskyth.

Our intrepid sleuths thought it was time to resurrect the Liskeard Bun, or better still, create a new one. The challenge was issued and a new Liskeard Bun was to be announced on the day of Liskeard’s annual Ploughman’s Fair.  

Excitingly, I had the fun and responsibility of being one of the three judges. Turns out I got to eat a lot of bun. I was also asked if I would make the saffron buns, Tesen Safron, from Cousin Jennie’s Cook Book for the event. So that’s what I did, but I made them vegan.

Vegan Cornish Saffron Buns

I’ve made Cornish saffron buns before, but these vegan saffron buns are a little different. There’s no chocolate for a start. The ingredients in the original recipe contain both lard and marg, neither of which I like to use. The former because I’m vegetarian and the latter because margarine is a particularly unhealthy fat.

So not only did I scale down the recipe and translate it into grams rather than ounces but I used sunflower oil as the fat. This had the added advantage of making the buns vegan which meant more people can enjoy them. I use my own candied peel, which has a nicer taste and texture than the peel sold in tubs. And of course I adapted the recipe to include some wholemeal flour.

Vegan Saffron Buns

Annoyingly, I didn’t quite get my act together to soak the saffron overnight, so the colour of these buns is more pallid that it otherwise would be.

The Great Cornish Bake Off

The day dawned fair, the town was alive with music and food stalls and three judges stood in the Mayor’s Parlour gazing at the array of fine looking buns wondering how they were ever going to choose a winner. Judging the new Liskeard Bun was a serious affair and we didn’t take our duties lightly. We looked, we prodded, we poked, we tasted, we scored, we discussed.

Liskeard Buns

Bun remnants after the judging was finalised. Photo courtesy of Lorna Shrubsole.

One hour later we’d come to a decision. Well, several decisions; there was an adult category, an under sixteens and a professional one and we had to choose a first, second and third with an optional commended. I may not be Mary Berry, but I had a lot of fun.

If I had not been judging I might have submitted my Liskeardy Cakes – maybe next year. Guess which one drew accolades from the judges.? Here’s a clue, Liskeard Bun.

Winners, Sleuths, Judges and Mrs Pascoe.

Winners, Sleuths, Judges and Mrs Pascoe. Photo courtesy of Lorna Shrubsole

We brought the buns out onto a stall by Liskeard’s Fountain for everyone to taste. Pictures were taken and the winners were announced with much fanfare. Pamela Pascoe, author of the saffron bun recipe I adapted was there to award the top prize of an engraved glass cake stand. That really put the cherry on the cake.

Thanks to our two entrepreneurial sleuths, we now have a new Liskeard bun and the next stage in the story awaits. Watch this space.

Other Recipes for Yeasted Fruit Buns You Might Like

Keep in Touch

Thanks for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you bake these vegan saffron buns, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. Have you any top tips? Do share photos on social media too and use the hashtag #tinandthyme, so I can spot them.

For more delicious and nutritious recipes follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Flipboard or Pinterest. And don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to my weekly newsletter. Or why not join the conversation in our Healthy Vegetarian Whole Food Recipes Facebook Group?

If you’d like even more yeasty recipes, follow the link and you’ll find I have quite a lot of them. All delicious, of course.

Choclette x

Vegan Cornish Saffron Buns. PIN IT.

A basket of vegan saffron buns.
Vegan Saffron Buns
Print Pin
5 from 6 votes

Cornish Saffron Buns (Tesen Safron)

A fruity yeasted vegan bun, lightly spiced with saffron. Delicious with butter, either warm from the oven, cold or toasted.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Soaking & Proving Time10 hours
Total Time10 hours 40 minutes
Course: Afternoon Tea, Snack
Cuisine: British, Cornish
Keyword: baking, buns, liskeard, saffron, vegan, yeast
Servings: 16 buns
Calories: 218kcal
Author: Choclette @ Tin and Thyme

Ingredients

  • 2 pinch saffron threads
  • 50 ml boiling water
  • 15 g fresh yeast or 3 tsp dried active yeast
  • 200 ml warm water
  • 230 g wholemeal flour (whole wheat)
  • 230 g plain flour (all purpose flour)
  • 50 g golden caster sugar (I used cardamom sugar)
  • 1 pinch sea salt
  • 100 ml sunflower oil
  • 50 g candied peel (I used homemade candied peel)
  • 200 g sultanas or mixed dried fruit
Metric – US Customary

Instructions

  • Place saffron in a small bowl. Cover with the boiling water and leave to steep overnight.
    2 pinch saffron threads, 50 ml boiling water
  • Warm the 200 ml water so that it's hand hot, then stir in the yeast until it's dissolved.
    15 g fresh yeast, 200 ml warm water
  • Place the dry ingredients into a bowl, make a well in the centre and pour in the yeasted water, saffron water and oil, mixing as you go until it comes together as a dough.
    230 g wholemeal flour (whole wheat), 230 g plain flour (all purpose flour), 50 g golden caster sugar, 1 pinch sea salt, 100 ml sunflower oil
  • Turn out onto a work surface and knead for a good ten minutes, adding the fruit in towards the end. Alternatively, chuck everything into a stand mixer and let it do the work for you.
    50 g candied peel, 200 g sultanas
  • Cover the bowl with a tea towel, plate or plastic bag and leave in a warm place to rise until doubled in size.
  • Knead again for another five minutes or so.
  • Divide the dough into 16 pieces and form into rolls.
  • Place on a baking tray or in a silicone mould (I used a 23cm (9″) sq silicone cake mould).
  • Leave in a warm place to rise until doubled in size.
  • Bake in the middle of the oven at 200℃ (400℉, Gas 6) for 15-20 minutes, when the buns should be brown on top and the bases sound hollow when tapped.
  • Turn out onto a wire rack to cool.

Notes

For best results with both flavour and colour, be sure to soak the saffron overnight.
Contains no egg or dairy, so suitable for vegans.
Adapted from Saffron Cake by Pamela Pascoe in Cousin Jennie’s Cook Book.
Please note: calories are per serving. They’re approximate and will depend on exact ingredients used.

Nutrition Estimate

Calories: 218kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 5mg | Potassium: 162mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment below letting us know how you got on and do share a photo on Instagram. Tag @choclette8 or use hashtag #tinandthyme.
Share on Facebook

Sharing

I bought the fresh yeast from my local baker which is just a two minute walk away. The wholemeal flour comes from Cotehele Mill, not far away in the Tamar Valley. So, I’m entering these vegan Cornish saffron buns into Shop Local over at Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary.

As this was our very own Liskeard Bake Off, I’m going to be cheeky and enter my Liskeard Bun into Treat Petite which is all about The Great British Bake Off, this month. I’m hoping Kat at The Baking Explorer and CakeyBoi will allow it.

Thirdly, my vegan saffron buns go towards the ever groaning table at Tea Time Treats which this month is all about Summer Baking.

Down in these ere parts, the Cornish often refer to saffron buns as saffron cakes. So whilst these vegan saffron buns are not strictly cakes, I’m hoping they’ll be eligible for Love Cake over at JibberJabberUK anyway. The theme is Pack me a Picnic and these buns or cakes are ideal portable picnic fare.

Share on Pinterest Share on WhatsApp Share on Reddit
5 from 6 votes (3 ratings without comment)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




62 Comments

  1. I was delighted to find these as I don’t eat any animal fats. Mine also didn’t go as yellow as shop bought ones are and the other thing was they seemed to spread too much in the oven so were quite thin when cooked. Maybe I left them for the final rise too long?

    Reply

    1. Oh that’s annoying. It could be that you left them too long, or maybe the mixture was a bit wet? Wholemeal flour absorbs more liquid than white, so maybe you didn’t use any wholemeal? I always prove and bake mine in a square brownie type tin, so they can’t spread, even if they wanted to. Let me know if you give them another go.

      Reply

      1. Thanks for your reply. I used half wholemeal and half white. They looked ok at the start of final rise but I did go out for a brief walk so maybe left them a bit long. Next time I will try confining them in a square tin!

        Reply

  3. I would love to make these but only have access to yeast granules. How much of this product would I have to use as a substitute for the fresh yeast?

    Reply

    1. Hi Irmgard, dried yeasts vary quite a bit, but it should tell you on the packet how much yeast you should use for the quantity of flour. But it should be about 1 tsp of instant yeast and 2 tsp of dried active yeast.

      Reply

  7. What a fascinating story. I wonder if there are any other towns left that still do a similar act. I haven’t a saffron bun since I was last in Cornwall. It would seem wrong to have one anywhere else in the country!

    Reply

    1. Haha Kate, you could always have the saffron bun and think of Cornwall 😉 Yes, it would be interesting to know if any of these old traditions still exist – I suspect not, which is a bit sad.

      Reply

  8. May I say that I think you did a very fine job there in bringing a lost bun back to life. I’m not sure that I could take the stress of being a judge however much cake and tea was on offer. I wonder why the tradition died out. Perhaps it was regarded as no longer relevant or beneath the dignity of a mayor? Both of which sound like deeply misguided reasons to me.

    Reply

    1. I expect it came down to money in the end Phil, but I agree with you – a misguided decision. It’s now looking like our local baker is going to start baking the winning bun, so who knows where else it might go.

      Reply

    1. Sadly, I think many of the local traditions died out a long time ago, it would be great for places to bring back or invent new ones so we had some real diversity.

      Reply

    1. Thanks Amy. Saffron cakes or buns are very much a Cornish speciality and very nice they are too. I don’t think I’ve ever tasted so many buns in one sitting before 😉

      Reply

  13. What an enthralling story that was. You wove such magic with your words and pictures, that it actually teleported me to the event. The gorgeous table of buns look so good that I can well imagine your difficulty at deciding which was the best. The Cornish saffron buns which you baked look so perfectly delightful and delicious. No wonder everyone applauded such lovely creation from you. A very interesting recipe which surely, I would love to try.

    Reply

  16. Cornish tea is on my “foodie bucket list” so I hope one day I’ll be able to try those lovely buns! Yours look absolutely scrumptious 😉

    Reply

  20. I’ve never had a one of these buns and have always wanted to try one so thanks for sharing the recipe and also for linking to my Apple Hot Cross Buns:-)

    Reply

    1. It was indeed a privilege and a responsibility Sarah, but it was great fun and I hope it will run again next year. I’m sure you will do a far better job than I did on the bun front 🙂

      Reply

  24. Great story ! And a lovely dress Choclette; you really do look like a local celebrity in it :))
    Unfortunately, sunflower oil in baking somehow doesn’t agree with me (same problem with carrot cake). Would you mind mentioning the original quantities of lard/butter/egg as in the original recipe ? I’d love to try these buns !

    Reply

    1. Hi Henk, thank you. You could always use a different type of oil, but here are the original quantities: 3 lb plain flour, 1 lb lard and marg – mixed, 6 oz sugar, 1 1/2 lb dried fruit, 4-6 oz mixed candied peel, 1 tsp salt, 1 dram saffron, 1 oz yeast, warm milk and water to mix. Make of that what you will 😉

      Reply

  28. Ahhhh I used to live near Liskeard for two years. Agreed your Liskeard buns look much nicer than the Safron buns I used to get from Barnecutts Bakery (now that brings back fond memories). Fab looking recipe, I will have to give them a go x

    Reply