Growing up in a small town in Newfoundland, I lived within a km of both of my grandparents, so I would visit them often. On my Nans’ kitchen tables, I would often find fresh bread, pies, capelin and sweet tea buns. When I was preparing to move to Ontario for university, one of my Nans gave me a note book to write down my favourite family recipes. One of the first recipes in this book is for tea buns.
Over the years I have experimented with this recipe: adjusting sweetness, amounts of fibre, adding fruit or cheese. Of everything I have tried, the most popular remain the original recipe and a whole wheat date version (which is slightly less sweet). I have included both recipes below. If you try either, both or try your own adaptation please let me know in the comment section.
Original Sweet Tea Bun (makes ~12)
(185kcal, 0.5g fibre, 1.3g protein using milk)
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Baking time: 10-15 minutes
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup butter softened
3 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/3-1/2 cup milk or water
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 450⁰F. Grease baking pan lightly.
Rub together butter and flour with spoon or hands until mixed well. Add sugar, baking powder and salt. Add beaten egg and enough milk/water to make the dough soft but stiff enough to roll lightly.
Roll to thickness of about 1 inch and cut with round cookie cutter.
Bake 10-15 minutes until slightly golden. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes then then remove from pan to cool completely on a cooling rack.
Note: If using glass pan to bake reduce temperature to 425⁰F
Whole Wheat Date Tea Bun (makes ~12)
(180kcal, 2g fibre, 3.9g protein using milk)
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Baking time: 10-15 minutes
Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup butter softened
3 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/3-1/2 cup milk or water
1/2 cups of chopped pitted dates
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 450⁰F. Grease baking pan lightly.
Rub together butter and flour with spoon or hands until mixed well. Add dates, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add beaten egg and enough milk/water to make the dough soft but stiff enough to roll lightly.
Roll to thickness of about 1 inch and cut with round cookie cutter.
Bake 10-15 minutes until slightly golden. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes then then remove from pan to cool completely on a cooling rack.
Note: If using glass pan to bake reduce temperature to 425⁰F
