What You Need to Know
A penny bun or a penny loaf was a small bread bun or loaf which cost one old penny at the time when there were 240 pence to the pound. A penny loaf was a common size loaf of bread in England regulated by the Assize of Bread and Ale act of 1266. The size of the loaf could vary depending on the prevailing cost of the flour used in the baking. The nursery rhyme London Bridge Is Falling Down has a version which includes the line "Build it up with penny loaves".
Steps
- 1.
Trencher bread (Medieval England): Stale penny buns were used as edible plates for meats and sauces
- 2.
Pan con tomate (Spain): Toasted penny bun halves serve as base for rubbed tomato
- 3.
Bread pudding (Victorian England): Stale penny buns absorb custard mixture for dessert