Be ready for easter with this Jamaican Easter Bun recipe. Although spice bun is available year round in Jamaica, Easter is peak bun and cheese eating season.
Spice bun, not just for Easter
There are a couple types of bun available. These include:
- Round buns (or penny buns) that are usually had for lunch or snack.
- Small spice bun loaves that contain fruit (unlike the penny buns).
- Extra large spice bun loaf. This is the one that’s usually had at Easter and commonly called Easter Bun. Perfect blend of spices and laden with fruit (example: raisins, mixed peel and cherries).
- Other variations such as easter bun made with bran or wholewheat. (Or if you’re me, easter bun made with ackees, yup! Click here to check out that recipe. It does contain a bit of dairy and one egg but can easily be veganised)
Making Easter bun at home
Because easter buns made with yeast are so widely available, I didn’t grow up making that type. Instead my mom would make another Jamaican easter bun favorite: Stout bun! Made with the same blend of spices and fruit. The flavor is like having store-bought easter bun, but BETTER! The texture isn’t doughy since it isn’t a yeast bread but rather a quick bread. Best of all you can choose which dried fruit go in, and what you leave out (be gone mixed peel!!!)
To make this recipe all you need is one mixing bowl, a small pot and a baking tin. There are a couple of points to note which I discuss below. Then it’s on to the recipe.
Which brand of stout to make stout bun?
To make stout bun you’ll need stout! I’ve tested this recipe using both Dragon Stout and Guinness.
Isinglass (a fish byproduct) is used in the filtration process of Dragon Stout. So even though it does not technically contain fish, for some vegans this is problematic. Instead you can use Guinness; my recommendation is to use the Foreign Extra Stout (note the “Foreign” as there is one simply called “Extra Stout”) since its 7.5% alcohol by volume which is the same as Dragon Stout.
Agave or Honey?
The choice of agave versus honey comes down to personal preference. Some vegans are ok with using honey and some aren’t. The recipe was tested using both. My preference is for honey since it adds to the flavour of the bun. But the bun made with agave is delicious too.
What kind of flour is used to make Jamaican Stout Bun?
When testing this recipe I did two versions. The first with all purpose flour and the second with spelt flour. The spelt flour creates a moist, dense bun. To me it was more reminiscent of a fruit cake. For that reason Web (my husband) liked it a lot. My preference was for the one made with all-purpose flour. You could also do a 50/50 or other ratio blend of flours to suit your tastes.
What spices are used to make Jamaican spice bun?
Pre-blended “mixed spice for baking” is widely available for purchase in Jamaica. For this recipe I’ve made my own copycat version of my favorite blend. Along with the rich notes from the stout, molasses, honey/agave and cinnamon; this mixed spiced is used to give the spice bun its wonderful flavor.
What fruit is in spice bun?
I personally do not like mixed peel. But! Feel free to disagree with me and use it if you like. My preference is raisins and cherries. You can also add some fresh citrus flavour by using the zest of one orange.
For the raisins, I soak them overnight in red wine (but drain before using). If I forget that step I do one of two things:
- Either gently simmer the raisins in wine till they plump up. Let cool then drain before proceeding with the recipe.
- Or (usual case) take what I need from the fruits I have soaking for Christmas fruit cake
The glace cherries I get from Nuts.com. They have them labeled glazed red cherries. I’ve always said glace cherries which I suppose is more of a British thing? But hey, Jamaican raised, product of the remnants of the colonial education system integrated in my schooling and socialisation. But I digress. Sometimes when you get cherries like these they can be dry and sugary with no real flavour. These are actually juicy! And taste like, well: glazed cherries!
What kind of glaze is used on spice bun?
To finish the spice bun a glaze is usually applied. This can be made with honey/agave simmered with water. Or by melting a jam such as guava jam and thinning further with a little hot water. Sometimes (ok, almost all the time) I forget this step since I just can’t wait to dig in. The bun will have more of a crust on the day it’s baked which is why applying this glaze is helpful. By day two it will soften up with or without the glaze. Another way to soften the crust and ensure the bun stays moist is to wrap it in plastic once it’s cooled enough to handle. This will lock in the moisture. The flavors meld together and the bun tastes even better the second day (if it lasts that long).
Have you ever made your own stout bun? As always, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below. If you make this or any of the recipes from this site, be sure to snap a pic: @amazingackee and #amazingackee so I can see your posts across social media.
Until next time. Thanks for stopping by 😊
Jamaican Easter (Stout) Bun – Vegan
Ingredients
For the flax egg:
- 1 tbsp Flaxseed powder I use a coffee grinder to grind the seeds then measure what I need
- 3 tbsps Water
For the pot:
- 1 tbsp Molasses
- 2 tsps Browning
- 1/3 cup Honey, Maple or Agave (Honey gives the best flavour in my opinion)
- 1/2 cup Brown sugar lightly packed
- 1/3 cup Coconut oil
- 1 bottle Dragon Stout or Guinness Foreign Extra Stout
For the bowl:
- 3 cups All purpose flour* Spelt or blend of All-purpose, wheat etc
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 2 tsps Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
- 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon I use Vietnamese Cinnamon, it’s amazing!
- 1 to 2 tsps Mixed Spice for baking** store-bought or homemade
Add last:
- 1 cup Raisins soaked in wine overnight, drained
- 1/3 cup Glazed red cherries roughly chopped
- Optional: Zest of one orange
Optional:
- 4 tbsps Honey/agave/jam
- Water as needed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour or grease and line a 9x5x2 loaf pan*
Make the flax egg:
- Combine the ground flaxseed and water. Mix and allow to stand while measuring out the rest of the ingredients.
Prepare dry ingredients:
- In a large bowl, sift/whisk together all the dry ingredients. Set aside.
Prepare the wet ingredients:
- Combine molasses, browning, honey/agave, sugar and coconut oil in a small pot. Place over low heat, warming till oil is melted and sugar begins to dissolve.
- Remove from heat and pour in bottle of stout (stir while you pour as it will foam up)
Finish the batter:
- Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add the flax egg followed by the wet ingredients from the pot.
- Stir a couple of times then add the raisins and cherries.
- Mix well to combine but don’t overmix.
- Pour prepared batter into pan and excess into a small tin or muffin tin for samples.
- Place pan in oven and bake at 350F for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes turn the temperature down to 325F.
- Check the bun and cover with foil so the top won’t be too dark by the time the bun is done.
- Bake for an additional 15 to 25 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out with only a few crumbs.
- Remove from oven and let cool in pan for at least 15 minutes before moving to a cooling rack.
Prepare glaze if using.
- Heat the honey/agave/jam with 2 tbsps of water and let simmer till it thickens slightly.
- Brush the bun with the glaze
- Once cool enough to handle. Wrap the bun in plastic wrap to keep the moisture in while it cools completely.The bun will taste even better the second day but it can be hard to resist cutting it warm!
Notes
***Fill your pan 2/3s full especially if using the spelt flour which has a tendency to overflow. Whatever batter remains can be used to bake a muffin or sample size bun.
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