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A Scottish black bun with a golden-brown crust rests on a black slate. One slice reveals a filling of dried fruit, nuts and raisins. A green and blue tartan cloth is in the background on a wooden surface.

Black Bun

Traditional Black Bun, perfect for first footing on Hogmanay and New Years Day.
5 from 2 votes
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Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: Scottish
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours

INGREDIENTS

For the Pastry

  • 300 g Plain Flour
  • 150 g Butter or Margarine (cold + cubed)
  • ½ tsp Salt
  • 4 tbsp Cold Water
  • 1 Free-range Egg (beaten - for glazing)

For the Filling

INSTRUCTIONS

For the Pastry

  • Sift the flour into a large bowl and rub in the butter/margarine with your fingers, until the mixture resembles bread crumbs.
  • Add the salt and 3-4 tablespoons of cold water and mix into a soft dough you'll probably need to use your hands).
  • Knead the dough together and form a ball. Wrap in cling film and place in the fridge whilst you make your Black Bun filling.

For the Filling

  • Pre-heat your oven to 180°c (160°c for fan assisted ovens or Gas Mark 4). Grease and line a 2lb loaf tin (or a 7 inch round cake tin) with greaseproof paper. Set aside.
  • Mix all the filling ingredients in a large bowl - is should be of a sticky consistency. Set aside.
  • On a lightly floured surface, roll out 2/3 of the pastry thinly. Drape into your pre-lined tin and press up against the sides.
  • Spoon in the filling to the pastry-lined tin and push down with the back of a spoon.
  • Roll out the remaining pastry to the same thickness as before, large enough to cover the top of your tin. Brush the edges of the pastry with a little water and press on top of your black bun to seal. Trim the edges and crimp with a fork to finish.
  • Glaze with a beaten egg, prick some holes in the top of the pastry and bake for 2 hours. If you feel your black bun is looking a little brown on top, cover with a sheet of tin foil half way through the bake time.
  • Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely in tin before turning out to cut and serve.

IMPORTANT NOTE:

All my recipes are developed using a digital scale and the metric system (grams and millilitres). Cup measurements are available as a conversion but these, unfortunately, won't always be as accurate. For best results, I always recommend baking with a digital scale.

RECIPE NOTES:

For the filling, its personal preference which dried fruit you use. I tend to opt for whatever we have in - usually a combination of all currants, raisins & sultanas with amounts determined on how much I have to hand.
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