Black Bun
Traditional Black Bun, perfect for first footing on Hogmanay and New Years Day.
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INGREDIENTS
For the Pastry
- 300 g Plain Flour (All-purpose Flour)
- 150 g Block Margarine or Butter (cold; cubed)
- ½ tsp Salt
- 4 tbsp Cold Water
- 1 Free-range Egg (beaten; for glazing; at room temperature; see Egg Size notes below)
For the Filling
- 200 g Plain Flour (All-purpose Flour)
- 450 g Dried Mixed Fruit (currants, raisins, sultanas)
- ½ tsp Ground Ginger
- ½ tsp Ground Cinnamon
- ½ tsp Mixed Spice (Pumpkin Spice)
- ¼ tsp Ground Black Pepper
- 100 g Soft Light Brown Sugar (Light Brown Sugar)
- 100 g Dried Mixed Peel (Candied Mixed Peel)
- 50 g Flaked Almonds
- ½ tsp Bicarbonate of Soda (Baking Soda)
- 2 tbsp Whisky or Orange Juice
- 1 Free-range Egg (at room temperature; see Egg Size notes below)
- 3 tbsp Milk
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.
NOTES
Egg Size:
When it comes to eggs, I always buy mixed-weight free-range eggs. Generally speaking, egg size doesn’t make a huge difference in most baking, unless you are using sizes that lean towards the extremes. If you’re unsure which eggs to use, I recommend medium eggs in the UK, which are roughly equivalent to large eggs in the US. That’s what this recipe has been tested with. 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.Tried this recipe?
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