Black Bun
Traditional Black Bun, perfect for first footing on Hogmanay and New Years Day.
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
- 200 g Plain Flour
- 450 g Dried Fruit currants, raisins, sultanas
- ½ tsp Ground Ginger
- ½ tsp Ground Cinnamon
- ½ tsp Mixed Spice
- ¼ tsp Ground Black Pepper
- 100 g Soft Light Brown Sugar
- 100 g Mixed Peel
- 50 g Flaked Almonds
- ½ tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
- 2 tbsp Whisky or Orange Juice
- 1 Free-range Egg
- 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.
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.