Ingredients
Dough
- 500 gplain flour
- 7 gdried yeast
- 250 mlstout or malt drink, lukewarm
- 150 gdark brown sugar
- 80 gbutter, melted
- 1egg
- 1 teaspoonsalt
Spice and fruit
- 2 tablespoonsbrowning or molasses
- 2 teaspoonsmixed spice
- 1 teaspoonground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoongrated nutmeg
- 1 teaspoonvanilla
- 150 graisins
- 80 gmixed peel
- 50 gglace cherries, chopped
Glaze
- 3 tablespoonshoney or sugar syrup
- 1 tablespoonhot water
To serve
- processed cheddar from a tin
- or sharp cheddar, sliced thick
Directions
- Warm the stout to just above body temperature. It should feel barely warm to a clean finger. Stir the yeast into it and let it stand. Give it five minutes until it foams a little. Put the flour, sugar, salt and spices in a bowl.
- Add the yeasted stout, the egg and the melted butter. Add the browning, the molasses and the vanilla. Bring it together into a soft sticky dough. Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface.
- Knead it for a good ten minutes. It stays quite sticky because of the sugar. Flatten the dough out on the surface. Scatter the raisins, peel and cherries over it.
- Fold it over and knead them through gently. Put the dough in an oiled bowl and cover it. Leave it somewhere warm for about ninety minutes. It should roughly double in size.
- Butter and line a large loaf tin. Shape it into a loaf and drop it into the tin. Press it down into the corners. Cover it and let it rise again. Give it about an hour for the second proof. Heat the oven to 175C before baking. Bake the loaf for about fifty minutes.
- Cover it with foil after thirty minutes. A skewer should come out clean from the centre. Mix the honey with the hot water. Brush it over the hot loaf generously. Leave it in the tin for fifteen minutes.
- Let it cool entirely before slicing. Hot bun tears rather than slices. Cut the bun into thick slices. Cut a slice of cheese to match each one. The cheese slice should be nearly as thick as the bun. Put the cheese on the bun and eat them together. It keeps a week if wrapped well.
Technique
- The bun descends from the English hot cross bun and became a dark spiced loaf on the island.
- Processed cheddar sold in a tin is the traditional partner and is regarded as the correct cheese for it.
Substitutions
- A malt drink replaces stout where alcohol is avoided and gives a similar flavour.
- Molasses or dark treacle stands in for Jamaican browning.
Variations
- Some bakers add more fruit for a richer bun.
- A version without alcohol using malt drink is widely made.
- Sharp cheddar is used by those who prefer it to the tinned kind.
History
Spiced Easter bun descended from English hot cross buns, eaten with slices of processed cheddar from a tin.
Frequently asked questions
What is Bun and cheese?
Bun and cheese is a snack from Jamaica: spiced Easter bun eaten with cheddar slices. Spiced Easter bun descended from English hot cross buns, eaten with slices of processed cheddar from a tin.
How long does Bun and cheese take to make?
Bun and cheese takes 30 minutes plus rising of preparation and 50 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes one loaf, 12 slices. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Bun and cheese?
Yes, within limits. A malt drink replaces stout where alcohol is avoided and gives a similar flavour. Molasses or dark treacle stands in for Jamaican browning.
What is the most important thing to get right in Bun and cheese?
Let it cool entirely before slicing. Hot bun tears rather than slices. Cut the bun into thick slices. Cut a slice of cheese to match each one. The cheese slice should be nearly as thick as the bun. Put the cheese on the bun and eat them together. It keeps a week if wrapped well.
