Ma Zil’s Easter Bun – Traditional Jamaican Spiced Easter Bun

Easter is a big occasion in Jamaica. Like many places across the world something special is baked for this special holiday period. At home I look forward to my mom’s Easter bun which became a little bit of a phenomenon on the street where I grew up. A good friend of mine looked forward to this Easter period and would enquire if there was going to be bun this year.

Whilst traditionally eaten at Easter it is a now eaten throughout the year as a delicious treat. Jamaican’s eat this with a slice of cheese, the mix of the sweet and the savoury makes it all the most delicious.

An aromatic,spiced infused bun. Flourless and with reduced sugars.

As with a lot of cakes and desserts there is traditionally a lot of sugar in this recipe and it’s made with processed flours so I have been looking for a way to capture all of the flavour from mum’s great recipe and lower the sugar, use healthier shortening, whole food ingredients and removed the gluten. So you may say, that’s all the fun gone! But this recipe is every bit as delicious and suitable for vegetarians, vegans and those wanting to watch their sugar intake alike. Enjoy!

Happy Easter all!

Jamaican Spiced Easter Bun

• Servings: 10
• Time: 3 hrs 30 mins
• Difficulty: medium
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Ingredients

Jamaican Spiced Easter Bun. A lovely Easter bun with reduced sugar. Gluten Free, Vegetarian, Vegan with lower sugar content

• 3 cups Buckwheat Flour
• 1 cup Almond Flour
• 1 Tbsp Caraway Seed
• 1 cup Coconut Palm Sugar
• 1 Tsp Sea Salt
• 2 Tbps Yeast
• ½ Tsp Cinnamon
• ½ Tsp Nutmeg
• ½ Tsp Star Anise (ground)
• ½ Tsp ground Pimento (ground Allspice)
• 2 Tsp Baking Powder (alluminium free if possible)
• ½ Tsp Orange essence (or finely ground orange peel)
• 2 Tbps Sunflower butter (melted)
• 1 Tbps Coconut Oil (melted)
• 1 Tbps Vanilla paste
• 1 cup warm water
• 1 cup dried fruit (finely chopped raisins/mixed peel)

            Glazing

• 1/8 cup Coconut Palm Sugar
• 1 cup water

Directions

In a large bowl place flour, caraway seed, sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, star anise, pimento, ground orange peel, baking powder and mix well. Make a shallow well in the middle of mixed ingredients and add butter, coconut oil, vanillia and a half of the water. Begin to mix the ingredients together and add the remaining water. Continue to bring the ingredients together until you have a dough mixture. Add the chopped fruit and fold in.

Lightly flour a surface and turn the dough out onto it. Knead for about 10 mins until the dough has fully come together and is soft and slightly springy to the touch. Grease a large bowl and place the dough into it. Cover with cellophane and let it rest for 50 mins in a warm place.

Prepare your baking tins by greasing them – two 6in or one 10in round tin.

The dough will have started to rise, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently push some of the air out of it with your fist to flatten a little. If dividing into two tins cut the dough into two and place into each tin. Gently round the dough into bun shapes and place into the greased tins. Cover again with cellophane and leave to rise for another 40 – 50 mins.

Place the tins into the middle of your oven on a mid-level rack. Heat the oven to 190 degrees Celsius and bake for 50 mins – 1hr. The bun will be a deep golden brown. Put a skewer into the bun, if it comes out clean it’s done.

Turn onto a wire rack.

For the glazing, pour the sugar and water into a pan and gently until the sugar is dissolved. Brush the glazing over the buns whilst cooling. You can add another brushing of glazing just before they are completely cool.

Tip

Try with a slice of good quality cheddar. If you’re loving this spiced dessert recipe take a look at Toto – Traditional Jamaican Coconut Cake a traditional Jamaican recipe made vegetarian/vegan and with healthy whole food ingredients.