Jamaican Easter Bun

A Jamaican Easter just wouldn't be the same without some Easter bun aka bun and cheese. A popular fruit infused and spice enriched island sweet bread. A gluten free adaptation made with yeast that is vegan friendly too.

Course Appetisers/Snacks

Cuisine Jamaican

Prep Time 1 50

Cook Time 1

Total Time 2 50

Servings people

Calories 488kcal

Author Charla

Ingredients

Mix together ingredients

2½ tablespoon psyllium husk powder
½ cup warm water (125ml)
2½ teaspoon instant yeast
¼ cup warm water (60ml)

Dry Ingredients

2 cups tapioca starch (265g)
1 cup brown rice flour (148g)
⅓ cup sorghum flour (58g)
½ tbsp xanthan gum
½ cup raw cane sugar (114g)
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon mixed spice
1 teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon pink salt
1 cup mixed fruit (238g)

Wet ingredients

¼ cup gluten free stout (60ml) see notes
¼ cup grape juice (60ml) see notes
3 tablespoon homemade browning (30g)(see link, only use this amount if you are using MY HOMEMADE version, see notes)
2 tablespoon molasses (42g)(blackstrap
3 tablespoon guava jam (60g)
3 tablespoon dairy free butter (48g) melted
1 large egg or use a 2 flax eggs for vegan version

For the glaze

2 tablespoon gluten free stout
2 tablespoon grape juice
1 tablespoon dairy free butter
2 tablespoon raw cane sugar

Instructions

Grease and line a loaf pan with parchment paper and set aside.

Mix together ingredients

Add the psyllium husk powder along with the cup of warm water and whisk into a smooth paste in a small bowl and set aside.
In another small bowl, whisk together the instant dry yeast along with the ¼ cup of warm water and set aside.

To make the dough

In a large mixing bowl (fitted with a dough hook) add your dry ingredients - tapioca starch, brown rice flour, sorghum flour, raw cane sugar, xanthan gum, pink, cinnamon, mixed spice and nutmeg.
Whisk the dry ingredients together so they are evenly combined.
Now add the egg (or flax egg), yeast mix, guava jam and psyllium husk paste to the bowl of dry ingredients.
In a small jug, whisk the browning, molasses, gluten free stout, melted dairy free butter and grape juice.
Form a soft dough (using your stand mix) by slowly pouring in the stout/grape juice liquid until it starts to come together, scraping down the sides so no dry flour spots are left.
As the mixture comes together, sprinkle in the dried fruit and mix for about 30 seconds so it is evenly distributed. The dough will be sticky and soft, this is the right texture that we need.
Scrape the dough into the loaf pan and smooth the top.
Cover the loaf pan with saran wrap (cling film) and leave the dough to prove (preferably in a warm place) for a hour until it expands (it will only rise by about a quarter).
Preheat the oven at 356F/180C (10 minutes before the proving process is done)
Once the loaf has slightly expanded, remove the wrap then prepare the glaze heating up the ingredients for the glaze until the butter has melted.
Once the butter has melted, use a pastry brush to coat the top of the dough.
Place the baking tin in the oven.
8 minutes into baking cover the bun with aluminium foil, this is extremely important to prevent a really dry crust from forming. (Set a timer, or stand by your oven if needed).
Reduce the oven to 160C/320F/gas mark 3 and continue to bake until the bun is cooked through (this should take roughly, 45-55 minutes or maybe longer)
Test the readiness by inserting a knife or skewer, if it comes out clean then your bun is ready. If it's still not baked, return to the oven and check at 5-7 minute intervals. DON'T over bake it or it will become too dense, you want it to be just done.
Once baked, glaze the bun while it is still hot.
Serve with your favourite vegan/dairy free cheese.

Notes

The colour of the bun will vary, from beige to dark brown, so this is normal.
I recommend using a stand mixer, preferably with a dough hook to knead the dough for best results.
It is EXTREMELY important to remove the bun from the oven as soon as it is baked through or the texture will become more dense.
This is the link to the Flax Egg if you are making it vegan and the Browning Sauce, if you want to use my homemade version.
Remember if you are using gluten free stout with alcohol content, you will need to boil off the alcohol in advance before using it.
When glazing your bun, you will want to do this when it is still hot and fresh out of the oven.
Any leftover bun can be wrapped (when cool) and stored in an airtight container for 2-3 days (I haven't kept my bun after this time).
Please remember the dough will only rise by a small fraction, it won't double or triple in size and this is normal.
If you don't have guava jam, cherry or strawberry works just fine.

Nutrition