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Jamaican Easter Spice Bun with Cheese
Cuisine:
Ingredients
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3 cups all purpose flour
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4 tsps baking powder
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1 tsp nutmeg
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1 tsp cinnamon
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2 1/2 cups brown sugardivided
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1 egg
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1 cup milkthe recipe didn't specify, but I used 2%
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1 cup raisins
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1 tbsp buttermelted
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1 tsp lime juice
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a pinch salt
Directions
Happy Easter y’all, if you celebrate. I grew up celebrating Easter, but not in a particularly religious way (more on that in this post). In recent years, I’ve gone to more Passover Seders than Easter celebrations- including an incredibly fun plague-themed version the past couple of years. I love learning about my friends’ traditions, and feel super fortunate to have been welcomed in on so many occasions.
Speaking of traditions, let’s talk about Jamaica Easter buns. A couple months ago, I got a mysterious package from London. When I opened it and it was a Jamaican cookbook, I immediately knew it was from my friend Kamille. A couple weeks earlier, I’d shown her the curry chicken I’d made from Jamaica and she immediately called me out that it did not look like a traditional Jamaican curry chicken at all. So she sent me “Th Real Taste of Jamaica” to ensure that next time around, I could make a proper curry chicken!
I remember I’d been having a not particularly good week and her package completely made my day. Cookbooks are what I collect when I visit other countries and I have quite the collection, but Jamaica wasn’t among them (As I said in my curry chicken post, I’ve been to Jamaica but not authentically, and regardless I didn’t collect cookbooks yet at the time).
Anyways, I wanted to send something to thank her, but figured curry chicken might not hold up so well in the mail. I found the page of Jamaican Easter spice buns, and knew right away I’d wait until Easter and send her a loaf (Jamaican buns are in loaf form, not what you might picture when you hear the word “bun”). I made a mini-loaf for Courtney and I to try and a big loaf to send to Kamille. Turns out she’s not the biggest bun fan, but they are traveling to upstate New York to be enjoyed by extended family! Plus, we loved them and I got to learn a bit about an Easter tradition that was totally new to me!
These sweet buns are extremely popular in Jamaica around Easter. They can be found in every grocery store, and are also made at home. From what I’ve read, the story is that they’re a spin off of hot crossed buns, which were brought to the island during British colonization. There are as many ways to make Jamaican spice buns as there are cooks, mostly differentiated by the agent used to make them rise. In fact, my book had 4 versions! Yeast, baking soda, baking powder, and stout. I went with the baking powder version because I figured start with the basic – although I immediately regretted the missed opportunity to use the home brewed stour we have on draft! You will also find that some recipes call for more types of dried fruit versus only raisins.
The one thing they all have in common is that they’re eaten with cheese. Yes, cheese! I was skeptical, but I tried it and wow! It actually goes quite nicely together! I loved the sweet glaze on top, and this made a delightful breakfast.
Steps
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1
Done
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Preheat oven to 350 F. |
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2
Done
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Beat the egg in a small bowl. Mix in 2 cups of brown sugar, melted butter and 1 cup of milk. |
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3
Done
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Combine the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder and spices) in a large bowl. |
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4
Done
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Pour the wet ingredients in and beat until smooth. Stir in the raisins. |
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5
Done
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Pour batter into a greased loaf pan. Bake for approximately 1 hour, or until golden brown on top. |
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6
Done
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When there is about 15 minutes left, make the glaze by boiling 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup brown sugar until thickened. It will begin to caramelize, but you want to stir it frequently to ensure it doesn't burn. |
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7
Done
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Once thickened to the point of a thin caramel, spread over the bun and pop it back into the oven for about 5 minutes. This will created a delicious glassy glaze. |
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8
Done
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Serve with slices of cheese! |
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3 Comments Hide Comments
this is absolutely not a Jamaican bun by any means
Yes I never seen a Jamaican easter bun that looks like this Jamaican food have color. It’s doesn’t just have raisins.
My cookbook, which a Jamaican friend sent me and said was her mom’s favorite, called for it. Just followed the recipe – I’m sure there are many versions!