Name: Jamaican Bun and Cheese
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 10 servings
Cuisine: Jamaican
Ingredients: 300 g plain flour; 1 tsp baking powder; 1 tsp ground cinnamon; ½ tsp ground nutmeg; ½ tsp ground allspice; ¼ tsp salt; 120 g dark brown sugar; 3 tbsp molasses; 100 g butter, melted; 1 egg; 150 ml stout; 150 g raisins; 50 g currants; 30 g mixed peel; 2 tbsp sugar syrup, for brushing; 200 g processed cheese slices, to serve

Jamaican Bun and Cheese

A dense, dark Easter spice bun of molasses, raisins and mixed spice, sliced and eaten with a wedge of processed cheese.

1 hr 15 min total Serves 10 servings Medium

Why Jamaican Bun and Cheese Works

At Easter, every Jamaican bakery and supermarket sells out of spice bun, and the question is always the same: which cheese. The traditional pairing is bun with a slice of processed cheese, bright orange, plain and unashamedly soft. The salty cheese against the sweet, spiced loaf is what makes it, and anyone who tries it finds that it works.

The bun is a dense, moist loaf coloured almost black by molasses and browning. Beyond the molasses, it has raisins, currants, mixed peel, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and a splash of stout or Guinness. It is nearer to a fruit cake than a bun. Soak the dried fruit overnight in stout or in rum if you like. Mix the batter just until combined. It is a heavy batter, and over-mixing makes a tough crumb.

The yeast makes it rise: a spoonful in warm milk, left for 10 minutes until foamy, and the dough is left to rise for 1 hour. In many bakeries the bun is made without yeast, with baking powder.

Bake in a loaf tin at 170°C / 340°F for 45 minutes. The top should be dark, glossy and cracked. Cool, brush with sugar syrup and slice thickly. Serve with cheese.

Build the Meal Around Jamaican Bun and Cheese

Processed cheese
Butter
Hot tea
Ginger beer

How to Cook Jamaican Bun and Cheese

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Heat the oven to 170°C / 340°F (150°C / 300°F fan) and line a 900 g loaf tin.
Mix the flour, baking powder, spices and salt.
Whisk the sugar, molasses, butter, egg and stout. Stir into the dry mixture until just combined, then fold in the raisins, currants and peel.
Pour into the tin and bake for 45 minutes until a skewer comes out clean.
Brush with the syrup and cool in the tin. Slice thickly and serve with the cheese.

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A Few Notes

Soak the fruit in stout for extra flavour.

Do not overmix.

Serve with a mild processed or cheddar cheese.

Storing and Reheating

Keeps wrapped for 1 week or freezes for up to 2 months.

The Numbers per Serving

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. The calories include 1 g of alcohol a serving, which is not part of the protein, carbohydrate or fat. How the figures are worked out.

414Calories

8gProtein

60gCarbs

15gFat

2gFibre

32gSugar

470mgSodium

Vegetarian

Jamaican Bun and Cheese

Build the Meal Around Jamaican Bun and Cheese

How to Cook Jamaican Bun and Cheese

A Few Notes

Storing and Reheating

The Numbers per Serving

Your notes on this recipe

Cooked this? Keep a note for next time

Build the Meal Around Jamaican Bun and Cheese

How to Cook Jamaican Bun and Cheese

A Few Notes

Storing and Reheating

The Numbers per Serving

Your notes on this recipe

Cooked this? Keep a note for next time

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