Fluffy & Delicious: Bake Your Own Jamaican Easter Bun!

The Homemade Easter Bun is a delightful treat that combines Jamaican cuisine's rich flavors, making it a perfect choice for Easter celebrations. This bun is a descendant of the traditional British hot cross bun, which was eaten on Good Friday to symbolize the crucifixion of Jesus. The tradition found its way to Jamaica during the British colonization in the mid-1600s, where it evolved into a unique and delicious loaf. Over time, the bun transitioned from its original round shape to a loaf, incorporating molasses, which was later replaced by honey, and adding dried fruits like raisins to make it uniquely Jamaican and much more flavorful

The recipe for the Homemade Easter Bun is a blend of warm spices, molasses, stout, guava jelly, and red wine, creating a sweet and savory treat that's sure to satisfy. The process involves melting butter, adding stout, sugar, molasses, browning, vanilla, and an egg, and whisking until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is evenly combined. The dry ingredients, including flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices, are then mixed with the wet ingredients, and raisins or cherries are folded in. The dough is spread evenly in a greased loaf pan and baked until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. After baking, the bun is allowed to cool for 15 minutes in the pan and then cooled further on a wire rack. A simple glaze made from honey and water is applied to enhance the bun's flavor and appearance

Ingredients

- 2 ounces of margarine

- 1 bottle of stout

- 1/2 cup of wine

- 1 teaspoon of vanilla

- 1/2 tablespoon of Grace Browning

- 1 tablespoon of Grace Guava Jam

- 1 medium egg (optional)

- 8 ounces of dark sugar

- 1 pound of counter flour

- 1 teaspoon of nutmeg

- 1/4 teaspoon of salt

- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder

- 1 tablespoon of baking powder

- 1 tablespoon of mixed spice

- 1/4 pound of mixed peel, chopped

- 1/4 pound of raisins, soaked

Directions

1. Melt the margarine: Start by melting the Grace Hello Margarine and let it cool down a bit.

2. Prepare the wet ingredients: Add the stout, wine, vanilla, Grace Browning, Grace Guava Jam, and if you're using it, beat the egg. Mix these together until everything is well combined.

3. Mix in the sugar: Stir in the dark sugar and make sure all the granules are dissolved.

4. Combine dry ingredients: Now, mix together all the dry ingredients like flour, nutmeg, salt, cinnamon powder, baking powder, and mixed spice.

5. Add the wet and dry ingredients: Slowly add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients and mix until everything is well combined. Don't forget to add the chopped mixed peel and soaked raisins.

6. Pour into a pan: Scoop the batter into a greased loaf pan that's 12"x4"x3".

7. Bake it: Bake the bun in a preheated oven at 180°C/350°F until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

8. Cooldown: Let the bun cool on a cooling rack.

9. Glaze it: To finish, mix 2 tablespoons of honey with two tablespoons of water and bring it to a boil. Once it's boiling, remove it from the heat and use a pastry brush to apply the glaze over the surface of the bun.

Enjoy your homemade Easter Bun!