Easter Bun with BlueHouse Bakery

COVID-19 is still the topic of most conversations, but guess what’s tomorrow? Good Friday - Easter has officially begun.

For foodies, this means stocking up on the season’s sweet staple: bun and cheese. Looking to spice up your taste buds in the round and long variety is BlueHouse Bakery and Catering.

Managing director of BlueHouse Bakery and Catering, Stephanie Coy, explained to Food that the idea to branch out into culinary came out of a long-standing pipe dream. In 2019, she turned possibility into a viable opportunity and has been doing exceptionally well in the business. Among the favourites on her diversely delicious staple is her Easter Stout Bun.

The final formula for the bun is a combination of recipes. “As you begin to learn the palates of consumers, you understand what flavours appeal more than others to persons. With this in mind, I tried to find that balance while staying true to the authenticity of this staple Jamaican product. For example, Dragon Stout is perfect for this recipe, but persons may prefer a less aggressive flavour, and so Guinness would be a good option, and for those who are seeking a non-alcoholic version, they can use the Malta that will still give that stout flavour,” she explained.

She is currently taking orders, so interested persons can contact BlueHouse Bakery and Catering at 876 848-1341. “We offer deliveries and kerbside pickup within Kingston,” she added.

Nothing, however, beats a homemade bun. She is putting bun lovers in quarantine to the test by sharing her Easter Stout Bun recipe for you to try for yourself. Let’s get baking!

Easter Stout Bun

Ingredients

3 lb flour

1 lb sugar

½ tsp salt

4 tsp baking powder

2 tsp mixed spice

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

¼ lb butter

1 lb raisins (add more or less as desired; however, be careful not to add too much)

¼ lb mixed peel

2 Dragon Stout or Guinness or Malta

2/3 cups water

1 ½ tbsp browning

2 tbsp molasses

2 tbsp honey

Directions

1. Bring to a boil in a saucepan the salt, butter, sugar, raisins, half of the mixed peel, Stout/Malta and water. After which, set aside to cool in a large enough mixing bowl. Sift together the flour, baking powder and spices.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, grease and flour loaf pans. It is recommended to line the bottom of the loaf pan with parchment paper.

3. Slightly beat the eggs and add to the cooled liquid mixture along with the honey, molasses and browning.

4. Add a quarter of the flour mixture to the liquid mixture, stirring to ensure there are no lumps of flour. Repeat until all the flour is mixed in. Do not use a mixer to combine the dry and wet ingredients. 5. Pour mixture into prepared loaf pans, sprinkle sparingly the remaining mixed peel on top of the batter in the loaf pans. Bake for 60 minutes or until a toothpick when inserted comes out clean. Let it cool before slicing.

krysta.anderson@gleanerjm.com