Scottish Black Bun Recipes

Steps:

• Brush a bread pan lightly with vegetable oil or shortening.
• In a food processor add the flour, cold butter and sugar.
• Process for 10 seconds or until mixture is fine and crumbly.
• Add yolks and water, processing for 15 seconds or until mixture forms a soft dough.
• Remove blade, cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 20 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a large bowl combine raising, currants, peel, almonds, sugar, spices and whiskey.
• Stir to evenly coat.
• Sift flour, cream of tartar and baking soda over fruit mixture.
• Stir to coat.
• Add milk, egg and extra egg yolk.
• Using a wooden spoon mix until well combined.
• Roll out 2/3 of the pastry into a rectangle.
• Line the bottom and sides of prepared bread pan.
• Spoon fruit filling firmly into lined pan, smoothing surface.
• Roll out remaining pastry.
• Brush edge of pastry and fruit filling with the lightly beaten egg white.
• Place pastry lid over fruit.
• Pinch or flute edges.
• Brush the top of pastry with remaining egg white.
• Sprinkle with the granulated sugar.
• Bake for 1 hour.
• Reduce heat to 325 degrees and continue to bake for another 1 and 1/2 hours.
• Remove and cool in tin.

Steps:

• 1. To make the pastry case, rub the butter into the flour with the baking powder and add enough cold water to mix to a stiff dough. Leave to rest and roll out to a fairly thin sheet. Grease 2 x 20 cm (8-inch) loaf tins and line them with the dough, reserving enough to cover the top.
• 2. Preaheat the oven to 110°C (225°F/ Gas 1/4).
• 3. Make the filling. Mix all the dry ingredients together, then mix in the brandy, egg, and enough milk to moisten the mixture. Put it into the prepared loaf tins and cover with the remaining pastry. Use the remaining milk or an egg wash (1 egg beaten with a splash of milk) to seal the top crust. Prick all over with a fork and brush with egg wash. Bake in the oven for about 3 hours. When it is cool store in an airtight tin.

Steps:

• Pastry: Grease an 8-inch loaf tin. Rub the fats into the flour and salt and then mix in enough cold water to make stiff dough Roll out the pastry and cut into five pieces, using the bottom, top and four sides of the tin as a rough guide. Press the bottom and four side pieces into the tin, pressing the overlaps to seal the pastry shell.
• Preheat oven to 325°F.
• Filling: Mix the raisins, currants, almonds, peel and sugar together.
• Sift in the flour, all the spices and baking powder and bind them together using the brandy and almost all the egg and add enough milk to moisten.
• Pack the filling into the lined tin and add the pastry lid, pinching the edges and using milk or egg to seal really well.
• Lightly prick the surface with a fork and make four holes to the bottom of the tin with a skewer.
• Depress the center slightly (it will rise as it cooks).
• Brush the top with milk or the rest of the egg to create a glaze.
• Bake 2½ to 3 hours.
• Test with a skewer which should come out clean; if not, continue cooking. An uncooked cake sizzles if you listen closely! Cool in the tin and then turn onto a wire rack.
• Cool thoroughly before storing until Hogmanay.

Steps:

• PASTRY: In medium mixing bowl, blend flour and baking powder. Cut in butter until mixture resembles cornmeal. Add just enough cold water to form pastry into ball. On lightly floured board, roll out 2/3 of pastry into a circle large enough to line lightly greased 8 x 8 x 3 inch square cake pan or an 8 x 3 inch round cake pan, allowing enough pastry overhanging edge to seal with top crust. Chill remaining dough for top of bun while making filling.
• FILLING: In large bowl, mix dry ingredients together. Add dried fruit, nuts, eggs, brandy and milk. Stir to mix well. Pack filling into pastry lined pan.
• Roll out remaining pastry to square or circle large enough to cover filling. Moisten edges with water and seal with bottom crust. Prick with fork or make decorative slashes in top of bun. Brush lightly with beaten egg to glaze.
• Bake in 300°F oven for 2 1/2 hours or until pastry is brown and cake tester inserted in centre comes out clean. Cool cake in pan for 10 minutes. Carefully remove to rack to complete cooling.
• Canadian Living.