Yanikie Tucker shares Easter bun recipe with a twist

The distinct aroma from stout and spices filling the air brings back nostalgic notes of a mid-year Christmas dream for Yanikie Tucker. But her reality reflected a different time, one which honours the tradition of her grandmother and inspired this self-taught chef to create recipes of her own. Now, Tucker shares a ‘bunafide’ way you can enjoy a popular Jamaican Easter treat.

Going by the moniker Jamdown Foodie, Tucker shares, “Easter is such an important time in Jamaica, and we definitely bond with our families during this season. Adding this tradition of bun making and eating together is so special. You get to know and keep your family recipe for generations, and that is incredibly vital for our cultural heritage.”

This preservation of authentic flavour all began with Beverly White, her grandmother’s church sister and best friend. According to the food blogger, White would make stout buns every Easter and put them up for sale.

“She made stout buns for sale every Easter. She didn’t have hands to sell them. People loved her buns so much and trusted her to make the best ones in the community,” explained.

White also taught Tucker’s grandmother how to make the buns, and it was there that she got the opportunity to have the deliciously sweet goodness for herself. “My grandmother replicated her recipe, and I loved the way the house smelled when she baked those delightful buns,” she added.

Once she embarked on her journey into food blogging, Tucker knew that high on her must-master list was that Easter bun recipe, “Easter bun is a staple in Jamaica and I knew my audience would want to see me make it and to reuse a recipe that I created.”

It would take her one full year to perfect the recipe. Jamdown Foodie explained that creating any recipe for Jamaican food is hard because the predecessors and elders cooked with vibes and feelings, “They rarely ever wrote anything down. At the bare minimum, I got an idea of what spices to use and the ratios of sugar to flour.”

After many trial-and-error sessions, she was able to find a perfect match flavour-wise. But getting the moisture locked in was easier said than done, since the end result was always a dry bun.

So, her moisture strategy thereafter included substituting butter for oil; turning the oven all the way down during the baking process, and adding a blend of soaked Christmas fruits became an important component in solving the problem and elevating the taste element.

She also pointed out, “I couldn’t get the traditional sugar glaze right. The syrup would always crystallise once cooled. I decided to add jam and honey, and that made a perfect glaze each time.”

Now that she has mastered the recipes, she can appreciate the benefits of baking your own Easter bun, as opposed to buying it for the season,“I do not love mixed peel and I avoid any commercial buns with it. I also do not like an excessive amount of dried fruit in my buns. When you make them at home, you can add as much or as little as you like or none at all.”

The best part about making these at home, she says, is creating amazing memories and traditions with loved ones.

And just when you thought there was one recipe, Tucker went ahead and created one with yeast and another without that ingredient.

“I thought it would be fun to challenge myself to do both, but to also deepen the awareness of the varieties of buns that exist. Older generations of diaspora Jamaicans love the non-yeasted buns because of the memories. And the younger generations care more for the yeasted version that mimics the shelf buns.”

By having both recipes, Tucker honours tradition and innovation, all while catering to the diverse demands of her audience.

So, without further ado, Jamdown Foodie is excited to share some Easter cheer with you. ‘Bun’ appetit!

Jamaican Easter Bun Recipe (without yeast)

INGREDIENTS

3 cups flour

1 ½ cups brown sugar

1 cup Malta (or stout)

¼ cup oil

2 eggs, beaten

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 tablespoon browning

1 tablespoon molasses

4 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons ground nutmeg

2 teaspoons cinnamon powder

⅛ teaspoon ground cloves

⅛ teaspoon ground allspice

½ teaspoon salt

¼ cup blended fruit (optional)

½ cup raisins

10 maraschino cherries, halved

Glaze

2 tablespoons of honey

2 tablespoons strawberry or grape jelly

3 tablespoons butter

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and line a loaf pan with parchment paper. Allow the ends of the paper to hang over the pan. This will make it easy to lift the bun from the pan using the ends of the paper. Set the pan aside.

2. In a small mixing bowl, combine Malta, sugar, oil, vanilla, browning, molasses, and stir to completely dissolve the sugar. Once the sugar is dissolved, whisk in beaten eggs and set aside.

3. Use a medium sieve over a large mixing bowl. To the sieve, add flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, ground cloves, ground allspice and salt. Sift the dry ingredients into the bowl.

4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients in the large bowl. Use a whisk to fully incorporate the liquid and flour. Do not overmix. Add in the blended fruit, raisins and cherries if using, and whisk a few times to incorporate.

5. Pour the batter into the prepared baking tin and place on the centre rack in the oven. Bake for 50 minutes to an hour until a toothpick or skewer inserted comes out clean.

6. While the bun is baking, gently melt the ingredients for the glaze on low heat. Once the bun is removed from the oven, glaze it immediately while still hot.

7. Allow the bun to cool, slice and serve with Jamaican cheese or mild aged cheddar cheese.

Storage: The bun can be stored in a cool dry place in an airtight bag for up to two weeks.

Jamaican Easter Bun (with yeast)

WET INGREDIENTS

2 cups Malta

¼ cup blended Christmas fruit (optional)

2 ¼ cups brown sugar

1 tablespoon molasses

1 tablespoon browning

2 tablespoons vanilla essence

3 tablespoons shortening (softened at room temperature)

¼ cup butter or margarine (softened at room temperature)

FRUIT (OPTIONAL)

1 cup raisins

1 cup maraschino cherries (halved) + more for decorating

DRY INGREDIENTS

8 cups bread flour (spoon and levelled) + more for dusting

2 packets dry active yeast (each packet is ¼ oz)

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons grated nutmeg

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

¼ teaspoon ground allspice

INGREDIENTS TO PROOF THE YEAST

¼ cup warm water (bath water temperature)

1 teaspoon brown sugar

GLAZE

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons apricot jam or strawberry jam

3 tablespoons butter

DIRECTIONS

1. In a small bowl, microwave ½ cup of water for about 20 seconds. Test the temperature of the water with your fingertips. The water should feel lukewarm, like bath water. It should not be painful to touch. Add one teaspoon of brown sugar and the yeast to the water. Stir to dissolve the yeast and set it aside until it bubbles and puffs up. If the yeast doesn't foam and bubble, it is dead, and you will need to repeat this step.

2. Combine all of the wet ingredients (except the butter and shortening) and whisk until the sugar dissolves. Add in dried fruit and set aside. In another large bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients (except the yeast which you have already activated in step one) in another large bowl. Gently whisk the ingredients to combine.

3. Gently scoop the combined dry ingredients into the wet ingredient mixture. Use a spatula to lift and fold until all of the flour is combined into the liquid. Add the flour in two amounts.

4. Proofing the yeast is a simple test to ensure that it is active and viable for baking. It involves combining the yeast with warm water and a small amount of sugar. Let it sit for three to five minutes and then observe for activity. If the yeast is active, it will be creamy, foamy or bubbly in appearance. Add the foamy yeast as you combine the second amount of flour. You will be left with a wet and sticky dough.

5. Turn the dough out on a lightly dusted surface. Dust the top of the dough with flour. Knead in the shortening and butter. Return dough to a greased bowl. Cover the bowl with cling film and place the bowl into your oven. Turn on the oven light and leave the dough to double in size for two hours.

6. Oil a clean surface as well as your hands. Pour out the dough onto the oiled surface and use your hand to fold the dough over onto itself a few times. Fold inwards from the right, left, top and bottom.

7. Use a knife or dough cutter to separate the dough into two equal halves, if making two buns. Flatten the dough and roll it into a pinwheel. Place the dough, once formed, into two greased loaf pans. You may also just roll into one pinwheel and bake a large bun. Place the buns back into the oven with the oven light on for an additional hour until they have doubled in size. You may decorate the tops of the buns with more dried fruit of your choice before allowing them to proof a second time.

8. Gently remove the buns from the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake the loaves for 50 to 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Make the glaze five minutes before the buns are ready by melting all of the ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl and stirring with a spoon to combine. Remove the buns from the oven and place them on a wire rack. Glaze the buns while still hot by brushing on the glaze with a silicone brush, and leave them to completely cool before cutting and serving.

krysta.anderson@gleanerjm.com