Black Bun (Traditional Scottish Pastry)

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Have you made this?

By Kelly Lollman
@kelollman

A nod to my Scottish roots. Mincemeat pie was a staple at holiday dinner at Grandma's house. It was an acquired taste for me and I still can only manage very small pieces of pie... but it's tradition!
This recipe comes from the back of the program for the 2011 Central New York Scottish Games & Celtic Festival. Our area has a large population of Scottish and Welsh descendants of immigrants from the "old country". Also found a very similar recipe at rampantscotland.com/..._blackbun.htm

This is made weeks in advance so the brandied fruit can "age" properly.

Rating:

★★★★★ 1 vote

Comments:

1 Comment

Serves:

Many

Cook:

2 Hr 45 Min

Method:

Bake

Ingredients

3 c: all purpose flour
6 Tbsp: vegetable shortening
6 Tbsp: butter
1 pinch: salt
1/2 tsp: baking powder
: cold water
5 1/2 c: seedless raisins
6 1/2 c: currents
1/3 c: chopped almonds, blanched
1 1/2 c: all purpose flour
1/2 tsp: baking powder
1 tsp: cream of tartar
3/4 c: brown sugar, light
2 Tbsp: allspice, ground
1/2 tsp: cinnamon, ground
1/2 tsp: ginger, ground
1 tsp: ground black pepper
1 large: egg, beaten
2 Tbsp: brandy
3/4 c: milk

How to Make Black Bun (Traditional Scottish Pastry)

Step-by-Step

1Preheat oven to 225 degrees F. Grease an 8" loaf pan.
2Pastry Shell: Rub all fats into the flour. Add baking powder and a little water to make a stiff dough. Roll out onto a floured surface to a thin sheet. Line the loaf pan with the dough, leaving enough to fold over for the top.
3Filling: Mix all ingredients together except the milk. Add enough milk to just moisten the mixture and blend thoroughly by hand. Fill the pastry shell with the mixture. Fold over the hanging edges, leaving an open seam for steam to escape. Brush the pastry with the beaten egg.
4Bake for 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until a knife inserted in the filling comes out clean. Store in an airtight container and serve at Hogmanay (New Year's Eve).