How To Make Jamaican Spice Bun?

There has not been an Easter without Spice buns and a thick piece of cheese.

Jamaican spice buns are a sweet, dense bread with flour, sugar, butter, molasses or brown sugar, dried fruits like raisins, and warm spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice.

My recipe calls for Dragon Stout, but if you do not have that, you can use Guinness. The stout changes the taste of the bun for the better. It gives it a deep, dark taste that I truly love.

These buns have a rectangular shape similar to a loaf, and you can find them sold under brands like National and Miss Birdie.

Normally, you will find this in every household in Jamaica during the Easter holidays, but I eat and make them whenever I am in the mood for buns and cheese. It is a complete meal.

Ingredients

Wet Ingredients

• ½ cup guava jam (or strawberry jam)
• 1 ½ cups brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup honey
• 2 tbsp molasses
• ¼ cup unsalted butter
• 1 bottle Dragon Stout (or Guinness)
• 1 tbsp vanilla
• Pinch mixed spice
• Pinch of ginger powder

Dry Ingredients

• Just over 3 cups of self-raising flour
• If using all-purpose flour, add 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• 1 tsp cinnamon powder
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp grated nutmeg
• ½–1 tsp salt

Fruit

• Cherries and raisins soaked in Red Label Wine
• (About ½ cup raisins + 10–15 cherries, chopped)

Glaze

• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp honey
• Drop vanilla
• Pinch allspice
• Pinch of ginger powder

Instructions

Add the flour to a big mixing bowl, then sprinkle in the mixed spice, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. You’ll want to mix it well so the spices coat the flour evenly. Set it aside for now.

Place a medium pot over low heat and add the butter first, letting it melt gently. Once it softens, add the brown sugar, honey, guava jam, and molasses. Keep stirring everything until it dissolves into a smooth, glossy mixture. Then, add the vanilla, a pinch of mixed spice, and a pinch of ginger powder.

Add the Stout And Eggs

On low heat, pour in the Dragon Stout and stir it in slowly so it doesn’t foam up too much. Once everything is blended and warmed through, turn off the heat completely and let the mixture cool.

When the liquid cools down, you’ll need to whisk in the eggs one at a time. Whisk quickly so the eggs don’t scramble. The mixture should be smooth and dark.

Combine Wet and Dry

Pour the warm liquid mix into the flour a little at a time, stirring gently with a wooden spoon.

Add about ½ teaspoon of browning if you want a deeper color. If the batter feels too thick or tight, loosen it with a splash of stout or Red Label Wine. It should look like a thick, glossy cake batter.

Fold in the Fruits And Prepare the baking pan

Add the soaked cherries and raisins, folding them in until they’re spread evenly through the batter. Make sure some fruit reaches the bottom so every slice has a little bit of everything.

Line your loaf pan with parchment paper and grease it lightly. Pour the batter inside, filling the pan about ¾ full. Sprinkle a few extra cherries or raisins on top if you want it to look extra pretty.

Preheat your oven to 150°C / 300°F and bake the bun for 1 hour to 1 hour 20 minutes. You will know when your buns are done when your toothpick comes out clean.

Make the Glaze

While the bun finishes baking, place a small pot on low heat. Add the butter, honey, vanilla, allspice, and ginger. Let it bubble for 15–20 seconds, then remove from the heat.

Brush the glaze over the bun while it’s still hot. This gives it that shiny, soft finish.

Let the bun cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then remove it and let it cool fully before slicing. This keeps the slices neat and prevents crumbling.

Tools for This Recipe

Here are the tools I used to make my spice bun. I used my trusty medium saucepan, which is perfect for melting down the butter, sugar, jam, and molasses into that smooth, dark syrup.

Next, a large mixing bowl holds the dry ingredients, and a sturdy wooden spoon helps bring the batter together without overmixing. A whisk is a must-have because you need it for the eggs.

A loaf pan lined with parchment paper so nothing sticks, and a pastry brush make glazing the hot bun so much easier. Lastly, a cooling rack to set the buns properly.

My True Tips

If your batter feels heavy or stiff, I suggest loosening it with a splash of stout or Red Label Wine. I never skip on cooling the wet mixture before adding the eggs, or they will scramble(No one wants that).

The fruit soaking step adds a big flavor boost, but you can use water or stout if you don’t have Red Label Wine. And always cool the bun completely before slicing; cutting it warm makes it fall apart. If you love extra fruit, you can fold in a bit more raisins or cherries..

Storage

This bun keeps extremely well. Once it cools, wrap it tightly in foil or plastic wrap and store it at room temperature for up to five days. It actually tastes even better the next day as the flavors settle.

You can refrigerate it for longer storage, but bring it to room temperature before serving. It also freezes; wrap the whole loaf or slices in foil, place in a freezer bag, and freeze for up to two months. Thaw overnight and warm slightly before eating.

Making homemade Jamaican Easter bun is an accomplishment in itself. I must admit, I did not get it right the first time around. Once you taste how soft and moist this version is, you’ll never want the store-bought buns again.

So whether you bake it for Easter or just because you’re craving a bun and cheese, this recipe never disappoints.

More Jamaican Recipes

• Easy Jamaican Rock Bun Recipe
• Delicious Jamaican Plantain Tart Recipe
• Homemade Jamaican Dragon Stout Ice Cream Recipe
• Jamaican Rum And Raisin Ice Cream- No Churn
• Delicious Jamaican ToTo Cake Coconut Cake

How To Make Jamaican Spice Bun?

Recipe by Ren PetersCourse: DessertCuisine: JamaicanDifficulty: Medium

Servings

10-12

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

1

hour 

15

minutes

Calories

320

kcal

This Jamaican spice bun is soft, moist, full of warm spices, and packed with raisins and cherries that were soaked in Red Label Wine for extra flavor.

Ingredients

• Wet Ingredients

• ½ cup guava jam (or strawberry jam)

• 1 ½ cups brown sugar

• 2 eggs

• ½ cup honey

• 2 tbsp molasses

• ¼ cup unsalted butter

• 1 bottle Dragon Stout (or Guinness)

• 1 tbsp vanilla

• Pinch mixed spice

• Pinch of ginger powder

• Just over 3 cups of self-raising flour

• If using all-purpose flour, add 1 tbsp baking powder

• 1 tsp mixed spice

• 1 tsp cinnamon powder

• 1 tsp ground ginger

• 1 tsp grated nutmeg

• ½–1 tsp salt

• Cherries and raisins soaked in Red Label Wine

• (About ½ cup raisins + 10–15 cherries, chopped)

• Glaze

• 1 tbsp butter

• 2 tbsp honey

• Drop vanilla

• Pinch allspice

• Pinch of ginger powder

Directions

• Add the flour to a big mixing bowl, then sprinkle in the mixed spice, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. You’ll want to mix it well so the spices coat the flour evenly. Set it aside for now.
• Place a medium pot over low heat and add the butter first, letting it melt gently. Once it softens, add the brown sugar, honey, guava jam, and molasses. Keep stirring everything until it dissolves into a smooth, glossy mixture. Then, add the vanilla, a pinch of mixed spice, and a pinch of ginger powder.
• On low heat, pour in the Dragon Stout and stir it in slowly so it doesn’t foam up too much. Once everything is blended and warmed through, turn off the heat completely and let the mixture cool.
• When the liquid cools down, you’ll need to whisk in the eggs one at a time. Whisk quickly so the eggs don’t scramble. The mixture should be smooth and dark.
• Pour the warm liquid mix into the flour a little at a time, stirring gently with a wooden spoon.
• Add about ½ teaspoon of browning if you want a deeper color. If the batter feels too thick or tight, loosen it with a splash of stout or Red Label Wine. It should look like a thick, glossy cake batter.
• Add the soaked cherries and raisins, folding them in until they’re spread evenly through the batter. Make sure some fruit reaches the bottom so every slice has a little bit of everything.
• Line your loaf pan with parchment paper and grease it lightly. Pour the batter inside, filling the pan about ¾ full. Sprinkle a few extra cherries or raisins on top if you want it to look extra pretty.
• Preheat your oven to 150°C / 300°F and bake the bun for 1 hour to 1 hour 20 minutes. You will know when your buns are done when your toothpick comes out clean.
• While the bun finishes baking, place a small pot on low heat. Add the butter, honey, vanilla, allspice, and ginger. Let it bubble for 15–20 seconds, then remove from the heat.
• Brush the glaze over the bun while it’s still hot. This gives it that shiny, soft finish.
• Let the bun cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then remove it and let it cool fully before slicing. This keeps the slices neat and prevents crumbling.

Notes

• Calories for spice buns are estimated.