Scotch Black Bun
Submitted by nestlie
Scotch black bun, a traditional Scottish Hogmanay fruitcake wrapped in buttery shortcrust pastry and packed with raisins, almonds, brandy, and warm spices. A rich celebration centerpiece.
YIELD
20 servingsPREP
COOK
READY
4 hrsA proper Scottish black bun: a dense, spiced fruitcake sealed inside a handmade shortcrust pastry shell and baked low and slow until the crust turns deep golden. This is the traditional Hogmanay (New Year’s Eve) treat, and it’s a real project, but the result is spectacular.
The pastry is a classic cold-butter shortcrust, rubbed by hand until it forms fine granules, then brought together with ice water. It needs a good hour in the fridge before you can roll it out to line the springform pan. The filling is dense with dark and golden raisins, chopped and ground almonds, and a cup of brandy that perfumes every bite.
What makes this different from an ordinary fruitcake is the spice blend: cinnamon, mace, allspice, and a hit of freshly ground black pepper. That pepper adds a subtle warmth that lingers at the back of your throat. The long bake at moderate heat (2 to 3+ hours) lets the filling set and the flavors meld together.
Chef Tips
- Keep the butter ice cold when making the pastry. Warm butter makes tough, dense crust instead of flaky.
- Pack the filling down firmly in the pan. Air pockets cause the pastry to collapse inward during baking.
- Cut a vent hole in the top. Steam needs to escape or the pastry gets soggy from the inside.
- If the pastry decorations brown faster than the rest, tent them with foil to prevent burning.
- This bun improves with age. Wrap tightly and store for up to a week before serving.
Variations
- Add mixed candied peel (citron, orange, lemon) for a more traditional version.
- Replace brandy with whisky for a more authentically Scottish flavor.
- Use a mix of currants and sultanas alongside the raisins for varied fruit texture.
Ingredients
Directions
- The butter, 3 sticks, should be cut into small pieces.
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the butter, 3 ¾ cup flour, and ¼ teaspoons of salt.
With your fingers, work the ingredients together until you form small granules that are fairly uniform in size.
Sprinkle 8 tablespoons of the ice water over the granules and continue mixing until you can gather the ingredients into a ball.
If the dough crumbles, add additional ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until a soft ball can be formed.
With the flat of your hand, press the dough into a thick cake, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Prepare the filling by sifting the 3½ cups of flour, the sugar, baking powder, spices, and remaining ¼ teaspoons of salt into a large bowl.
Add the freshly ground black pepper, seedless and white or golden raisins, ground and coarsely chopped almonds.
Mix thoroughly until all the fruits and nuts are coated well with the dry ingredients.
Add the 3 eggs, milk, and brandy mixing well.
Preheat the oven to 375℉ (190℃) F and, on a lightly floured surface, roll two-thirds of the chilled pastry to a thickness of ¼ inch.
Gently place a 9 X 3½-inch springform pan on the pastry.
With a small sharp knife, cut along the outside of the pan to make a disk.
Line the bottom of the pan with the disk of pastry.
Use the remaining pieces of rolled-out pasty to line the sides of the pan, slightly overlapping the pastry on the bottom and letting the pastry extend about ½-inch above the top of the form.
Spoon the filling into the pan, packing it down firmly and press the excess pastry over the filling.
Brush the pastry with a little of the beaten egg.
In the same fashion, roll out the remaining pastry into a circle larger than the form.
Roll the pastry around the rolling pin to lift it and unroll it on the top of the form.
Press the top pastry against the filling and the pastry below to make a tight seal and trim off the excess.
Brush the entire top with the beaten egg.
Cut a 1-inch round vent in the middle of the bun, and if you like, use the pastry scraps to make leaves.
Roll the scraps together and cut out tear drop shapes to resemble leaves.
Score the top, with a small sharp knife, to resemble the ribs of the leaves.
Brush the undersides of the leaves with the remaining beaten egg to make them adhere to the top of the bun.
Then brush the top again with the beaten egg.
Bake on a rack in the middle of the oven for 2 to 3½ hours, or until the pastry is a rich golden brown.
If the decorations color much faster than the top sheath of pasty, cover them with aluminum foil to reflect the oven heat and retard the browning.
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