Bun and cheese is the food of choice at Easter time in Jamaica - File
If you haven't started yet, by tomorrow everyone else will be eating the traditional Easter bun and cheese. It might be too late to buy so why not bake your own?
In these economically challenging times, it's a good idea to get the best deal for your hard-earned dough. So, is it easier to buy or bake your Easter bun this season? You do the math.
To make the choice easier for you, Food went shopping for the price range for various buns.
Yummy
✱ 56oz in box - $448
✱ 35oz in box - $300
✱ 28oz in plastic - $180
✱ 35oz in plastic - $240
Captain's Bakery
✱ 40oz (not in box) - $400
✱ 42oz - $350
✱ 56oz - $500
National and HTB
Both made by Continental Baking Company Limited. They attract the same price.
✱ 12oz - $100
✱ 28oz - $225
✱ 56oz - $560
(The company also has two other sizes in the box and one 35oz size in plastic.)
Purity Bakery
✱ 24oz (wholesale - $160
retail - $200)
✱ 32oz (wholesale - $240
retail - $300)
✱ 40oz (wholesale - $320
retail - $400)
Spaldings Bakery
✱ 24oz wholesale - $100
✱ 32oz wholesale - $180
✱ 40oz wholesale - $240
✱ Box packaged bun wholesale - $320
Whitfield
✱ 32oz - $288
✱ 42oz - $380
✱ 48oz. - $440
AML Bakery, Port Maria, St Mary
✱ 30oz - $300
✱ 42oz - $390 (in box)
✱ 48oz - $480 (in box)
Home-made bun
Or, if you like, you could bake your own. Try the recipe at rightat home.
Note however that home-made buns will cost, but don't count the cost, think of the tender loving care that you put into the process. The approximate prices at most supermarkets for the main ingredients are as follows
✱ Dark sugar - $63.85 (2 lbs)
✱ Counter flour - $69 (2lbs)
✱ Cherries - $316
✱ Candied mixed peel - $190
A wide variety of cheese at Easter.
Bake, don't buy your bun!
Yield: about 10 buns
Bake time: 1 hour
Prep time: 10 minutes
Ingredients
2 cups wine
1 bottle stout
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 tsp bun spice
2 tsp vanilla
4 ozs margarine, melted
1 tsp grace browning
1 pound dark sugar
2 1/5 pounds counter flour
2 tbs baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp mixed spice
1 tsp cinnamon powder
4 whole cherries
8 oz raisins
8 oz mixed peel
4 oz Grace guava jam
Method
1. Combine wine, stout, beaten eggs, bun spice, vanilla, margarine, browning and dark sugar. Mix well and set aside.
2. Sift together dry ingredients.
3. Add the fruits to the dry ingredients and mix well.
4. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the liquid ingredients. Mix well.
5. Scrape mixture into greased 30 cm x 13 cm x 6 cm (12"x4"x3") loaf tin.
6. Bake at 180C (350F) for one hour. To test if done insert a skewer, when it comes out clean bun is done.
7. Remove from pan and allow to cool.
8. Melt the Grace guava jam and brush over the surface of the baked bun as a glaze.
Servings
Serve with your choice of Tastee processed cheese or natural cheddar cheese.
Recipe from http://www.gracefoods.com/site/recipe/spicy-easter-bun
