Name: Jamaican Spice Bun Recipe
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 90 min
Ingredients: 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour (380g); 2 teaspoon baking powder (9g); 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (5g); 1/2 teaspoon salt (1.5g); 1 large egg; 3/4 cup light brown sugar (156g); 1 cup beer (250g ); 1/3 cup milk (85g); 1/4 cup honey (85g); 4 Tablespoon unsalted butter, melted (53g); 1 Tablespoon molasses (18g); 1 teaspoon browning (6g); 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (4g); 1/2 cup dried craisins (62g); 1/2 cup raisins (62g); 1/2 cup dried cherries (62g)

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This Jamaican Spice Bun is usually served with cheese and served during the Easter holiday. I eat it year round, don't judge me. It's a delicious bread recipe that is a part of the Jamaican Culture and can easily be made at home.

The full recipe with ingredients/instructions is available on the recipe card at the bottom of the post. Important tips/tricks are also included in the blog post.

Any Jamaican will let you know that it is a must to eat "Bun & Cheese" for Easter. Growing up, it was a must for me to eat Bun & Cheese every time I visited the Jamaican bakery.

This homemade version is easy to make and is quite delicious. I like to slice it up and place slices of sharp cheddar cheese on it.

How to Make Jamaican Spice Bun

Gather all your ingredients.

Soak the dry fruits in the beer to hydrate them. I do this for about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and grease a standard 8x4 loaf pan. Set aside.

Combine all-purpose flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.

dry spices in a bowl with wooden spoon sticking out

In another bowl, combine brown sugar, egg, milk, honey, melted butter, molasses, browning, vanilla extract, and the beer that's soaking the fruit. Do not pour the fruit in at this time, just the beer. Mix to combine.

Remove 2 tablespoon of flour from the flour mixture and pour over the fruits and toss until they are covered.

Create a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and mix in the wet ingredients, stirring until combined.

collage of dry and wet mixture being combined

Then add the fruits to this mixture and stir until incorporated.

Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf pan and bake on the middle rack in the preheated oven for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick entered in the middle comes out clean.

collage of batter in loaf pan unbaked and then baked

Allow bread to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then finish cooling on a cooling rack. Serve with cheddar cheese.

How to Store Jamaican Bun and Cheese

Store the bread in an airtight container. It will last for 2 days on the countertop or up to 5 days in the fridge.

Notes on Jamaican Bun and Cheese

I use Red Stripe beer in this recipe.
You'll want to hydrate the dried fruits before adding them to the batter. It helps keep the bread nice and moist.
Tossing the fruits in a little flour before adding it to the batter allows the fruit to distribute evenly in the bread and they won't sink to the bottom.

sliced spiced bun with cheese in the middle

Tanya