Clootie dumpling recipe
Similar to a fruit pudding, a clootie dumpling is made with dried fruits and a suet pastry dough, similar to a fruit pudding. The dough is formed into a round shape, wrapped in a cloth – a 'clootie' – and then boiled for several hours. Slice and serve with a generous splash of vanilla custard for the ultimate celebratory dessert, perfect for celebrating Burns Night or Hogmanay.
To find out more about its history and traditions, click here.
Ingredients
- 175 g wholemeal bread
- 175 g self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 175 g beef suet
- 175 g sultanas
- 100 g currants
- 100 g soft light brown sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp allspice
- 2 tbsp golden syrup
- 250 ml whole milk
Details
- Cuisine: British
- Recipe Type: Dessert
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation Time: 20 mins
- Cooking Time: 190 mins
- Serves: 10
Step-by-step
- Blitz the wholemeal bread in a food processor to make breadcrumbs and place in a large mixing bowl. Sift in the self-raising flour and baking powder. Stir in the suet, sultanas, currants, sugar and spices. Add the golden syrup and milk and stir to make a soft but not sloppy mixture. Set aside.
- Boil a 50cm x 50cm (20in x 20in) square of muslin or cotton for 2 minutes, then lift out of the pan with tongs, squeeze out some of the water and spread the cloth out on your work surface. Sprinkle with 2 tbsp flour to coat the centre of the cloth.
- Heap the dumpling mixture in the centre of the cloth and pat into a rough round. Draw up the cloth's edges to loosely hold it together, but leave a little room for expansion. Tie up securely with string.
- Place an upside-down saucer in a large pan and put the clootie dumpling on top of it. Cover with boiling water and a lid and gently boil for 3 hours, topping up the water as necessary.
- Preheat the oven to 230°C/210°C fan/450°F/gas mark 8. Lift the dumpling out of the water and drain in a colander for a few minutes. Untie and carefully peel back the cloth - the dumpling should have formed a grey skin. Turn the dumpling out onto a baking tray and bake in the oven for 5-10 minutes to dry off the skin. Rest for 5 minutes, then serve in slices with custard or cream.
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