Dr Mobeus
Jam Roly Poly
Jam roly poly is school dinners history in pudding form: suet pastry rolled around jam, steamed until it puffs, and served with a jug of custard. For about 15p a portion there is nothing else in the dessert world that comes close.
Suet is the fat of choice because it makes a pastry that is light and slightly spongy rather than crisp, which is exactly what you want with hot jam inside. It is also one of the cheapest things in the baking aisle, and one box of it will make this pudding three or four times over.
Steaming is the traditional method and needs nothing more than a big lidded pan, a sheet of baking parchment and some foil. If that sounds like a project, the baked version wrapped in foil in the oven is nearly as good and takes half the time.
Jam Roly Poly
Ingredients
Method
- Mix the flour, suet, sugar and a good pinch of salt in a large bowl, then stir in the water a little at a time until you have a soft, slightly sticky dough.
- Roll the dough out on a well floured surface into a rectangle about 20 cm by 30 cm.
- Spread the jam over the pastry, leaving a 2 cm border clear all the way around. Brush the border with milk.
- Roll the pastry up from one of the long sides into a log, pressing the seam and the ends to seal the jam in.
- Wrap the roll loosely in baking parchment, then in a layer of foil, twisting the ends closed so the parcel looks like a giant cracker. Steam in a lidded pan of simmering water for 1 hour 30 minutes, topping up with hot water as needed, or bake the parcel on a tray at 190°C for 35 to 40 minutes.
- Unwrap carefully, let it stand for 5 minutes, then slice thickly and serve with custard.
Tips and Variations
Golden syrup or marmalade work in place of jam for a different flavour each time. The roly poly is easiest to slice if you let it stand for five minutes first. Leftovers reheat well in the microwave in about 30 seconds. Any extra pastry rolled thin with a sprinkle of sugar makes little biscuits to go alongside.
