For all these recipes we are thankful to Suzanne Daugherty for extracting them from her collection.
Reposted from the Manx Notebook - www.isle-of-man.com
Measures or equivalents
- 1 tsp = 5g or 1/8 oz;
- 1 tbsp = 15g or ½oz
- 4oz = 100g = ½cup (flour)
'BASIC' BONNAG
Ingredients
- 1 lb flour
- 1 oz fat (or 2 oz)
- pinch salt
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- fruit and sugar if liked
- 1 tsp cream of tartar rubbed in with flour and fat
Method
- Dissolve soda in sour milk
- Then mix and bake in moderate oven.
'FRUIT' BONNAG
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup currants
- 1 tbsp margarine
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 large tsp mixed spice
- few drops vanilla essence
- cup or more buttermilk
Method
- Rub butter into flour.
- Add other dry ingredients.
- When will mixed, mix with buttermilk.
- Bake about 1 hour in moderate oven.
'COMMON' BONNAG
Ingredients
- 1 lb plain flour
- 4 oz margarine
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cream of tartar
- 4 oz sugar
- 4 oz currants
Method
- Bake in moderate oven 3/4 hour
MRS. KERRUISH'S MANX BUNLOAF
A much richer cake-like recipe, note the addition of eggs which is not mentioned in any earlier recipe.
Ingredients
- 18 oz plain flour
- 2 oz margarine
- 2 oz lard
- 2 oz brown sugar
- 2 oz white sugar
- 2 eggs
- 18 oz currants
- 5 oz sultanas
- 2½ oz peel
- ½ level tsp Cream of Tartar
- ½ level tsp Carbonate of Soda
- 1 teaspoon spice
- Buttermilk to mix
Method
No method given but judging from the ingredients rather like a rich fruit cake:
- Beat fats and sugar, add eggs
- sift flour spice and raising ingredients,
- then add with fruit and cook in a slow oven (150C - probably around 2 hours but needs experimentation).
- Alternatively, possibly rub fats into sifted flour/spice mix
- then add eggs, fruit and buttermilk to produce the required dropping consistency
BUN LOAF or SPICE CAKE
Ingredients
- 1 lb Plain Flour
- 8 oz lard
- 8 oz brown sugar
- 8 oz currants
- 8 oz sultanas
- 4 oz mixed peel
- 8 oz raisins
- 1 teaspoon mixed spice
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 2 cups of milk
- 2 tablespoons of black treacle
Method
- Sieve dry ingredients
- Rub fat into flour, add fruit, mix treacle with milk, mix to a soft consistency.
- Turn into greased tin
- Bake in moderate oven.
SPECIAL BUN LOAF
Ingredients
- 1 lb flour
- 4 oz margarine
- 2 lb mixed fruit
- 8 oz sugar
- 2 tablespoons syrup
- 2 teaspoons spice
- candied peel or marmalade
- 1 dessert bicarbonate of soda
Method
- Mix with sour milk or buttermilk (dissolve bicarbonate of soda in milk and add to dry ingredients)
- Bake 2 hours in slow oven
These last two have a different method, and are good and moist. They were attributed to May Green, who used to demonstrate cookery, and s connected to Creer and Creer Ltd.,the Grocers of Buck's Road, Douglas.
BUNLOAF
Ingredients
- 4 oz margarine
- 4 cups fruit
- 4 cups SR flour
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 cups water
- 2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
- 2 teaspoons vinegar
Method
- Put margarine, fruit, sugar and water in pan and boil for 3 minutes.
- Once cold and add flour
- Dissolve bicarbonate in the vinegar. Stir together.
- Bake at 300 deg F for 10 minutes then reduce to 275 deg F for 50 minutes.
Variation
- As above but add 2 tsp treacle and 2 tsp mixed spice in flour mixture.
BONNAG - THE SUNROSE WAY
Ingredients
- 12 oz Plain Flour
- 4 oz Sugar
- 4 oz Butter or Margarine
- 1 teaspoonful Bi-Carb. Of Soda
- About 4 oz Dried Fruit
- Sour Milk to mix to fairly soft dough (about a good teacupful)
Method
- Rub fat into flour, add the sugar, then the fruit, add some of the milk in which the Bi-Carbonate of Soda has been mixed.
- Then add the rest until required consistency is obtained.
- Put in greased Baking tin and sprinkle sugar on top.
- Bake in a moderate oven about 45 minutes.
RICH BONNAG
Here is a recipe for Manx Bunloaf, which incidentally came from the 1971 Kathie Webber's International Star Cook Book (TV Times Extra) 1971. It measures up to the hand-down recipes which I have.
Ingredients
- 8 oz plain flour
- pinch of salt
- pinch of mixed spice
- pinch of nutmeg
- 3/4 level teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
- 4 oz butter
- 4 oz soft brown sugar
- 1/2 lb sultanas
- 1/2 lb currants
- 1/4 lb stoned raisins
- 1 oz chopped mixed peel
- 1/2 level tablespoon black treacle
- buttermilk or milk to mix
Method
- Sift the flour, salt, mixed spice, nutmeg and bicarbonate of soda into a bowl.
- Rub in the butter until mixture looks like fine bread crumbs.
- Stir in the sugar, fruit and peel.
- Add the treacle and mix to a fairly stiff dropping consistency with buttermilk or milk.
- Turn mixture into a well greased 1 lb loaf tin
- Bake for 2 1/2 hours in centre of oven, pre-heated to 325 deg.F or Mark 3.
- Test with a skewer to see if cooked.