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Jan in de zak
Jan in de zak: Flemish steamed raisin pudding fried in butter with brown sugar
BelgianJan in de zak, 'John in the bag', is the old Flemish farmhouse pudding cooked for Shrove Tuesday and winter Sundays in West and East Flanders: a soft yeasted dough with raisins and currants tied up in a floured cloth and boiled for hours, then sliced and fried in butter and eaten with brown sugar or treacle. It is the Flemish cousin of Dutch 'Jan in de zak'. A common mistake is tying the cloth tightly, which leaves no room for the pudding to swell and makes it dense. Chef's tip: tie the cloth loosely, leaving room for the dough to double, and keep the water at a steady simmer.
- Total time
- 180 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the pudding
- 14 oz plain flour
- 2 tbsp sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup warm milk
- 1 egg
- 1 ⅜ oz buttermelted
- 3 ½ oz raisins
- 1 ¾ oz currants
- 2 tbsp plain flourfor the cloth
To serve
- 1 ⅜ oz butter
- 4 tbsp soft brown sugar
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Mix 14 oz plain flour, ¼ oz fast-action dried yeast, 2 tbsp sugar and ½ tsp salt. Add 1 cup warm milk, 1 egg and 1 ⅜ oz butter and knead 8 minutes. Knead in 3 ½ oz raisins and 1 ¾ oz currants. Rise 30 minutes.
8 minStep 2: Wet a large cotton cloth, wring it out and dust with 2 tbsp plain flour. Put the dough in the middle and tie the cloth loosely at the top. Common mistake: tying it tight; it turns dense.
Step 3: Lower into a large pot of simmering water, hanging it from a wooden spoon across the pot so it does not touch the bottom. Simmer for 2½ hours, topping up the water.
150 minStep 4: Lift out, unwrap and cool for 10 minutes. Slice 2 cm thick.
10 minStep 5: Fry slices in 1 ⅜ oz butter for 2 minutes per side, until golden, and serve with 4 tbsp soft brown sugar.
8 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 380 kcal
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbs
- 58 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does jan in de zak take?
- About 180 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 150 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of fast-action dried yeast?
- Fresh yeast, three times the weight.
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