Free From Clootie Dumpling: a traditional pudding

I was so excited when the idea for my very own gluten free Clootie Dumpling popped into my head. I had already made a Christmas Cake and Christmas Pudding using the seasonal Delicious Alchemy Rich Fruit Cake Mix and just knew that this Clootie would work too.

Whizz forward three years and sadly Delicious Alchemy no longer produce their seasonal mix – so naturally I stepped back into the kitchen to bake, test and bake again until I was happy with the end result. So below is my very own Gluten Free, Dairy Free Scottish dish.

What is a Clootie Dumpling?

I’ve tried a true Clootie Dumpling a few times now, always when we holiday in Aviemore in Scotland. It was gorgeous and I’m not ashamed to say that I scoffed it all to myself…it was a small dumpling I hasten to add! So before I made my dumpling I did a little research into the history of the Scottish traditional treat; why it’s called a ‘clootie’ and what common ingredients there are. One fabulous website I’ve found which does a far better job of going into detail about the clootie dumpling is Scotsman Food and Drink but to summarise, cloot is Scottish for cloth, the recipe is older than 300 years and while recipes do vary slightly they all work out less rich than a Christmas Pudding.

Can I make this Clootie Vegan?

Yes you can using my gluten free suet recipe [see link below] and a flax seed egg, to make a vegan egg I’ve added the ingredients and method and the results are perfect every time. If you chose to use chia seed instead this is not a problem, I personally find flax seed less flavoursome.

How to make a flax egg

to make 1 flax egg you need the following ingredients:
– 1tbsp ground flax seed
– 3tbsp water
– 1tsp psyllium husk (optional but does add elasticity to baking)

Simply add all ingredients to a glass and stir before measuring out the other recipe ingredients, by the time you come to use your ‘egg’ mixture it will have thickened to a frog-spawn consistency (thicker if you added psyllium husk)

Then just add to your baking as you would an egg. For 2 eggs double the ingredients but note that recipes that require more than two eggs may fail due to lack of support in the structure.

How do you make Gluten Free Suet?

There are gluten free suet products out there but they’re a rare thing and why scour the shelves in the supermarket when you can make your own for a fraction of the price and keep it store in the fridge.

My simple recipe can be found here in my Dumplings recipe, and soon you’ll be able to see it in my Jam Roly Poly Pudding too, so now’s a great time to follow me on social media and sign up to my newsletter so you don’t miss it when I publish the recipe.

Step-by-step Clootie instructions

The printable version of the recipe is below but I’ve added a series of images to show you step-by-step how I made my fabulous gluten free clootie dumpling;

Other Christmas pudding ideas if fruit isn’t your thing

So maybe your not a fruit fan, personally I love fruit cake, fruit pie and all the fruity puddings. But if chocolate is your thing then you’ll definitely want to try out my rich Gluten Free Salted Chocolate Tart or how about my epic Black Forest Gateau

If your looking for an after dinner treats that’s more for the adults and less likely to fill you up, then my Bailey’s recipes are certainly worth a go I have three flavours; Original, Chocolate Orange and Pumpkin Spice you can see all my Homemade Bailey’s recipes here.

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Gluten Free Clootie Dumpling Recipe

5 from 5 votes

Print

Gluten Free Clootie Dumpling

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

3 hrs 15 mins

Total Time

3 hrs 30 mins

 

A delicious traditional Scottish pudding that's boiled not baked or steamed. This Clootie has been made gluten free and dairy free using my own suet recipe

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Free From – gluten and dairy, Scottish

Keyword: Dairy Free, easy, Gluten Free, simple, Suet, Traditional Recipe

Servings: 8

Calories: 376 kcal

Author: Glutarama

Ingredients

• 300 g mixed dried fruit
• 200 g plain gluten free flour
• 100 g light brown sugar
• 100 g gluten free vegetable suet
• 100 g gluten free breadcrumbs
• 1 egg
• 100 ml water
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• 1 tsp baking powder

Metric – US Customary

Instructions

1. Throw all the ingredients into a large mixing bowl and combine.
2. Take an old clean tea towel, muslin or piece of cloth and dust with flour.
3. Place the clootie dough into the centre of the cloth and gather the corners.

4. Tie the corners in place, allowing a little room for expansion. I use a cable tie to secure mine if we don't have any string in the house!

5. Place the clootie parcel onto of an upturned plate in a large saucepan, this is to stop the dumpling from sticking to the hot bottom of the pan.

6. Using a recently boiled kettle pour enough liquid to just cover the dumpling. My largest saucepan isn't quite deep enough, so I never quite manage to cover the dumpling completely. Adding a lid will prevent the top from drying if this happens to you.

7. Boil the water for 3 hours, keep an eye on the pan as you will need to top up the water at least once.
8. After 3 hours remove the dumpling taking care not to scald yourself.
9. Remove the cloot (cloth) and place the soggy dumpling on a baking tray.
10. Pop the dumpling in an oven set at 190C/Gas 5 for 15 mins to harden off the skin, it will turn a more dark familiar colour now not unlike a Christmas pudding or cake.
11. Serve immediately with cream or custard.

Recipe Notes

This keeps really well and we were still eating it 4 days later … delicious!

Nutrition Facts

Gluten Free Clootie Dumpling

Amount Per Serving

Calories 376 Calories from Fat 126

% Daily Value*

Fat 14g22%

Saturated Fat 7g35%

Cholesterol 29mg10%

Sodium 17mg1%

Potassium 330mg9%

Carbohydrates 62g21%

Fiber 6g24%

Sugar 31g34%

Protein 6g12%

Vitamin A 30IU1%

Vitamin C 1mg1%

Calcium 112mg11%

Iron 2mg11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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