Gluten-Free Spotted Dick

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This Gluten-Free Spotted Dick is like a time travel machine in food form, designed to send you right back to your nursery days. A glorious traditionally British suet pudding studded with currants, mixed peel and spices, designed to warm you from the inside out.

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Spotted Dick is a really traditional British ‘nursery’ pudding. Basically one of those charming relics of childhood which is more often found these days in staid British restaurants and gentleman’s clubs. Most of us though know of it from school dinners, hence the term ‘nursery pudding.’

It has a terrible reputation as a great stodge of a pudding but really it doesn’t have to be. It’s tremendously comforting and this gluten-free version is especially heart-warming and so much lighter than you'd expect. It’s traditionally made with suet but I find by using fresh beef suet (which you should ask your butcher for) instead of the shop bought stuff really softens the finished result. The pudding must really be eaten steaming hot with copious amounts of custard.

What is Spotted Dick?

Gosh we British fools really know how to name wrestle with innuendo! The bemusing moniker is really an ancient term meaning spotted dough, not nearly as memorable I think you’ll find. The spotted part refers to the currants which are dotted throughout the pudding, along with mixed peel and spices. It’s a much easier pudding to make than you think as the dough quickly comes together and then is wrapped in a double layer of muslin and foil and boiled for a couple of hours.

Gluten-free flours required

This recipe requires a carefully selected blend of gluten-free flours which is the perfect ratio of wholegrain and protein packed flour to make sure the Spotted Dick is light and fluffy and has a great structure (i.e. doesn't fall apart and doesn't have that awful gummy texture).

Sweet rice flour (glutinous rice flour, mochiko)

This starchy flour has a light neutral taste and it gives the cake bounce and binding power. Not to be confused with regular rice flour.

READ MORE >>> The Ultimate Guide to Sweet Rice Flour.

Oat flour

This buttery and fluffy flour gives a wonderfully tender crumb and lightness to the Spotted Dick. Make sure you choose a certified gluten-free oat flour as cross-contamination can occur. If you can't digest oats then swap with sorghum flour.

READ MORE >>> The Ultimate Guide to Oat Flour

Almond flour

This protein packed flour gives a good structure to the Spotted Dick thanks to its strong bonds. This also helps keeps our pudding moist.

Full list of ingredients

• Currants.
• Rum. (enough to soak the currants) Can substitute whisky, brandy or orange juice.
• Sweet rice flour.
• Oat flour.
• Almond flour.
• Baking powder.
• Sea salt.
• Fresh beef suet. I recommend fresh suet for gluten-free purposes but you can substitute for a vegan suet if needed (these are mostly gluten-free too).
• Soft brown sugar.
• Mixed peel. Have you ever tried making your own Mixed Peel?
• Mixed spice. Have you ever tried blending your own Mixed Spice?
• Whole milk. Can sub for a plant based alternative.

Is suet gluten-free?

Actual suet is gluten-free as it’s a natural animal product. However, the beef suet sold in packets in the supermarket comes in pellets coated in wheat flour, so it is not gluten-free. You can buy gluten-free suet in the supermarket but unfortunately it is also vegetarian and the ingredients list on the back of the packet leads to quite shady reading.

I source real animal suet from my butcher but you will need to shop around, not every butcher can supply it. Your local farmer at the market is usually the best source as you can get it directly from them. The suet is usually supplied in a large hard block which I grate in the food processor with a few tablespoons of gluten-free flour to form the same kind of pellets you would buy in the supermarket for even distribution in the recipes.

Suet substitutions

Only substitute if you have exhausted avenues for real beef suet. These substitutions are good in a pinch but don’t give quite the same results as the suet:

• Lard
• Coconut butter

If you are using these substitutions you should measure out the required amount and freeze. Then grate the frozen fat into the pudding for even distribution.

Don’t substitute with butter though as the pudding will be too greasy.

How to make it

For full recipe instructions go to the recipe card at the end of this post. 

1. Soak the currants in the rum (or orange juice) for 1 hour.
2. Sift the flours, baking powder and salt.
3. Stir in the suet, sugar, currants, mixed peel and spices.
4. Pour in the milk to make a dough. Shape into a log and wrap in muslin tied with string.
5. Submerge the pudding in boiling water and cook at a simmer for 2 hours.
6. Serve immediately.

Make ahead and re-heating

You can make this dessert ahead of time but I strongly recommend you serve it hot. The best way to re-heat it is by re-wrapping in muslin and steaming for 45 minutes - 1 hour. Or at a push you can microwave it for a minute or two.

Serving suggestions

There is no better accompaniment to Spotted Dick than custard.

Try this Homemade Gluten-Free Custard or for real nostalgia serve it with lashings of this Strawberry Custard (aka Pink Custard)

How to freeze

You can freeze this Spotted Dick recipe for up to 2 months. Make sure it has cooled completely then double wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and aluminium foil before storing in the freezer.

Allow to thaw completely at room temperature by re-heating as above.

Vegan Spotted Dick

This recipe is easy to make a vegan and dairy-free version of. There are two swaps you need to make.

• Suet. Make sure you are using a vegan suet which you can buy at most British supermarkets.
• Whole milk. Substitute for your favourite plant based alternative. Hey, have you tried Homemade Almond Milk? It's glorious in this dessert.

More cosy gluten-free desserts you'll love

• Easy Gluten-Free Apple Crumble
• Gluten-Free Steamed Chocolate Pudding
• Gluten-Free Sticky Toffee Pudding with Baileys
• Gluten-Free Fruit Cake
• Gluten-Free School Cake
• Gluten-Free Christmas Pudding
• Gluten-Free Bramley Apple Mincemeat Pudding
• Spiced Rice Pudding
• Gluten-Free Bread and Butter Pudding

✨Have you tried this Gluten-Free Spotted Dish? Please leave a 5-star ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ rating on the recipe card and consider leaving a comment as well! I would love to hear about how your recipe turned out and your feedback also helps other readers✨

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Gluten-Free Spotted Dick

Georgina Hartley

Spotted Dick is a glorious traditional suet pudding studded with currants, mixed peel and spices, designed to warm you from the inside out.

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 2 hours hrs

Total Time 2 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Course Afternoon Tea

Cuisine British

Servings 8 people

Calories 538 kcal

Ingredients

 

MetricUS Customary

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 125 g currants
• ▢ 3 tablespoons rum - or whisky, brandy or orange juice
• ▢ 140 g sweet rice flour
• ▢ 120 g oat flour
• ▢ 100 g almond flour
• ▢ 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• ▢ 180 g fresh beef suet
• ▢ 125 g soft brown sugar
• ▢ 40 g mixed peel
• ▢ ¾ teaspoon mixed spice - see notes
• ▢ 225-250 g whole milk

Instructions

 

1. Place the currants in a small bowl and spoon over the rum, leaving them to soak for at least an hour.
2. Sift the flours, baking powder and sea salt into a large bowl.
3. Stir in the suet, sugar, soaked currants (without the excess liquid), mixed peel and spices.
4. Pour in just enough milk to make soft dough, mixing together with your hands.
5. Shape the dough into a thick log and loosely wrap in muslin or cheesecloth, securing the ends with string.
6. Wrap in aluminium foil.
7. Place the Spotted Dick in a large saucepan, pour boiling water all around the spotted dick until it has submerged and bring up to a boil. Turn the heat down to simmer, put the lid on and leave to cook for two hours.
8. Remove the Spotted Dick carefully from the water and serve immediately with lashings of custard.

Notes

Oat flour. If you can't digest oats then you can substitute with sorghum flour.

Mixed Spice. I urge you to make your own mixed spice which tastes so much better than shop bought. This recipe is also ideal if you can't find it in your local grocery store British Mixed Spice Recipe.

Vegan version. You can swap the beef suet for vegan suet and swap the whole milk for a plant based milk like almond milk.

Re-heat. The best way to re-heat it is by re-wrapping in muslin and steaming for 45 minutes - 1 hour. Or at a push you can microwave it for a minute or two.

Freezing. You can freeze this Spotted Dick recipe for up to 2 months. Make sure it has cooled completely then double wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and aluminium foil before storing in the freezer. Allow to thaw completely at room temperature by re-heating as above.

Ingredient measurements

• Please note when you see ‘grams’ listed as opposed to ‘millilitres,’ or any other term of measurement, that is not incorrect. I weigh all of my ingredients, including liquids, for accuracy.
• US customary measurements for the ingredients provided are based on a conversion calculator. This recipe was tested with metric measurements and I recommend using a digital scale to weigh ingredients for the most accurate results. READ MORE >>> Why you should always weigh vs measuring with cups

Nutrition information

Please note that the nutrition information provided below is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. It will vary based on the specific ingredients you use. Please seek a professional nutritionist’s advice for further clarification.

Nutrition

Calories: 538kcalCarbohydrates: 59gProtein: 7gFat: 29gSaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 18mgSodium: 100mgPotassium: 367mgFiber: 3gSugar: 31gVitamin A: 55IUVitamin C: 0.7mgCalcium: 138mgIron: 1.9mg

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