Jan in de zak, a traditional Dutch boiled pudding, is also known as zakmeel, broeder, trommelkoek, klont, proffert and boffer. They are all the names for more or less the same traditional pudding.

In fact, both the names and the ingredients of this sweet dish are based on family traditions. In many households on Texel, it was traditionally cooked on Saturday and eat is as lunch or dessert.

There are a number of family recipes on Texel but the one we’re sharing with you now is one of the most popular.

Requirements

• A poffertrommel, a mould with an air-tight lid (like a Charlotte mould, etc.) or a cotton bag, moistened and dusted with flour
• 200 grams buckwheat flour
• 200 grams Texel flour
• Half teaspoon salt
• Oil
• 0.5 litres milk from Novalishoeve
• 50 grams fresh yeast or two sachets dried yeast (7 grams per sachet)
• 2 eggs
• 150 grams raisins and/or currants
• About 50 grams cranberries from Landgoed de Bonte Belevenis
• 2 apples, chopped
• Sugar-beet syrup, brown sugar and butter to taste

Method

Sieve the buckwheat flour and wheat flour into a bowl and add the salt. Heat the milk until it is lukewarm, add the yeast and stir until the yeast has dissolved. Make a dip in the centre of the flour and pour the milk and yeast into it. Add the eggs and stir from the centre with a wooden spoon until everything is mixed in. Next, add the currants/raisins, pieces of apple and cranberries. Leave to rise in a warm spot for one hour.

Grease the bottom of the mould with oil. Fill two thirds of the mould with the batter. Put the lid on the mould and place it in a pan with boiling water. Make sure the water does not go over the rim. The pudding should cook for 2 to 2 and half hours ‘au bain-marie’.

Alternatively, you can cook the batter can be cooked in a cotton bag; make sure you rinse the bag well first and dust it with flour. Then pour in the batter and tie the bag up. Attention: do not fill the bag completely, because the batter needs room to rise.

Next, place the bag in a pan filled with lukewarm water. Place a saucer on the bottom of the pan to avoid burning the pudding. Bring the water slowly to the boil and leave the bag to cook for 2 to 2 and half hours on a low heat. Next, remove the bag.

Serve the Jan in de zak with melted butter and syrup or soft, brown sugar. Enjoy!

More Texel recipes