If your recipe calls for slices or chunks of currant bun, choose a whole bun in a suitable size and slice it yourself: the regular, mini and long varieties discussed here are not sold pre-sliced. If your recipe calls for unbaked biscuit dough or a dry biscuit texture, use the ingredients intended for that recipe rather than currant buns.
If your recipe can use pieces of bread, you can cut a whole currant bun to size. A regular-sized bun gives you more room to make slices than a mini version; slice one bun first to check whether the pieces will work for your recipe.
If you won't use the whole bag in one baking session, check the storage instructions. PLUS says its regular and long currant buns can be frozen at home on the day of purchase and should be used within one month.
Wheat and milk are relevant ingredients and allergens in Jumbo and PLUS regular currant buns. PLUS also mentions the possible presence of other allergens. Check the packaging of the bag you buy, rather than relying only on information for a similar bun.
First, check that your recipe can use bread-like pieces. Then choose a bun size, check the ingredients, and work out how many you need and want to store.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who should pay particular attention? |
|---|---|---|
| Size and ease of slicing | Check whether the bun is regular, mini or long, and how many are in the bag. The varieties discussed are whole, so you can choose how thick to slice them. | If I need even slices or chunks, I want to know first whether the bun is large enough to cut them. For around 42% of consumers, size is the most important factor when choosing. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Read the current label, including the allergen information and any ‘may contain’ warning. | If ingredients or cross-contamination matter for my recipe, I want to know exactly what's in this particular bun. Around 33% of consumers prioritise its composition. |
| Quantity and storage | Compare the number of buns with what your recipe calls for, and read the storage and freezing instructions on the packaging. | I don't want to use a whole bag at once, so I need to be able to store the rest until my next baking session. For around 25% of consumers, this is their top priority. |
The regular, mini and long currant buns discussed here are sold whole. So if you expect slices, you'll need to slice them yourself and take the size of the whole bun into account.
Choose a size that suits the pieces your recipe calls for, and cut a test piece before using the rest of the bag.
A currant bun is baked bread containing dried fruit. It isn't the same ingredient as unbaked biscuit dough or the individual ingredients used to make biscuits.
Use currant buns when your recipe can take slices, chunks or crumbs of bread. If it calls for dough or a specific biscuit texture, follow the ingredients in the recipe.
Ingredients and allergens vary by product. Jumbo and PLUS regular varieties contain wheat and milk; PLUS also mentions the possible presence of other allergens.
Read the ingredients list and allergen information on the packaging of the bun you actually use, even if you've bought a product with the same name before.
The name alone doesn't tell you which ingredient appears on the label of a particular currant bun. Albert Heijn's discontinued variety listed ‘iodised salt’; other product information uses the term ‘baker's salt’.
If the exact composition matters to your choice, check the product's current ingredients list.
Compare specific varieties, not just brand names: size, allergen information and storage instructions can vary from one product to another.
Jumbo describes its raisin and currant buns as a bag of six whole buns, with six 65 g portions.
PLUS describes regular currant buns sold in packs of six, mini raisin and currant buns in packs of nine, and a long variety in a pack of eight.
ALDI describes a bag of six whole, soft wheat buns with raisins and currants.
Lidl lists mini and giant raisin and currant buns as different sizes.
Albert Heijn described a regular bag of six raisin and currant buns, but marks that product variety as discontinued.
For the currant buns discussed here, expect to slice them yourself: Jumbo, PLUS and ALDI describe whole buns, not a pre-sliced ‘medium sliced’ variety. Use them only if your recipe can take pieces of baked bread; you'll need different ingredients for unbaked biscuit dough.
Use a sharp knife to cut a whole bun into the shape and thickness your recipe calls for. Try it with one bun first to see whether the size gives you useful slices or chunks; there is no standard slice thickness for biscuit recipes.
PLUS says its regular and long currant buns can be frozen at home on the day of purchase and should be used within one month. For another variety, follow the instructions on its packaging.
Check the full allergen information on the current packaging, including any ‘may contain’ warning. Jumbo and PLUS regular currant buns list wheat and milk; PLUS also mentions the possible presence of egg, soya, nuts, sesame and lupin, among other allergens.
