Jam Roly-Poly (Steamed)
A proper vegetarian built around vegetable suet, red plum jam and custard — roughly 60 minutes start to finish, and rated medium to make. Scroll down for the ingredient checklist, a serving scaler and unit converter, and the method broken into 7 steps.
You'll mainly reach for pan and large pot. At medium difficulty across 7 steps, it's manageable with a little attention. As written, it's meat-free.
What you'll need
Shopping list (3)
Pantry staples (you likely have these)
🔁 Unit converter
How to make it
- Bring a large pan of water to a steady simmer and set up a steamer, or place a trivet in a deep pot, ready for the pudding.
- In a bowl, mix the self-raising flour, suet, sugar and salt, then beat the egg into the milk and add gradually, stirring to form a soft but not sticky dough.
- Turn the dough onto a floured surface and roll it into a rectangle roughly 20 by 25 cm and about 1 cm thick.
- Spread the jam evenly over the dough, leaving a 2 cm border clear all around so it does not leak out during cooking.
- Starting from a short edge, roll the dough up loosely into a log, pinch the ends to seal, then wrap it in greaseproof paper and foil, leaving room for expansion, and twist the ends tightly.
- Steam the wrapped roly-poly over simmering water for about 1 hour 30 minutes, topping up the water as needed so the pan never boils dry.
- Unwrap carefully, allowing the steam to escape away from you, then slice thickly and serve hot with custard or cream.
You'll use: Pan · Large pot · Saucepan · Steamer
Ingredient substitutions
- Self-raising Flour
- 1 cup plain flour + 1½ tsp baking powder + ¼ tsp salt
- Milk
- any unsweetened plant milk · ½ cup evaporated milk + ½ cup water
Tips & common questions
How long does Jam Roly-Poly (Steamed) take to make?
About 60 minutes from start to finish — an estimate based on the 7 steps and 8 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.
What can I use instead of self-raising flour?
Try 1 cup plain flour + 1½ tsp baking powder + ¼ tsp salt. See the substitutions section above for more swaps.
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes — use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.
Is Jam Roly-Poly (Steamed) vegetarian?
Its ingredients contain no meat or fish, so it's suitable for vegetarians. Check any cheeses for animal rennet if that matters to you.
Related recipes
Jam Roly-Poly (Steamed) is an original recipe developed in-house by Consomee. Photo: Roly poly pudding postcard.jpg (Public domain) via Wikimedia Commons. We add the serving scaler, ingredient tools, timing and structure on top — how we source recipes.