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Image of a slice of jam roly poly served on a decorative plate. A jar of raspberry jam is sitting in the background. Text overlay says, "Great-Grandma's Jam Roly Poly - Vintage War Rations Recipe".

Vintage Recipe: Jam Roly-Poly Recipe without Suet

Dessert, Recipes, Vintage

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Traditional jam roly-poly recipe is a wonderful holiday recipe, but it's also frugal!

Anyone else love old-fashioned frugal recipes without the processed ingredients? This is her great-grandmother's jam roly-poly recipe made during the war time rationing. You can change the flavor by the jam. This is going in our holiday baking! Great way to use up jam and no extra sugar. Yumm!

I have a thing for old-fashioned from-scratch cooking and recipes. Especially ones that use up some of our homemade preserves. You can showcase and change up the flavor by using seasonal jams and fruit butters.

Here is another budget-friendly, easy-to-make dessert recipe from the war rationing years.  It's made completely without sugar or sweetener (other than whatever is in your jam) and can easily be made gluten-free.  It's also a wonderful way to showcase homemade jam!

A traditional Roly-Poly pudding, named for its rolled-up shape, was made with suet.  This variation utilizes a few tablespoons of butter or coconut oil.

Resources for Jam Roly-Poly

If you have never made a steamed pudding before, you are in for a treat.   Although pudding molds are available, I have never used one. This pudding mold is made with stainless steel and has some great reviews.

A glass bowl or piece of parchment paper works just as well.

Favorite Jam Flavors for Roly-Poly

The beauty of this jam roly-poly recipe is you can create different flavors by making it with different jams. Here are some of my favorite jam options and recipes!

Low Sugar Strawberry Jam without Pectin 

Blueberry Low Sugar Jam

Easy Blackberry Jam

Apple Pie Jam

No Sugar Strawberry Jam

Jam Roly-Poly Recipe Without Suet

Mix the dry ingredients.  Cut in the butter or oil until well combined.  Pour in the milk and gather the dough into a ball.

Turn dough out onto a floured surface and roll 1/4″ thick.  Spread with jam.  Gently roll into a log-shape.  Some jam might squeeze out at this point, don't worry about it.

Place on a piece of parchment paper, fold in the ends and roll the paper until the pudding is completely covered.  Alternatively, you can cut the pudding in half and place it in a greased glass bowl.  Cover the bowl with a piece of cotton or parchment paper and secure it with an elastic band or piece of string.

Place pudding in a steamer basket over boiling water and steam for 45 minutes.  Remove from the parchment and serve.

Anyone else love old-fashioned frugal recipes without the processed ingredients? This is her great-grandmother's jam roly-poly recipe made during the war time rationing. You can change the flavor by the jam. This is going in our holiday baking! Great way to use up jam and no extra sugar. Yumm!
More Old-Fashioned From-Scratch Recipes

Grandmother’s Date Bread Recipe from WWII

Honey Banana Cake from 1940

Carrot Cookie Recipe from WW2 & Great-Grandma

Easy Oatmeal Macaroons Recipe

Vintage Recipe: Jam Roly-Poly Recipe without Suet

Andrea Sabean
This jam roly-poly recipe without suet is a delicious way to showcase and use up your jam in a frugal dessert. It's adaptable to ingredients on hand as well as gluten and dairy free.
3.16 from 52 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 45 mins
Total Time 55 mins
Course Dessert
Servings 8

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour or gluten-free all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp of baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 Tbsp softened butter or coconut oil
  • 1/3 cup milk of your choice
  • 1/2 cup thick jam

Instructions
 

  • Mix the dry ingredients. Cut in the butter or oil until well combined. Pour in the milk and gather the dough into a ball.
  • Turn dough out onto floured surface and roll 1/4″ thick. Spread with jam. Gently roll into a log-shape. Some jam might squeeze out at this point, don't worry about it.
  • Place on a piece of parchment paper, fold in the ends, and roll the paper until the pudding is completely covered. Alternatively, you can cut the pudding in half and place in a greased glass bowl. Cover the bowl with a piece of cotton or parchment paper and secure with an elastic band or piece of string.
  • Place pudding in a steamer basket over boiling water and steam for 45 minutes. Remove from the parchment and serve.

Notes

Create different variations of this jam roly-poly recipe by using different flavors of jam or fruit butters.
Keyword jam roly-poly without suet, traditional jam roly-poly
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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Comments:

  1. Sue

    6 years ago

    I have hard white wheat to grind up for bread.
    My question is: If I am supposed to be frugel, how can I make pastry flour from what I have on hand……..otherwise I have to have pastry flour also?

    Please advise.
    Sue

    Reply
    • Melissa Norris

      6 years ago

      Sue,
      Is hard white wheat the only wheat you have or flour? If it is, go ahead and use it, but sift it first so it acts more like pastry. If you’ve got spelt or some other flours, you can try doing a mixture. Spelt is what I grind and use as my pastry flour.

      Reply
  2. Barbara Del Col

    December 11, 2020 at 6:33 am

    Am I missing something? You make the dough, cover with the jam and roll up. Then it talks about pudding. How did the pudding get made? How does the dough get baked? I don’t think I understand this recipe.

    Reply
    • Jillian

      December 11, 2020 at 7:16 am

      In this case the roly poly is also called a pudding because it is steamed and not baked.
      🙂

      Reply
    • Melissa Norris

      December 11, 2020 at 11:46 am

      It’s steamed to cook it, hence pudding.

      Reply
  3. Kathleen

    December 11, 2020 at 1:56 pm

    Since I’ve never done this before, I’m a bit confused. Do you place it in the glass bowl then in the steamer basket? Is the steamer basket then placed on a double boiler? I’m a visual person, so if you’ve done this in a video, would you mind sending me the link. Thank you.

    Reply
  4. Micki

    February 17, 2023 at 5:24 pm

    I’d love to see you make a YouTube video with this recipe. ❤️

    Reply

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