This Air Fryer Suet Jam Roly Poly takes an ultra traditional recipe using a classic suet pastry and updates it to use the most modern of cooking techniques. The pudding steams in a foil parcel to perfection in the air fryer in a fraction of the time that it would take to steam in the old fashioned way! Just add custard…
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After sharing my traditional suet pastry and suet pastry sausage rolls recipes, I knew the next recipe I wanted to tackle was jam roly poly! It took a few experiments to get it exactly right but boy was it worth it.
I wasn’t even sure if I would be sharing a traditional steamed, oven baked or air fryer recipe. I tried them all and the air fryer version was the clear winner. The time it took to cook was certainly a factor in my decision. But the slightly browned crust and soft interior really clinched it for me. And there is no faffing with water – either keeping it topped up in a pan or making a bain marie in the oven – winner.
If you’re not familiar with suet pastry or jam roly poly, think of it like a warming and hearty swiss roll (jelly roll if you are in the US). But instead of making the sponge element and then filling and rolling, the jam is added to the raw pastry and the whole thing is cooked together.
How to Serve
There is only one way to serve jam roly poly as far as I’m concerned and that’s hot with custard! I’m a lover of custard powder custard made in the microwave to keep things simple.
Cream or ice cream are perfectly acceptable substitutions for the custard but I would definitely recommend sticking with serving the actual roly poly at least warm if not hot. If serving very hot, do be very careful with the jam filling as it will get nuclear.
Ingredients
Suet Pastry
Suet pastry isn’t really something you can buy – it does need to be homemade. But it really is the most easy pastry to make – you would have to try card hard to mess it up. Worse case scenario it’s too sticky, in which case add more flour. The pastry doesn’t crack and split, it doesn’t need folding or layering. And if you do mess up the rolling, you just start again.
Suet pastry, unlike most other pastry recipes includes a raising agent. So it has a fluffy element which is why it works here as a dessert. Substituting puff pastry or shortcrust pastry etc would simply not work at all.
You will need to visit my suet pastry recipe for far more information and the recipe itself. If you don’t change the serving size of the recipe, you will end up with roughly 450g/1lb of pastry which is exactly what you need to make this jam roly poly. If you are looking to reduce or increase the size of the roly poly, make sure to change the pastry recipe accordingly.
Traditional Suet Pastry Recipe
Jam
You can use absolutely any jam you like. A red berry fruit jam is the most traditional. I’m not sure I’d choose to use something light like peach or apricot jam. But going a little leftfield with something really packed with flavour like fig jam would be wonderful.
The trick is to not use any more than I’ve put in the recipe. It is very tempting to do but trust me, it just turns into an oozing mess. If you are really desperate for more jam, warm some up and drizzle it over the pudding along with your custard.
Allergen Information
This recipe is free from egg and nuts. I’ve detailed advice on how to make the pastry suitable for both gluten and dairy free diets in my suet pastry post.
Please note that this recipe may contain other allergens not referred to above and any variations suggested have not been tested unless otherwise stated. For more information regarding any dietary information provided on this website, please refer to my Nutritional Disclaimer.
How Long to Air Fry Jam Roly Poly
I cook this pudding quite low and slow – for 40 minutes. This gives the pastry ample time for the suet to render and to cook right through to the middle of the roll.
There is no need to check or turn the roll during cooking, Which makes this very easy and handsoff.
How to Air Fry Suet Jam Roly Poly From Frozen
You can make the roll including wrapping it in the parchment and foil before freezing it. I would recommend putting the roll into either an air tight container or freezer bag as an extra layer of protection for while it’s in the freezer. You do also want to make sure that the foil doesn’t get torn.
But I wouldn’t cook the roly poly from frozen. Allow it to defrost fully before air frying. This will ensure that the inside becomes fully cooked before the outside starts to dry out.
Leftovers – Storage & Reheating
Leftovers can be stored in an air tight container for several days. It doesn’t need to be refrigerated. Or you can freeze leftovers. I would suggest slicing and freezing individual portions.
You can reheat very simply in the microwave. Or if you need to reheat with the air fryer, wrap the slice into foil and then heat until piping hot. You can use both of these reheating methods straight from frozen.
Common Air Fryer Questions – A Brief Guide to Air Frying
- What exactly is an air fryer?
- What are the benefits of using an air fryer?
- Are all air fryers the same?
- Is an air fryer always better to use than an oven?
- Do air fryers need to be pre-heated?
- What is the best temperature to air fry at?
- What setting is best to use? Air fry, bake, dehydrate, etc…
- Can food be cooked from frozen in an air fryer?
- Can I reheat food in an air fryer?
- Are air fryer liners a good idea?
The Air Fried Feast Community
Come on over to Facebook and join my community discussing all things air fryer. Get involved in sharing your experiences and trials, help out others and find out what wonderful things everyone is cooking in their air fryers!
What Exactly is an Air Fryer?
Very simply, an air fryer is a small convection (fan) oven. The benefit is that the hot air is circulated all around the food being cooked which speeds up the cooking time and cooks the food more evenly.
What are the Benefits of Using an Air Fryer?
Size, time and energy usage. Air fryers are ideal for cooking smaller quantities. Heating up a space that the food just fits into requires less energy and means that the heat source is much closer to the food. Combining these two things can speed up the cooking time.
Are all air fryers the same?
Nope! The term air fryer is now used very broadly. I consider there to be 4 main types:
Basket Air Fryers
These are what I would consider to be the most common, especially in the UK. A boxy type unit has a pull out drawer/basket. Food isn’t usually visible whilst cooking.
Some larger models have two drawers so different items can be cooked at different temperatures or for different times.
This is the type that you’ll see in the images in this recipe. I mostly use a Cosori Lite 3.8L (CAF-LI401S) with a 3.8 litre capacity. The square(ish) shaped basket is 21cm x 21cm and 24cm on the diagonal. It isn’t an overly expensive or fancy model.
I’ve also recommended to several friends and family the model with a slightly larger basket. This is the Cosori 4.7L (CAF-L501) with a 4.7 litre basket. The unit is no larger than the 3.8 litre model on the outside but does have a larger internal basket capacity. I’ve since bought this version to use for some recipes where my smaller model was just too small. I’ll always note this in the recipe.
Rotary Air Fryers
Round air fryers with a paddle in the centre that rotates to move the food. This is the type I used for years – the most common is a Tefal Actifry.
Rotary types are not usually good for recipes where the food is breaded, glazed, likely to break up or in a tray/container. They do however make the best chips and roasted veg.
My 2 in 1 version like the one I’ve linked also has a rotating tray for things that could be broken up by a paddle, but the height clearance with the lid isn’t deep enough to use it to cook some items like sausage rolls. I’ve now actually retired by Actifry in favour of having my two basket type fryers.
Mini Oven Air Fryers
These usually have a glass door, shelves and overall are really quite large. You can cook quite a decent quantity of food in them so are best if regularly cooking for multiple people. They often come with extra features like a rotisserie spit or kebab skewers.
Multicookers with Air Fryer Functions
Some like Ninja 11 in 1 and some of the earlier versions with a few less functions, have an air fryer option. They mostly operate the same as a basket fryer but the basket drops in the top rather than sliding in like a drawer.
Some electric pressure cookers like Instant Pots can also air fry when used with a specific lid.
Is an air fryer always better to use than an oven?
As much as I do love air frying, the honest answer to this is no. And the more detailed answer is that it will always depend on what you’re cooking, how much of it you’re cooking and what type and size of air fryer you have.
Once you need to cook in more than 2 batches, it often makes more sense to use an oven. If you already have the oven on to cook other items, it may make more sense to throw one more item in rather than using an additional appliance.
I don’t think either method is often necessarily better than the other. The important point to note is that there is absolutely no difference in the finished product.
Do Air Fryers Need to Be Pre-Heated?
The answer to this is rather annoying – it depends. It depends entirely on your model and type of air fryer. The best advice I can offer is to check your manual and follow their guidance. My Cosori models have a preheat function. I press a button and it heats at 205c/400f for 4 minutes.
It’s also worth noting that regardless of whether you are supposed to pre-heat or not, if you are cooking in batches, it is quite likely that anything after the first batch will cook a little quicker because of the retained heat. It is best to check on them before the cooking time is completed.
What is the best temperature to Air Fry at?
It will always depend on what you are cooking and from what state. All of my air fryer recipes don’t use temperatures above 200c/390f because many of the most common fryers in the UK don’t go above this. Mine goes to 230c/450f and I use this temperature a lot but it is no help for me to share recipes which many people can’t use.
What setting is best to use? Air fry, bake, dehydrate, etc…
Not all air fryers have different settings like this. When they do it usually relates to the fan speed. The default setting to use will always be “air fry” so unless something else is specifically stated in the recipe, always use the air fry option.
There are other air fryers that have an additional heating element which cooks from underneath rather than just the top. Just as with the other settings, unless you are using a recipe which states to use a second heating element, stick with just using the top down air fry option.
Of course if and when you become more confident with air frying, using recipes and the settings of your air fryer, you can start adapting them to suit.
Can Food Be Cooked From Frozen In An Air Fryer?
Absolutely! To cook from frozen you usually will need to reduce the cooking temperature and increase the time to make sure your food is cooked right through to the middle.
It is best to check my individual recipes for cooking from frozen advice as some items are a little different. And there are occasionally exceptions to the rule.
Can I Reheat Food In An Air Fryer?
Yes. As a general rule I reheat food for roughly 1/3 of the original cooking time at the same temperature. Or at 10 degrees lower for half the time for larger items.
Are Air Fryer Liners a Good Idea?
Unless otherwise stated, I do not use liners when air frying. Basket and rotary type air fryers are designed to be used without liners. Mini oven types will generally require some kind of tray like with a regular large oven although most come with crisper racks to use.
There are many air fryer liners available including quite thick silicone ones. These will affect the cooking times and possibly temperatures of your cooking/baking. I also don’t like how cooking juices are prevented from dripping through the basket rack. This can stop food from crisping all the way around.
When I do want to collect the juices, I mostly use some foil, or occasionally a foil tray which can be washed and reused.
If you do prefer to use them, once you have got a feel for how they affect your cooking and baking, you may need to make adjustments to the recipe accordingly.
More Air Fryer Recipes
All my recipes with instructions for how to cook or bake them in the air fryer can be found in my Air Fryer Recipe Index.
Don’t forget to let me know in the comments if you try making this recipe – I want to know what you think and if you made any substitutions, how did it turn out?
Still Have Questions?
Simple! Just contact me and I will do my best to help as quickly as I am able. Head over to my Contact Me page, any of my social media channels or post a comment at the bottom of this page and I’ll see what I can do.
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The Recipe
Suet Jam Roly Poly (Air Fryer Recipe)
Equipment
- Baking Paper
Ingredients
- 450 g Suet Pastry
- 150 g Jam - of your choice
- Flour - for dusting, if required
- Margarine - or butter for greasing
Instructions
- If your air fryer requires it, set it to preheat.
- Take 450g Suet Pastry and make sure it has had a chance to rest for at least 5 minutes and it is still relatively cold. Put it in the fridge for a few minutes if needed.
- Roll the pastry into a rectangle. Try to keep the corners fairly square, you can stretch them out with your hands if needed. Turn the pastry over after each roll so it doesn't stick. Dust some flour onto the board if needed but try to keep it minimal.
- You will need to check that the pastry is being rolled to a size that will fit in your air fryer. Use your crisper rack or basket to check the size remembering that you can put the roll in to cook on a diagonal if using a square basket. A rectangle with the size 20x30cm/8×12" was perfect for my 3.8l air fryer.
- Prepare some baking paper by tearing a section off a portion that is both longer and wider than the pastry. For me this was roughly 40x45cm/15×17".Use a piece of folded kitchen paper to grease the centre of the paper with a little margarine or butter. Grease an area just a little larger than the pastry.
- Move the suet pastry onto the greased paper.
- Take roughly 150g Jam and give it a stir in a small bowl so it is pliable and easy to spread.
- Use a spatula to gently spread the jam on the pastry.
- Try to spread it evenly but leave a small margin around the edges including a larger gap at the top. The jam will spread as the pastry is rolled so this is to account for that. Note: If you are working in a hot environment and the pastry and jam are on the soft side, it might me a good idea to put the jam spread pastry into the fridge before rolling. Allow at least 10 minutes or longer if needed. 5 minutes in a freezer would also do the trick.
- Fold over the bottom edge of the pastry over the jam.
- Continue to roll the pasty doing your best to lift it rather than push it so the jam doesn't get pushed out.
- Fold the top edge over the rest of the roll towards you. This will again help the jam stay in the roll. Tuck the ends in a little, again to prevent any jam spillage.
- Very loosely roll the pudding in the greased baking paper.
- Twist the ends to secure them.
- Take a piece of kitchen foil that is a similar size to your baking paper was. Place the pudding on top.
- Again, loosely wrap the pudding and crunch the ends to secure.
- Carefully place the pudding into the air fryer basket and air fry for 40 minutes at 160c/320f.
- Once cooked, carefully unwrap the foil and paper to expose the pudding. Be very careful of the foil and any escapee hot jam as this will be very hot. If you can bear to be patient, letting it sit for 5 minutes is a good idea before slicing and tucking in.
Notes
- The air fryer version of this recipe is tested in a Cosori Lite (CAF-LI401S) with a 3.8 litre capacity. The square(ish) shaped basket is 21cm x 21cm and 24cm on the diagonal.
- Not all models advise preheating is required. Please follow the recommended instructions for your model. Mine has a specific preheat setting which is 4 minutes at 205c.
- As all air fryer models are a little different, you may find that you can fit in only a smaller or a larger pudding. Or just have plenty of spare room.
- Required cooking times and temperatures can also vary between models and brands. If you know that your air fryer runs a little hotter than most recipes suggest, use a lower temperature. And vice versa. Equally if you find that food cooks more quickly in your machine than instructions usually state, reduce the cooking time (or check it earlier) and vice versa.
Hazel says
This was so easy to make. I served it to my grandsons who had never tried Jam roly poly before and they loved it.
Lesley says
I’m a huge fan of a proper pudding and I found the suet pastry really easy to work with and quite forgiving. Pudding was great and we enjoyed it with some custard.