Traditional Welsh Bara Brith

Submitted by Phillip Davies

"Here is a sample recipe ,this one for the ever popular Bara Brith. BARA BRITH ( SPECKLED BREAD :"

 

• Ingredients: 5
• Serves: 1

ingredients

• 6 ounces dried fruit
• 8 ounces dark brown sugar
• 1⁄2 pint strong hot tea
• 10 ounces self-raising flour
• 1 egg

directions

1. This is Wales' traditional rich fruit bread.
2. South Wales makes it with baking powder; Northerners prefer yeast as the raising agent. Either way it's delicious.
3. Soak the dried fruit and sugar overnight in the tea.
4. You can use either fresh tea, or the cold dregs from the teapot (this gives a good strong colour). Next day, sieve the flour and fold it it into the fruit. Mix in the lightly beaten egg.
5. Line a small loaf-tin with buttered paper then tip in the mixture, smoothing it well into the corners.
6. Bake in a gentle oven at 300 F (150 C) for 1-1/2 hours.
7. Cool and store for at least 2 days in a tin so that it matures moist and rich.
8. Traditionalists say you should never butter the Bara Brith, but it's lovely that way!

Reviews

[Peri of Havenhold]

Excellent with snipped dried apricots, plums and cherries (or cherry & orange flavoured dried cranberries). DO be careful how much dried plum is used ... lovely flavour, but thats prunes!

 

[Roosie]

I've been wanting to make bara brith for some time, but this is the first time I've gotten around to actually doing it. I just an organic black cherry tea that had steeped overnight and was nice and dark. For the fruits, I used raisins, prunes and apricots (I snipped the prunes/apricots into smaller bits to be approx the same size as the raisins). After my tea had steeped, some of the liquid (about a Tbs) had evaporated so I topped it off with a little cognac. Yum. Very dense and fruity bread. I acutally found it a tad dry. I think that it might benefit from the addition of some oil or even another egg. Or even slightly less flour, as I didn't feel this had the problem with being gummy that very low/no fat baked goods often have. Very tasty with tons of great flavor- the tea makes it taste very unique. Thanks!