Bara Brith

Recipe

Bara Brith derived its name from the Welsh language, bara meaning bread and brith translating as speckled. It was traditionally made in farmhouses by adding fruit, sugar and spices to the basic bread dough to make a sweet treat for special occasions.

Ingredients

300g mixed dried fruit
200g light muscovado sugar
1 orange zested
250ml hot black tea
350g self reaising flour
2 tsp mixed spice
1 egg beaten
50g softened butter, plus extra for greasing.

Method

Tip the dried fruit into a heatproof bowl along with the sugar and orange zest.
Pour over the tea, stir everything together and leave to soak overnight.
Heat the oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3.
Butter the base and short sides of a 900g loaf tin and line with a long strip of baking parchment.
Tip the flour and mixed spice into a bowl, then beat in the fruit and its soaking liquid.
Add the egg, followed by the butter. Beat until you have a well combined, stiff batter,
Tip this into the prepared loaf tin.
Bake for 1 hr 25 mins, covering with foil or parchment if the top starts to get too dark.
Check with a skewer – if it doesn’t come out clean, bake for another 5-10 mins,
Leave to cool in the tin for 10 mins, then remove and leave to cool completely.
Serve sliced and buttered, if you like.