Sometimes known as ‘speckled bread’, Bara Brith is a rich fruit loaf from Wales that is made with tea. The flavour of the Bara Brith can be altered slightly by adding a few flavours such as marmalade or whiskey liqueur.

Ingredients

450 g / 1 lb self raising flour
1tsp mixed spice
175 g / 6 oz Muscavado sugar
1 medium size free-range egg
1 tbsp orange zest
2 tbsp orange juice
1 tbsp honey
300 ml / ½ pt cold tea
450 g / 1 lb mixed, dried fruit
Extra honey for glazing

Instructions

Put the mixed dried fruit into a mixing bowl, pour over the tea, cover and leave to soak overnight. The next day mix together the sugar, egg, orange juice, zest and honey, add to the fruit. Sift in the flour and spice, and mix well. Pour the mixture into a buttered loaf tin, 1.2L/2pt. Bake in a preheated oven at gas3/160c/325f for about 1¾ hours. The loaf should be golden in colour and firm to the touch in the middle. Baste with honey whilst still warm. Allow to cool thoroughly before storing in a cake tin. The flavour of the Bara Brith can be altered slightly by adding a few flavours. When soaking the fruit, substitute ¼ of the fluid with a whisky liqueur. Replace the honey and fruit juice with 2 tablespoons of marmalade. Alternatively, replace two tablespoons of fruit with chopped stem ginger, and replace the juice and honey with lemon marmalade, and the orange zest with lemon.

Bon Archwaeth!