If you'd told me last year that I'd be swooning over a bread filled with
raisins and
currants, I probably would have asked if I could sub those raisins for chocolate
chips. You're going to have to trust me on this one.
The Welsh are onto something - Bara Brith is an absolute treat.
What exactly is Bara Brith?
When we visited Wales this year, I had a slice and a latte for breakfast at
the bakery across the street from our hotel.
Wrap it up and gift to the neighbors, or enjoy it with a pot of tea and lots
of butter. I recommend
Kerrygold spreadable butter.
I should mention that it's super, SUPER easy to make. You might even
ask yourself if you missed a step because it's so simple. I have to give
credit to my mother-in-law - this recipe is a tweaked version of one she
sent me a few years ago.
Let's make Bara Brith.
The recipe starts the night before baking. You'll soak raisins (dark or
golden) and currants in tea and dark brown sugar.
For the tea, you can use any black tea, but I love to use
Constant Comment®. It's a black tea flavored with orange peel and spices, so the fruit gets
a little flavor boost as it soaks.
The next day, uncover the soaked fruit and take a big sniff. It
smells...wonderfully boozy without any booze! Ahhhhh.
DO NOT drain the fruit.
Zest up an orange and add to the soaked fruit.
Mix the simple batter, then add the fruit and soaking liquid. Stir in the
Greek yogurt to bring it all together.
Pour into a prepared pan. [NOTE: I found in more testing (and enjoying) that
bringing the parchment up the sides of the loaf pan isn't necessary. Follow
the recipe where it notes to line the bottom only.]
Because of the heavy, soaked fruit, the baking time is a bit longer than
other quick breads you might be used to making. Maybe
chocolate banana date bread, pumpkin bread, or
pecan ginger carrot bread.
Brush the warm loaf with honey and cool. Try to avoid cutting into it
until it is cooled or mostly cooled. I have to admit, slicing when it's
still just a bit warm is not a bad idea. As long as it's cool enough to
not fall apart when sliced.
Slice thin and serve with softened butter.
Wales, I love you.
Bara Brith
YIELD: 12-16 slices
PREP TIME: 20 minutes
INACTIVE TIME: overnight
BAKE TIME: 1 hour 25 minutes
You’ll find Bara Brith, or “speckled bread,” throughout Wales any time of
year and especially for St. David’s Day in March. Loaded with tea and
brown sugar-soaked currants and raisins, this spiced bread is also perfect
for Christmastime. Serve with a pot of tea and lots of butter.
[NOTE: You’ll soak the fruit overnight.]
3 cups raisins (dark or golden) and currants
1 1/4 cup water
4 Constant Comment® tea bags, or plain black tea bags
1 1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
zest of one orange
3 cups self-rising flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon coriander
1/8 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoon cloves
1 egg, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons Greek yogurt
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
Place raisins and currants in a bowl. Heat water to boiling. Remove from
heat, add tea bags, and let steep 3-4 minutes. Remove tea bags. Whisk in
brown sugar. Pour over fruit, stir, cover, and let sit overnight.
The next day, preheat oven to 350. Butter a 9x5-inch loaf pan. Cut a piece
of parchment to fit the bottom only. Butter the parchment.
Stir orange zest into the fruit/tea mixture. Whisk flour and spices
together. Stir in the beaten egg. (Mix will be dry.) In two additions,
stir in the fruit with all of the liquid. Add Greek yogurt, stirring just
until incorporated and no dry flour remains.
Pour into prepared pan, smoothing the top. Bake 55 minutes, then quickly
open the oven, place a sheet of foil loosely over the top to prevent
overbrowning. Continue baking 30 minutes more.
Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then invert onto a cooling rack. Brush with
honey. Let cool completely, or until just warm, before slicing with a
serrated knife. Serve with tea and softened butter.