Bara Brith Wales Recipes

BARA BRITH

Steps:

• Pour hot tea over currants and raisins in a bowl; soak 8 hours to overnight.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Grease a sheet of parchment paper and use it to line a 2-pound loaf pan.
• Stir demerara sugar into tea and fruit mixture until dissolved completely.
• Mix flour and egg into the tea and fruit mixture until completely integrated into a batter.
• Spread batter evenly into the prepared bread pan.
• Bake in preheated oven until golden-brown, about 40 minutes. Cool in the bread pan 5 minutes before transferring to a rack to cool completely.

TRADITIONAL WELSH BARA BRITH

Steps:

• This is Wales' traditional rich fruit bread.
• South Wales makes it with baking powder; Northerners prefer yeast as the raising agent. Either way it's delicious.
• Soak the dried fruit and sugar overnight in the tea.
• 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.
• Line a small loaf-tin with buttered paper then tip in the mixture, smoothing it well into the corners.
• Bake in a gentle oven at 300 F (150 C) for 1-1/2 hours.
• Cool and store for at least 2 days in a tin so that it matures moist and rich.
• Traditionalists say you should never butter the Bara Brith, but it's lovely that way!

BARA BRITH - WALES

Steps:

• Put the fruit in a large basin with the sugar, and just cover with warm strained tea. Leave overnight.
• Next day, add to the fruit mixture the marmalade, cinnamon, the beaten egg and flour. Mix well together until you have a nice, slack mixture.
• Bake in a loaf tin, greased and lined with buttered paper. Bake at 325F for 1 1/2 hours.
• Preparation time is overnight soaking, plus 10 minutes active preparation the following day.
• You can get interesting flavours by choosing unusual teas.

WELSH BARA BRITH CAKE

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• In a large bowl, pour the cold tea over the fruit and leave to soak for a minimum of 6 hours, or overnight if possible.
• The next day, preheat the oven to 325 F/170 C/Gas 3 and grease a 2-pound (900-gram) loaf tin with butter and put to one side. To the soaked fruit, add the marmalade, egg, brown sugar, spice, and flour and mix well.
• Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf tin and bake for 1 1/4 hours, or until the center is cooked through (when a cake tester comes out clean). Check from time to time to see that the top doesn't brown too much, and cover with a sheet of foil if necessary.
• Remove from the oven and leave the Bara Brith to stand for 5 minutes, then turn out of the tin and place on a cooling rack. Brush the honey over the top to glaze and leave to cool completely on a rack.
• Slice and enjoy. Bara Brith is even tastier when served with a little butter spread over a thick, fruity slice, or for added sweetness, a little jam or honey.

MAMGU'S BARA BRITH

Steps:

• Place the three tea bags into a jug and add the boiling water. Leave to brew for 5 minutes.
• Place the dried mixed fruit in a mixing bowl, pour over the tea and dispose of the tea bags. Leave overnight.
• Add the sugar to the mixture and stir until disolved. Next add the whole egg, the flour and finally the mixed spice and ground cinnamon. Mix until the mixture resembles a thick cake like batter.
• Grease a loaf tin and pour in the cake mixture. It should come up no higher than half way, as the cake will rise in the oven.
• Place on the middle shelf of a preheated oven at 150 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
• Once done, remove from the oven and leave to cool for 10 minutes or so until the cake comes away from the sides of the tin.
• Leave to cool on a cooling rack.
• Serve with butter and a nice hot cup of tea!

BARA BRITH.

Steps:

• Place the fruit and sugar in a mixing bowl, and soak overnight in the strained tea.
• Sieve the flour and mixed spice, and warm the marmalade.
• Add the flour, warm marmalade and egg to the soaked fruit.
• Mix well, pour the mixture into a greased loaf tin.
• Bake for 1 1/2 hours on 180c, 350f.
• Cool on wire rack.
• Serve sliced and buttered.

BARA BRITH (CURRANT BREAD) WELSH

Steps:

• Oven: 450F, Gas Mark 8 for 15 minutes: 375F, Gas Mark 5 for 45 minutes.
• Soak the fruit and candied peel in the water with the spice.
• Leave to steep in a warm place and use the warm spicy, strained water to mix the dough.
• Sift the flour and salt and rub in the lard; cream the yeast with the sugar and a little of the spiced water; mix this into the flour, together with the eggs and use enough of the water to give a firm, yet elastic dough.
• Knead well, leave to rise and knock back; blend in the drained fruit and knead again.
• Shape the dough into loaves and set into greased 1 lb tins in a warm place to prove; bake, reducing the temperature after the first 15 minutes.
• Originally, in some recipies, the fruit content would have been fresh currants or blackberries.
• Bara Brith is often served as part of the traditional Welsh tea.
• It can also be purchased at many of the small bakeries found throughout Wales.
• British Cookery (BTA/BFPC)