Bara Brith

Bara Brith

Bara Brith  (also called speckled bread) is a traditional Welsh fruit cake.  It can be made with yeast, like a traditional bread, or as we have always made it, using self raising flour. 

Although not from Wales as a child I lived on a farm on the boarders in Shropshire and this seems to be something we adopted as a family - probably because we love it and it is SO easy to make.

Ingredients 

4 oz (115g) Currents

4oz (115g) Sultanas

4oz (115g) sugar (I use light brown)

1 Cup of cold tea

1 Egg

1 Tablespoon of marmalade 

8 oz (230g) Self raising flour

Soak the fruit in a cup of cold tea overnight.  This makes the loaf really moist and plumps up the fruit.

The next day heat oven to 150 C and line a loaf tin. Put all of the ingredients in with the fruit - mix well.  Place in the middle of the oven and bake for about 1 hour 15 min.  After the top browns I put a layer of foil onto to stop over browning.

Once cooked it sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom of the loaf tin.

So easy and delicious.  Can be served with butter or on its own (which is how I like it!)