This traditional teatime bread is filled with dried fruits soaked in black tea overnight. It’s moist, sweet, and fruity. It’s perfect slathered in butter and paired with a strong cup of English breakfast.
On the Ingredients:
- Pumpkin spice , or pumpkin pie spice, is a combination of cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and sometimes allspice (allspice is the “y” of pumpkin spice). Similar combinations have been in use since at least 1796 when Amelia Simmons used them for her “Pompkin” recipes in her book American Cookery. By the 1890s, cookbooks commonly referred to “pumpkin pie spice” as shorthand for this combination.
Recipe Notes and Substitutions:
For this recipe, we used a mix of dried apricots, prunes, cranberries, and dates. You can use any combination of dried fruits.
Bara Brith (Welsh Tea Loaf)
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minutesThis traditional teatime bread is filled with dried fruits soaked in black tea overnight. It's moist, sweet, and fruity. It's perfect slathered in butter and paired with a strong cup of English breakfast. For this recipe, we used a mix of dried apricots, prunes, cranberries, and dates.
Ingredients
14 oz mixed dry fruits (chopped)
1 1/2 cups strong black tea
zest of one orange
3/4 cup brown sugar OR monk fruit sweetener
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp pumpkin spice
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
2 tbsp butter (melted)
Directions
- In a medium bowl, combine the black tea, dried fruit, zest, and sugar. Cover the mixture and refrigerate overnight.
- In the morning, remove the fruit mixture from the fridge and let it warm for 1 hour. If you use the fruit while still chilled, it may affect the loaf's rise while baking.
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Grease a loaf pan and line with parchment paper.
- Sift together the flour, baking powder, pumpkin spice, and salt.
- Mix the egg and butter into the fruit mixture. Add the wet to the dry ingredients and fold together, mixing until JUST combined. Don't over-mix.
- Pour the thick batter into the loaf pan and smooth the top. Bake for 40 minutes, then tent the loaf with foil and bake for another 40 minutes. The loaf is done when a toothpick or skewer inserted comes out clean.
- Let the loaf cool for 20 minutes before removing it from the pan and serving it warm with butter and tea!
