The Origins Of Bara Brith

Bara Brith is a common enough tea-time treat but its origins begin in Wales where it was prepared as part of the weekly bake but just before the week-end. It is known in the Welsh language as ‘speckled bread’ where it can either be a leavened or unleavened bread enriched with dried fruit and flavoured with tea and mixed spices. It is always served sliced with a spread of butter. It is considered to be similar to Lincolnshire Plum Cake and other English spiced breads.

The dried fruit is often soaked in a tea mixture to plump up the fruit and in fact it is this beverage which lends so much of the flavour. The spice is often just mace, nutmeg and in some cases saffron although that is rare. Originally, yeast was used before the advent of baking soda. The basic recipe is given below:-

Ingredients

• 450g/1lb dried mixed fruit
• 250g/9oz brown sugar
• 300ml/½ pint warm black tea
• 2 tsp mixed spice
• 450g/1lb self-raising flour
• 1 free-range egg beaten

Preparation:

The fruit and sugar are soaked in strained tea and left overnight. On the next day, preheat the oven to 170C/325F/Gas 3. Line a 900g/2lb loaf tin with baking parchment. Mix the remaining ingredients into the fruit mixture, knead well with a folding action. Pour the mixture into the loaf tin and bake the oven and bake for 1½ hours or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.

No Welsh bakery would be without Bara Brith and  Bodnant Welsh Foods offer their traditional version of this spiced fruit loaf. It is especially tasty with a lashing of Bodnant Dairy’s handmade, salted butter.

 References 

Clayton, Bernard; Cameron, Donnie. (1987) Bernard Clayton’s New Complete Book Of Breads. pp. 325-326 

Hensperger, Beth; Williams, Chuck. (2002) Williams-Sonomoa Collection: Bread. ‘Welsh Bara Brith’ p. 84