Bara Brith

Before You Start

Overnight soak, no shortcuts. This is a one-bowl recipe that trades effort for time.

Do not drain the fruit. That tea is the liquid in the batter.

Low oven, long bake. A hot oven gives a burnt crust and a raw middle.

How to Make Bara Brith

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1. Put the dried fruit and brown sugar in a bowl, pour the hot tea over, cover, and leave overnight at room temperature.

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2. The next day, heat the oven to 150°C / 300°F fan and line a 900 g loaf tin with baking paper.

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3. Stir the beaten egg, marmalade and orange zest into the soaked fruit — do not drain it, the liquid is part of the recipe.

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4. Sift the flour, mixed spice, cinnamon and salt over the top and fold through until just combined. The batter will be very stiff.

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5. Spoon into the tin and level the top, pushing it slightly into the corners.

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6. Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes. Cover loosely with foil after 50 minutes if it is browning fast.

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7. A skewer should come out with a few moist crumbs but no wet batter.

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8. Brush the top with warm honey while it is still hot, then cool completely in the tin.

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9. Slice thickly and serve buttered.

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Related guide: Prep, cook and total time.

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What's Going On Here

Soaking the fruit overnight in hot tea does two things: it plumps the fruit so it does not steal moisture from the crumb, and the tannins in the tea give the loaf its characteristic slight bitterness against all that sugar. Skipping the soak gives a loaf that is dry by the next morning.

After You've Cooked It

Wrapped, it keeps a week and improves after two days. Freezes 3 months, sliced.

Common Substitutions & Variations

• No self-raising flour to hand? The common home substitute is the same weight of plain flour with 2 teaspoons of baking powder for every 150 g, sifted together well; the rise may not be identical to a bought self-raising flour.

What to Serve Alongside

• Salted Welsh butter
• A pot of strong tea
• A slice of Caerphilly

Questions and Answers

What's in a Serving

Per serving, an approximate calculation from the ingredient list. Treat it as a rough guide: garnishes, greasing and other items with no amount are not counted; part of the energy comes from foods, or weights per item, with no recorded source. How the figures are worked out.

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