Traditional Welsh Bara Brith Recipe: Classic Tea Cake Guide

This is a traditional, authentic Welsh Bara Brith from Anglesey. Made with yeast and without soaking the fruit in tea, it follows the older village method used for generations. The bread is delicious straight from the oven and also excellent the next day when toasted and spread with butter. Traditionally it can be enjoyed for breakfast on St. David’s Day (1 March) or on Christmas morning.

Traditional Bara Brith Recipe

Recipe Ingredients:

• 850g strong plain white bread flour (extra for dusting)
• 20g dried yeast (not fast-acting)
• 150g demerara (natural brown) sugar
• 100g butter (melted)
• 50g dried currants
• 50g dried sultanas
• 50g dried raisins
• 50g candied citrus peel
• 1 tbsp black treacle
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp ground mixed spice
• 2 eggs (beaten)
• 200ml warm water
• 200ml warm milk

To glaze the Bara Brith

• 1 tbsp runny honey

Recipe Method:

Stir the black treacle into 200ml warm water in a jug, then add the dried yeast. Leave in a warm place for about 10 minutes until frothy.

Melt the butter and allow it to cool slightly, then beat in the eggs and sugar. Add the dried fruit, candied peel, salt and mixed spice and combine thoroughly.

Sift the flour into a bowl and make a well in the centre. When the yeast has activated, pour the yeast mixture into the well and fold in with a wooden spoon. Add the warm milk. The dough will begin to come together; it may feel a little dry at first. Mix in the fruit and butter-egg mixture until you have a fruity, speckled dough. If it seems too wet, add a little extra flour.

Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead for about 7 minutes. Add small amounts of flour while kneading if the dough is overly sticky, but avoid adding too much. The kneading motion is a push-pull technique: hold one end, push the dough away with the heel of your hand, then fold it back over and give it a quarter turn. Repeat until the dough becomes satiny and elastic; it should spring back when pressed.

Kneading Technique: Hold one end of the dough and, with the palm of the other hand, push it away from you to stretch. Pull it back over with your fingers into a larger lump, give a quarter turn and repeat. This works the dough evenly and develops the gluten.

Because of the treacle and dried fruit the dough will remain somewhat soft and sticky. Place it in a bowl, cover and leave in a warm place for about two hours to rise until nearly doubled (it can take up to three hours).

Grease two rectangular loaf tins with melted butter to retain the traditional shape, or use a flat baking tray if you prefer a single loaf.

After the first rise, gently knock back the dough to remove excess air, shape into a ball, then divide into two portions for two tins or shape into one loaf for a tray. Place the shaped dough into the prepared tins or on the tray. Make three short shallow slashes across the top with a sharp knife to allow expansion. Allow a second rise in a warm room for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F). Bake the loaves in the hot oven for 60 minutes. A helpful approach is to reduce the oven to 180°C (350°F) after 40 minutes, then switch the oven off after 60 minutes and leave the bread inside the cooling oven for an additional 20 minutes.

Test the loaves by inserting a skewer into the centre; it should come out clean and hot. The bread should also sound hollow when tapped on the base. If the skewer is wet, return the loaves to the oven for up to another 30 minutes.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tins for twenty minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack. While still warm, brush the top with runny honey to give a glossy, sweet finish. Let the bread cool further before slicing.

Serve: Bara Brith is best within two days. On the second day it benefits from toasting and a smear of butter.

Traditional Authentic Bara Brith Recipe

Bara Brith Recipe From ‘A Taste Of Wales’ By Theodora Fitzgibbon (1971)

This version is taken from traditional Welsh family recipes.

Ingredients: 1 lb (about 4 cups) flour; 1 oz yeast; 1/2 pint (1 cup) lukewarm milk; 1 tsp white sugar; 3 oz lard or butter; 1 egg; 2 heaped tbsp chopped mixed peel; 1/2 tsp mixed ground spice; 6 oz seedless raisins; 3 tbsp currants; 4 tbsp brown sugar; pinch of salt; warm honey to glaze.

Method: Warm the milk with the teaspoon of sugar, crumble in the yeast and leave until frothy (10–20 minutes). Rub the fat into the flour and stir in peel, dried fruit, spices, brown sugar and salt. Make a well, add the yeasted milk and beaten egg, and mix to a soft dough. Cover and leave in a warm place for about two hours until doubled. Turn onto a floured board, knead well, place into a well-greased tin, cover and leave for 30 minutes. Bake initially at a high temperature, then reduce the heat and continue baking until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Brush the top with clear warm honey when cool enough.