Welsh Fruit Bread (Bara Brith)
Photo: Matthew R Dunn, Public domain
Bara brith is a Welsh fruit loaf whose name means speckled bread, a nod to the dried fruit scattered through each slice. This version is yeast-raised, so the crumb is soft and bready rather than dense like a tea loaf, and the mixed spice and brown sugar give it a gentle warmth. A honey glaze finishes the top. The loaf also travelled to Patagonia with Welsh settlers, where it became torta negra.
Instructions
Warm the milk in a small pan until it feels hand-hot. Pour it into a bowl, stir in 1 teaspoon of the sugar and the yeast, and leave it somewhere warm for about 15 minutes, until a froth forms on top.
Sift the flour into a large bowl and add the remaining 2 oz (50 g) sugar and the salt. Rub in the butter or margarine with your fingertips until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs, then stir in the mixed spice.
Add the beaten egg and the frothy yeast mixture and mix to a dough. Turn it out onto a floured surface and knead until it is smooth and elastic.
Return the dough to the bowl, cover it with plastic film or a damp cloth, and leave it in a warm place for about 90 minutes to rise.
Knock the dough back and knead it again, working in the dried fruit a little at a time until it is spread evenly through the dough.
Put the dough into the greased loaf tin and slide the tin into an oiled plastic bag. Leave it to rise for 35 to 40 minutes, and heat the oven to gas mark 5, 190°C (375°F) in the meantime.
When the dough has risen and springs back if you press it, take the tin out of the bag. Bake it in the centre of the oven for about 30 minutes, then cover the top with aluminium foil so it does not burn and bake for another 30 minutes.
Turn the loaf out and tap the base. It is done if it sounds hollow, and if not, bake it for another 5 minutes.
Brush the top with honey and cool the loaf on a wire rack. Slice it thinly and serve with butter.
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