Welsh Fruit Bread (Bara Brith) I

Bara brith, sometimes known as "speckled bread" (the literal meaning of the original Welsh-language name), is a fruit bread which originated in Wales. It is traditionally made with raisins, Zante currants and candied peel. In Wales the fruit is traditionally soaked overnight in cold tea.
Ingredients
- 8 fl oz (225 ml) milk
- 2 oz (50 g) brown sugar, plus 1 teaspoon
- 4 level teaspoons dried yeast
- 1 lb (450 g) strong plain flour
- 1 level teaspoon salt
- 3 oz (75 g) butter or margarine
- 1 level teaspoon mixed spice
- 1 egg, beaten
- 12 oz (350 g) mixed dried fruit
- Clear honey, to glaze
- 2 lb (900 g) loaf tin, well greased
Steps
- Warm milk in small pan until hand-hot. Put in bowl with 1 teaspoon sugar and yeast. Leave in warm place about 15 min until froth appears.
- Sift flour into large bowl. Add 2 oz (50 g) sugar and salt.
- Rub fat into flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in mixed spice.
- Add egg and frothed yeast. Mix to dough in bowl. Turn out onto floured surface.
- Knead until smooth and elastic. Return to bowl. Cover with plastic film or damp cloth. Rise in warm place about 90 min.
- Knock down dough. Knead again, adding fruit slowly.
- Place in bread tin. Put tin in oiled plastic bag. Rise 35–40 min. Preheat oven to gas mark 5, 190°C (375°F).
- When dough has risen and springs back when pressed, remove tin from bag. Bake in center of oven about 30 min.
- Cover top of tin with aluminium foil. Bake another 30 min.
- Remove from oven. Tap bottom of loaf; it should sound hollow. If not, bake 5 min more.
- Brush honey on top. Cool on wire rack. Slice thinly. Serve buttered.
Source. Adapted from “Cookbook:Welsh Fruit Bread (Bara Brith) I” by Wikibooks contributors, revision of 2025-07-11, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Changes. Steps rewritten into short commands. Introduction shortened. Wiki formatting removed. This adapted recipe is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photo. Bara Brith.jpg by Matthew R Dunn, Public domain, via Wikimedia. Resized; otherwise unchanged.






