Start the Hairy Bikers bara brith the night before, because the dried fruit soaks in tea until morning. This no-yeast Welsh tea loaf from Everyday Winners bakes in just over an hour, and each slice is around 285 calories.
“There’s nothing better with a cuppa for an afternoon pick-you-up,” the book says, and this loaf backs the boast. Overnight the fruit drinks up the rooibos tea and lemon zest, which is where all the flavour comes from.
The hardest part is not cutting it on baking day, because the book says to wrap the cooled loaf and wait a day. That rest lets the flavours grow and turns the crust sticky, so the patience genuinely pays.
Hairy Bikers Bara Brith Recipe
Description
A traditional Welsh fruit loaf made the simple way, with self-raising flour instead of yeast, so there is no kneading. Instead you stir the soaked fruit, sugar, eggs and spiced flour together in one bowl, then give it a long bake at a gentle heat.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Soak the fruit overnight: Put the dried fruit and candied peel, if using, in a large bowl, then cover with the tea and lemon zest. You can leave the teabags in for a stronger flavour, so cover the bowl and leave it until morning.
- Get ready to bake: The next day, preheat the oven to 160°C/Fan 140°C/Gas 3, then line a large loaf tin with baking parchment.
- Mix everything: Stir the sugar into the fruit, followed by the eggs. Mix the flour with the spices and a big pinch of salt, then stir it all into the fruit until no streaks of flour remain.
- Bake low and slow: Scrape the mixture into the tin and bake for 1 to 1¼ hours, checking after the hour. It is done when springy to the touch and slightly shrunk from the sides.
- Rest the loaf: Leave the cake to cool in its tin, then wrap it in baking parchment. Store it in an airtight tin for a day before eating, because the flavours develop and the crust turns sticky.
- Serve: Cut thick slices and eat them plain or spread with salted butter.
FAQs
How is the Mums Know Best bara brith different?
That one is the traditional yeasted version, which comes from a mum called Avis in their Mums Know Best days. Her son Dylan revived the family recipe and added a splash of dark rum to the Earl Grey fruit soak. Everything must stay warm as you work, from the basins to your hands, so it asks more than this stir-together loaf.
What tea works best for soaking the fruit?
The book uses rooibos, which adds a gentle malty taste without bitterness, and it says you can leave the bags in overnight. Ordinary black tea works fine as well, so long as you brew it strong enough to flavour 400g of fruit. The rum and Earl Grey soak from their other book gives a richer, boozier loaf.
Why has my bara brith come out dry?
Usually the fruit did not soak long enough, because there is no butter or oil in this loaf. The tea held inside the fruit is what keeps every slice moist, so give it the full night and use all 350ml. Ovens vary too, which is why the book says to check at the hour mark.
Should I use white or wholemeal flour?
The book allows both, so it comes down to the loaf you want. White flour gives a lighter, softer crumb, while wholemeal makes it denser and nuttier. You can also mix half and half, since the fruit and tea carry the flavour either way.
How long does bara brith keep, and what do I do with stale slices?
Wrapped in its parchment inside an airtight tin, the loaf keeps for a good week. Slice it as you need it, because cut surfaces dry faster than the sticky crust.
If it does go stale, their Mums Know Best book bakes the slices into a bread and butter pudding. Butter each piece and cover with custard, then top with demerara sugar and bake at 180°C for about 30 minutes. For fruit going soft in the bowl rather than the tin, their banana bread takes three ripe bananas too.
