Sunday 12 September 2010

Honey glazed Bara Brith

Bara Brith is a classic and very traditional Welsh fruit bread. The name Bara Brith literally translates as "speckled bread" as it is liberally speckled with raisins, currants, sultanas and mixed peel, it is made with brown sugar and flavoured with a mixture of spices such as cinnamon.Bara brith is sold in bakeries and tea shops all over Wales and is available in two varieties, one is risen with yeast which gives a more bread like texture, the other is risen with baking powder which results in a cakier texture. The yeasted version is the more traditional of the two but they are both equally good, if you ever find yourself in Wales make sure you stop by a tea room and order a slice.

Bara Brith is one of those strange foods that's right on the line between bread and cake. On the one hand it is sweet and full of fruit like cake, on the other hand it contains no added fat and can be toasted like a bread. Whatever you call it it is undeniably delicious and just perfect with a good cup of tea.The recipe I used comes from North Wales Tourism, I figured if ever there was an authentic recipe this would be it.
The first part of this recipe is also the most important, the mixture of dried fruit must be soaked in strong tea until it has become swollen, plump and juicy. It is vital that the fruit is soaked so that the finished bread is tender and moist not dry and crumbly. Once you have soaked your fruit the recipe is a doddle to make, just mix the ingredients together and bake in a greased pan, the mixture takes a long time to bake so you may need to cover it with foil halfway through to prevent the top from burning. Once cooked give the top a liberal brushing with honey and leave to cool. Serve spread with butter, Welsh of course!

The recipe can be found here.

9 comments:

Alicia Foodycat said...

Toasted with butter for me please!

Choclette said...

And on all my trips to Wales I've never stopped at a tea room and asked for this - will do next time.

Caroline Hardman said...

Hi there Samuel, glad to see the blog's as successful as ever! My boyfriend Jon and I are coming up to our 1 year and I am debating cooking for him. I really don\t cook very often at all, so I wonder if you could suggest an easy recipe. He loves spice but doesn't like fish.

thanks,
your favourite cousin xx

Sam said...

Hi Caroline, good to hear from you, I didn't know you read this!

You could try cooking Barack Obama's chili recipe, it's really nice, easy to make and you can make it spicy! I don't know whether you wanted something smarter, if you do I can think again but that's the first thing I thought of!

The recipe is here: Obama's Chili

Sam

Katie said...

I'm glad you're back! I was wondering what you have been up to. Love bara brith but didn't know there was a yeasted and non yeasted variety. This looks delicious and jam packed full of fruit

Pam said...

I'd take a slice right now... it looks wonderful.

The Caked Crusader said...

This looks lovely. When the weather turns autumnal I always start fancying more substantial cakes and loaves.
Good to have you back!

Abitofafoodie said...

Bara brith is one of my absolute favourites and I'm really craving a slice now! I've only ever made the yeasted version but think this sounds a lot less like hard work so will try this recipe next time.

Nic said...

How lovely to see you back Sam! And mega congrats on passing your exams!
The Bara Brith looks lovely, I would kill for a slice right about now.