Bara Brith (Speckled Bread)

Recipes Ingredients:

6 oz Dried fruit
10 oz Self-raising flour
8 oz Dark brown sugar
1 Egg
1/2 pt Strong Hot tea

Recipe Instructions:

This is Wales' traditional rich Fruit bread. South Wales makes it with Baking powder; Northerners prefer yeast as the raising agent. Either way it's delicious. Soak the dried Fruit and Sugar overnight in the tea. You can use either fresh tea, or the cold dregs from the teapot (this gives a good strong colour). Next day, sieve the flour and fold it it into the fruit. Mix in the lightly beaten egg. Line a small loaf-tin with buttered paper then tip in the mixture, smoothing it well into the corners. Bake in a gentle Oven at 300 F (150 C) gas mark 2 for 1 1/2 hours. Cool and store for at least 2 days in a tin so that it matures moist and rich. Traditionalists say you should never Butter the Bara Brith, but Dorothy says do, as it's lovely that way. Source: Elisabeth Luard in "Country Living" (British), April 1989. Typed for you by Karen Mintzias