Irish Barm Brack (Fruit Loaf)

"This is often call Tea Brack because of the soaking of the raisins and currents in tea. The original Brack had only Barm ( a mixture of hops, malt), milk and flour and was made for New Years festivities where pieces of baked loaf would be thrown at the back of the house door to ward off poverty in the coming year. It is between a loaf and a bread in texture. The preparation time does not include the soaking overnight of the raisins & currents"
 
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photo by French Tart photo by French Tart
photo by French Tart
photo by French Tart photo by French Tart
Ready In:
1hr 45mins
Ingredients:
9
Yields:
1 loaf
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ingredients

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directions

  • Soak the raisins and currents in the cold tea overnight.
  • Heat oven to 350F and line a 1 lb loaf pan with greased parchment paper.
  • Add all the remaining ingredient to the raisins, currents and cold tea.
  • Stir well and pour into the prepared loaf pan.
  • Bake for apprx 1 1/2 hours or until cooked through.
  • Keeps well in a covered tin.
  • Serve buttered.

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Reviews

  1. Yummy! Had to add a bit extra tea when mixing, winter here in Canada means the flour soaks up more liquid than in the summer. The batter it's self is so tasty, could have eaten it raw but then no bread. Definitely a keeper.
     
  2. Good fruit loaf. Instead of crystallized cherries I used candied ginger and my mixed spice consisted of 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon cloves and 1/4 teaspoon (freshly grated) nutmeg. The dough is a bit stiff but pliable. I baked it in a glass loaf tin and by experience I know that things bake faster in this. Checked after one hour, almost done, let it bake another 10 minutes and then it was OK. The loaf freezes well. Thanks for posting. Made for Comfort Cafe, January 2010.
     
  3. I love tea breads, as they are not too sweet........I have a savoury tooth and not a sweet tooth! I soaked my fruit overnight and made this loaf this morning - then had a slice with my 11 o clock cuppa, and it was just right - moist and full of fruit. My tea was Yorkshire tea from England, which is very strong - so the tea flavour was evident in the brack - lovely. I used my own mixed spice mix and added a litle ginger. Made for the virtual tour of GB, and very much enjoyed thanks Bergy. FT:-)
     
  4. This looks soooo delicious. I wish i could cook like you, you should add this on Khal as they have a lot of sponsors there
     
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Tweaks

  1. Good fruit loaf. Instead of crystallized cherries I used candied ginger and my mixed spice consisted of 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon cloves and 1/4 teaspoon (freshly grated) nutmeg. The dough is a bit stiff but pliable. I baked it in a glass loaf tin and by experience I know that things bake faster in this. Checked after one hour, almost done, let it bake another 10 minutes and then it was OK. The loaf freezes well. Thanks for posting. Made for Comfort Cafe, January 2010.
     

RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

On January 10 2010 I will celebrate 9 years of Life with Zaar. I can't imagine being without it! It has become part of my daily routine. I feel very privileged to be one of the hosts on the Photo Forum. Taking photos of my culinary efforts is a full time hobby and I love it. My friends all know what to expect when they come to dinner "Are you finished taking pictures?" or "Did you get a photo of so & so?" I never let them wait too long and the food is NEVER cold! I now have over 6000 photos on Zaar - some fairly good and some definitely not so good. I am happy to say that practice does help. My roots are in Vancouver BC Canada - a very beautiful city that holds many wonderful memories for me. In 1990, I decided that for my retirement years I may want to settle in a smaller community and found a slice of heaven in the North Okanagan B.C. I love living here but every once in a while I miss the bright city lights, the Broadway shows and some of the small wonderful ethnic restaurants that Vancouver abounds in. That is easily resolved. I just take a trip to the coast, visit with friends for a weekend see a show and feast on Dim Sum or other specialty foods. I am getting a bit long in the tooth but was a very adventurous person. I have river rafted Hell's Gate on the Fraser river, been up in a glider over Hawaii (no not a Hang Glider!), gone hot air ballooning in the Napa Valley & the Fraser Valley, driven dune buggies on the dunes in Oregon, Para sailing in Mexico and tried many other adventurous, challenging, fun things. I have yet to try bungee jumping or sky diving. I may do them yet. I love to travel and experience other cultures. Mexco has been a favorite haunt. I have visited that lovely country many many times. Australia is another favorite as is England! In the past 16 months I have taken off 61 pounds and feel wonderful. I am off all medications and all systems are GO! In years I may be 79 but in spirit I am still in my forties. We are only as old as we allow ourselves to feel. Always think positive. Do something a bit challenging every day & always do something silly every day. Be a kid again! Laugh every day - it is internal jogging. Here are a few of my photos <embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" allowNetworking="all" allowFullscreen="true" src="http://w615.photobucket.com/pbwidget.swf?pbwurl=http://w615.photobucket.com/albums/tt233/Bergylicious/ABM slideshow/d95d7a18.pbw" height="360" width="480">
 
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