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Bara brith (Welsh tea loaf)

Contains egg (no meat or fish)

Bara brith

A moist, sliceable Welsh fruit loaf made by soaking dried fruit overnight in strong tea and sugar, then mixing in flour, egg and spice — served buttered with a cuppa.

Bara brith (Welsh tea loaf) is a British cake from United Kingdom, ready in about 14 hours 30 minutes and made with raisins and black tea (brewed). It serves 12 and is rated beginner to cook.

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Prep
15 min
Cook
1 h 15 min
Rest
1 h
Total
14 h 30 min
Serves
12
Level
Beginner
Calories
218

Includes soaking the fruit in tea overnight (about 12 hours).

Ingredients

12 slices

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Pour the hot tea over the dried fruit and sugar, stir until the sugar dissolves, cover and leave overnight so the fruit plumps up.

    • 5 min

  2. Step 2

    Heat the oven (opens in a new tab) to 160 °C (fan 140 °C) and grease and line a 900 g (2 lb) loaf tin (opens in a new tab).

  3. Step 3

    Stir the beaten egg (opens in a new tab) into the fruit, then sift in the flour, baking powder (opens in a new tab) and spices and mix to an even, thick batter.

  4. Step 4

    Scrape into the tin and bake 1 hour 10–15 minutes, until risen, dark golden and a skewer (opens in a new tab) in the centre comes out clean. Cover with foil after 45 minutes if it is browning too much.

  5. Step 5

    Cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then on a rack. It slices best the next day; serve spread with butter (opens in a new tab).

About this dish

Origin
Wales, United Kingdom · Well documentedThe name means 'speckled bread'; older versions were yeasted, while the tea-soaked quick loaf is the most common home version today.More food from United Kingdom
Dish
Snack · Breakfast · Cakes · Breads & flatbreads
Cooking method
Oven-baked
Taste
sweet, fruity, aromatic / warmly spiced
Diet
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No nut ingredients
All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-fat · Low-sodium · DASH-style
Without the optional extras: Ovo-vegetarian, Dairy-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Make-ahead · Freezer-friendly · Budget-friendly
Cook more with
Raisins · Black tea (brewed) · Brown sugar · All-purpose flour · Baking powder · Cinnamon
Techniques
Baking · Fermentation

Allergens

  • Contains, can be adapted: Milkfrom butter
  • Contains: Eggsfrom egg
  • Contains: Wheatfrom all-purpose flour, baking powder
  • Contains: Glutenfrom all-purpose flour, baking powder
  • May contain: Sulphitesfrom raisins

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

218 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 83 g · recipe makes 12

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 6%
  • Carbohydrate 91%
  • Fat 3%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g
Energy218 kcal262 kcal
Protein3.7 g4.4 g
Carbohydrate51.8 g62.2 g
Net carbohydrate49.8 g59.8 g
Sugars31.2 g37.5 g
Added sugars12.1 g14.6 g
Fibre2 g2.4 g
Fat0.7 g0.8 g
Saturated fat0.2 g0.2 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol16 mg19 mg
Sodium96 mg116 mg
Salt equivalent0.2 g0.3 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
271 mg
Calcium
80 mg
Iron
1.8 mg
Magnesium
18 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
7 µg
Vitamin C
1 mg
Vitamin D
0.1 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
65 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: butter.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Wrap it and leave a day — the loaf gets stickier and more flavourful.

Common mistakes

  • Oven too hot: the outside burns before the dense middle is cooked.

Serve with

  • Buttered slices with a pot of tea, or with Caerphilly cheese.

Storage

  • Keeps a week wrapped in an airtight tin; freezes well.

Variations

  • Yeasted bara brith: The older method: an enriched yeast dough with the soaked fruit kneaded in, proved and baked in a tin.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 3

Baker’s notes

Customise in Bread & Bakery

Timeline and readiness cues

  1. Mix and knead · about 15 min

    Mix only until no dry flour remains — overmixing makes it tough and tunnelled.

  2. Rest · about 12 h

    Covered so it doesn't dry out; relaxed dough rolls and shapes without springing back.

  3. Bake · about 1 h 15 min at 160 °C

    Risen and golden; a skewer in the centre comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs; the top springs back.

  4. Cool · about 1 h

    Cool on a rack before slicing — the crumb is still setting; cutting hot bread makes it gummy.

  5. Start to finish: about 14 h 30 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.

If something goes wrong

  • Gummy or wet crumb

    Likely causes

    • Under-baked
    • Sliced while hot
    • Hydration too high for the flour

    What to do

    • Bake to 93–96 °C inside (cakes: clean skewer)
    • Cool completely on a rack before slicing
    • Reduce water by 3–5% or use a stronger flour
  • Collapsed or sunken middle

    Likely causes

    • Oven door opened too early
    • Too much leavening or sugar
    • Under-baked centre
    • Over-proofed yeast dough

    What to do

    • Don't open the oven for the first two-thirds of baking
    • Measure leaveners exactly with spoons, levelled
    • Test the centre before removing
    • Proof less
  • Pale crust

    Likely causes

    • Oven too cool
    • Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
    • Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)

    What to do

    • Check the oven with a thermometer
    • Brush with egg wash or milk
    • Shorten the fermentation
  • Burnt bottom

    Likely causes

    • Tray too close to the heat
    • Dark tray absorbs more heat
    • Too much sugar in the dough

    What to do

    • Bake on the middle shelf
    • Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
    • Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer
  • Cracked or domed top

    Likely causes

    • Oven too hot (crust sets before the centre rises)
    • Too much leavening
    • Overmixed batter

    What to do

    • Lower the oven 10–15 °C
    • Use the exact leavening amount
    • Fold just until combined
  • Big holes or tunnels

    Likely causes

    • Overmixed batter (cakes, muffins)
    • Air trapped while shaping bread
    • Uneven proof

    What to do

    • Mix quick breads only until no dry flour shows
    • Degas gently and shape tightly
    • Proof covered in an even, warm place
  • Dry or crumbly

    Likely causes

    • Too much flour (scooped, not weighed)
    • Over-baked
    • Too little fat or sugar

    What to do

    • Weigh flour, or spoon it into the cup and level
    • Check 5 minutes early
    • Don't cut fat or sugar by more than a quarter without another moisture source

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