A Halloween Irish classic! Plump, tea-infused dried fruit provides a natural sweetness, while Irish mixed spice creates a lingering warmth on the palette, creating the perfect flavor combination. Serve this on its own, or brew some fresh tea for a cozy October treat.
On Halloween night in Ireland, thousands of kitchens across the country are whipping up a fresh batch of colcannon while a fresh loaf of barmbrack slowly bakes in the oven. The warmth from the cinnamon and ginger in the mixed spice waft through the air, combatting the cold autumnal chill outside. Sounds positively cozy, doesn’t it?
And just like colcannon, barmbrack is prepared on October 31st because Halloween is believed to be a holiday steeped in divination, and both of these dishes provide the opportunity to hide certain objects whose iconography foretells a person's future.
If you want to include these items in your loaf, be sure to wrap them individually in parchment paper and hide them well throughout the dough once it's poured into the tin. And of course, be sure to tell your family and/or guests that these items are hidden in the bread and can be a choking hazard!!! And if children will eat this bread, we strongly advise that you NOT include these objects.
The iconography behind those four objects are as follows:
- Ring -- marriage
- Button -- bachelorhood
- Thimble -- spinsterhood
- Coin (washed before adding) -- wealth
We also highly recommend pairing a freshly-baked slice of brack with a hot mug of your tea of choice – Ron and I found that a blend of valerian and chamomile were a lovely combination, and we didn't even need milk or sugar since the bread is sweet enough.
What is Barmbrack?
Have no fear: barmbrack is NOT the dreadful fruit cake we sometimes see in the States around Christmas time!
Traditional barmbrack is a yeasted dough that has many ingredients with finicky preparation, including kneading dough. However, a more modern and simpler recipe evolved called “tea brack” that reduced the work into just a few basic steps, and most Irish (ourselves included) prefer its moister and richer texture over the yeasted version. For clarity, the remainder of this recipe will refer to “barmbrack” as the “tea brack” version.
What Does "Barmbrack" Mean?
The word "barm" can be traced back to Old English that described "the yeasty froth on fermented malt liquors," and "brack" derives from an old Irish word that means "speckled" due to the bread being dotted with fruit.
How to Prepare
At its core, this type of barmbrack involves soaking an assortment of dried fruit in black tea overnight for the juiciest texture and flavor. Afterwards, all ingredients are combined into one mixing bowl and seasoned with Irish mixed spice before being poured into a loaf tin and baked. It really is that easy!
Reasons to Make This Recipe Today
- A unique way to celebrate Halloween -- start (or continue) a family tradition outside of the Halloween clichés.
- More natural sugar -- rather than filling up on a bunch of artificial candies and confections during trick-or-treating, opt for this naturally-sweetened bread instead.
- It's one of the easiest breads to bake -- this recipe removes the guesswork of working with bread by eliminating yeast altogether. As a result, just combine all of the ingredients in one bowl, mix, and bake! It has the ease of a boxed mix, but it's completely homemade!
- Long shelf life, naturally -- most bread loaves start to go stale after their first day, but due to the high amounts of moisture in the bread, barmbrack keeps for about a week in an airtight container.
Ingredients
Dried fruit -- the exact assortment of dried fruit is completely up to you. Classically, the Irish include raisins and currants. Whichever kinds you choose to use, keep in mind that the more fruit you include, the more wet the final bread will be.
Black tea -- soaking the dried fruit in tea helps plump up the fruit as it soaks, producing a moist loaf with a more toothsome bite.
Dark brown sugar -- whenever possible, we love to use dark brown sugar due to the extra warmth and flavor the added molasses lends to whatever dish it's in.
AP Flour -- bread flour would create too dense of a loaf due to its higher gluten content, while using cake flour might not produce enough of a structure to hold up the loaf.
Baking Soda -- the only leavening agent in this recipe, adding baking soda will help raise the loaf as it bakes.
Salt -- salt is a necessary ingredient in every bread loaf, adding an extra layer of flavor all its own while tying in the rest of the tastes and textures.
Irish Mixed Spice -- very similar to "mixed spice" in England and "apple pie" spice in America, this blend can be found in various dishes throughout the holidays, from bread loaves to mince pies. Made from an assortment of warm spices like cinnamon and nutmeg, this blend perfectly balances the sweetness of the dried fruit.
Whole egg -- adds structure while tenderizing the loaf as it bakes.
Granulated sugar and water -- these two ingredients help make a very basic bun wash that gives a nice presentation to the overall loaf while also adding a hint more sweetness. We've made loaves both with and without bun wash, and we recommend going for this additional step. And don't worry, the sugar still doesn't tip the loaf over into being too sweet.
Tips for Success
- It is preferable to soak the dried fruit in the black tea overnight, but if you don't have the time, you can soak for a minimum of six hours without much compromise in quality or flavor.
- This recipe works with an array of dried fruit, so use the kinds that you personally enjoy and eliminate the ones you don't care for. We have seen recipes that feature raisins, sultanas, currants, cherries, candied peel, and more, so get creative!
- We don't recommend using any flavored tea, as this will greatly alter the final result and potentially clash with the other flavors in the bread. Don't worry about the black tea being too strong and bitter -- once combined with the sweetness of the fruit, you won't even be able to taste it.
Detailed Preparation Instructions
Follow the steeping instructions on your package of black tea. While the tea steeps, pour all of the dried fruit in a bowl. Pour the tea over the fruit, stir to coat, and then cover with cling film. Let sit for at least 6 hours, but preferably overnight.
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Combine all of the ingredients into a large bowl and mix thoroughly. The dough will be SUPER wet, more like a batter.
Line a loaf tin with parchment paper and scoop in half of the dough, spreading and flattening it as much as possible with the spatula. Repeat with the final half. Bake for an hour and ten minutes, or until a fork comes out cleanly after being inserted in the center.
While the loaf bakes, make the bun wash. Add equal parts sugar and water to a saucepan and bring to the boil. Boil for 5-10 minutes.
Turn out the loaf onto a cooling rack and brush the top with bun wash. Let cool for 15-20 minutes before slicing. Serve with butter and tea, of desired.
Storage and Reheating Instructions
Store the entire loaf in an airtight container for up to one week.
To reheat, simply place a slice in the toaster oven and heat to your desired crispiness.
Barmbrack
Equipment
- 1 loaf tin
- 1 sheet parchment paper
- 1 mixing bowl
- 1 rubber spatula
- 1 medium bowl for dried fruit
Ingredients
For the Barmbrack
- 225 grams dried sultanas
- 112 grams dried currants
- 112 grams raisins
- 1.25 cups black tea
- 160 grams dark brown sugar
- 1 whole egg beaten
- 220 grams all-purpose flour
- 1.5 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 1 teaspoon Irish mixed spice
For the Bun Wash
- 100 grams granulated sugar
- 100 milliliters water
Instructions
- Brew one bag of tea according to packaging directions. Add dried fruit to a bowl and drizzle all of the tea over top. Stir to coat, then cover with cling film and set aside for a minimum of 6 hours, but overnight is recommended.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Combine all of the ingredients (including any remaining tea from the fruit) into a large bowl and mix thoroughly until incorporated.
- Line the loaf tin with parchment paper and scoop one half of the batter into the tin, spreading and flattening it as much as possible. Repeat with the second half of batter. Bake for an hour and ten minutes, or until the tines of a fork come out clean.
- For the bun wash, add the sugar and water to a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Boil for 5-10 minutes.
- Turn the loaf out onto a cooling rack and brush the top with bun wash. Let cool 15-20 minutes before slicing. Serve with butter and tea, if desired.
