Tea Brack

Today I want to share with you a delicious Irish Freckle Bread recipe just in time for St. Patrick’s Day. This hearty whole wheat bread (or should I dare call it a fruit cake?) is chock full of flavor and delicious fruits – raisins, cranberries, currants, prunes, and dates. Moist and dense, you would think a little goes a long way – which it does – but it is also addicting; you just have to have a second slice! I found this recipe on the King Arthur flour website and loved its simplicity, but made some changes of my own. So here’s my take on this tasty Irish breakfast bread. Give it a try and you’ll agree… this tasty treat should make an appearance on the table more often than just around St. Patrick’s Day!

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Tea Brack

Prep time: 1 hour 15 mins

Cook time: 1 hour

Total time: 2 hours 15 mins

Serves: 16

Ingredients

1 cup black tea, strong brewed
½ cup raisins
½ cup dried cranberries
½ cup currants
1 cup prunes, chopped
1 cup dates, chopped
1 cup dark brown sugar
2 cups of whole wheat Graham flour
1 tbsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 egg, beaten
2 tbsp turbinado sugar

Instructions

Place all dried fruits into a medium glass bowl.
Pour the hot tea over the fruits and stir gently to incorporate all.
Allow the tea and fruit mixture to cool and soak, approximately 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and place a rack in the middle of the oven.
Grease a round cake pan (preferably 8 inches by 2 inches deep, but a 9 inch pan will do).
When the fruit has soaked and the tea has cooled, add the flour to a large bowl.
Stir in the baking powder, salt and brown sugar.
Add the fruit and tea to the flour and stir to incorporate until completely wet.
The batter will be stiff and sticky.
Add the egg and stir until well incorporated.
Pour the batter into the greased pan and spread evenly to the sides.
Sprinkle the turbinado sugar evenly over the top of the batter.
Bake for 60 to 70 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, yet moist.
Remove and cool for a few minutes on a wire rack before easing the edge with a thin knife and removing from the pan to complete cooling on the wire rack.
Be careful, the pan will still be very hot!
Plate and slice for serving with tea (preferably) or coffee.

Notes

I considered substituting chopped mission figs for the prunes, adding dried blueberries to the mix, etc. Also, there is an absence of spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, etc) which I believe allows the fruit to shine through, but when added would provide wonderful variety.

I based this recipe on the one found on the King Arthur Flour website.

The above picture shows a representative of the dried fruits I used, not the actual amounts I used.

Place all dried fruits into a medium glass bowl. Pour the hot tea over the fruits and stir gently to incorporate all. Allow the tea and fruit mixture to cool and soak, approximately 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and place a rack in the middle of the oven. Grease a round cake pan (preferably 8 inches by 2 inches deep, but a 9 inch pan will do). When the fruit has soaked and the tea has cooled, add the flour to a large bowl. Stir in the baking powder, salt and brown sugar. Add the fruit and tea to the flour and stir to incorporate until completely wet. The batter will be stiff and sticky. Add the egg and stir until well incorporated. Pour the batter into the greased pan and spread evenly to the sides. Sprinkle the turbinado sugar evenly over the top of the batter. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, yet moist.

Remove and cool for a few minutes on a wire rack before easing the edge with a thin knife and removing from the pan to complete cooling on the wire rack. Be careful, the pan will still be very hot!

Plate and slice for serving with tea (preferably) or coffee.