Barm Brack Recipes

IRISH BARM BRACK (FRUIT LOAF)

Steps:

• 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.

BARM BRACK

Steps:

• Put the tea, sugar, raisins and peel into a bowl, cover and leave to soak overnight.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour an 8 inch round pan.
• Sift the flour into the fruit mixture, add the egg and beat well.
• Pour into the cake pan and bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 1 hour and 45 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean. Leave in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.

BARMBRACK (IRISH SWEET BREAD)

Steps:

• In a small bowl, whisk the yeast and milk together. Leave it to bubble slowly in a warm spot 10 minutes, then whisk in the beaten egg.
• In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, put the flour, cinnamon, clove, mace, salt, butter and sugar. Mix well, incorporating butter with fingertips (or paddle, if using mixer) until absorbed.
• Pour the yeast-milk-egg mixture into the flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon (or dough hook, with mixer).
• When the dough begins to come together, add the raisins, currants, lemon zest and orange zest, then mix to combine. It will be somewhat sticky dough. Dust lightly with flour, turn out onto a floured surface and knead for a few minutes until the dough feels smooth. Pat dough into a rectangle.
• Butter a loaf pan and lay in the dough, pushing down so dough covers bottom of pan. Stretch plastic wrap loosely over pan and put in a warm place, covered with a kitchen towel, for about an hour, until doubled in size. Uncover.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees and center a rack in the oven. Bake loaf on the centered rack for 45 minutes, until well browned. Carefully tip the loaf out of the pan onto a cooling rack. To tell whether it's done, thump the bottom of the loaf with your fingertips; it should sound hollow. Let cool to room temperature before slicing, if possible.

IRISH BARMBRACK

Steps:

• Soak the dried fruit in the hot tea for 2 hours, then drain and gently squeeze out excess tea.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9 inch Bundt pan. Stir together the flour cinnamon, nutmeg, and baking soda; set aside.
• Beat the egg, sugar, marmalade, orange zest, and tea-soaked fruit until well combined. Gently fold in the flour until just combined, then pour into the prepared Bundt pan.
• Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour or until the top of the cake springs back when lightly pressed. Allow to cool in the pan for 2 hours before removing. Continue to cool to room temperature on a wire rack. Press the objects of choice into the cake through the bottom before serving.

BARM BRACK (IRISH WHISKEY TEA LOAF)

Steps:

• First soak the raisins and sugar in the tea (or tea and whiskey) overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
• Add Flour, baking powder, and eggs to the tea mixture.
• Spoon the dough into a greased loaf pans. You should be able to fill 3 loaf pans, 8x4 inches (20x10 cm). (I prefer to make them in ready to give away little loaf pans which makes about five per batch).
• Place loaf pans in the oven and bake for 1 hour and 45minutes.
• Leave Bram Brack to cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack and glaze the top with the melted honey. ( If you go with the small give away kind let cool then leave in tin drizzle honey on the top and cover with a little room on top and then give them away when ready.).