Best Bara Brith Bread Recipes

WELSH CURRANT RAISIN BREAD BARA BRITH (MADE WITH YEAST)

Steps:

• Put 8 cups of the flour in a mixing bowl and let it stand in a warm place for a short while. Rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles meal, add the currants, raisins candied fruit peel, nutmeg or allspice, salt and all of the brown sugar but 1 teaspoon of the brown sugar. Mix thoroughly.
• In a smaller bowl cream the fresh yeast with the 1 teaspoons of brown sugar and blend the yeast mixture with the milk.
• Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, pour the yeast mixture into it and sprinkle a little additional flour over the yeast mixture. Cover the dough and let it stand in a warm place for a few minutes, until it is just beginning to rise. Pour the beaten eggs into the bowl and proceed to knead gradually adding the 1 1/2 cups tepid water mixed with the molasses. This should be a soft dough. Knead about 10 minutes.
• Cover the bowl with a cloth and let the dough rise in a warm place for 1 1/2 hours, or until it has doubled in bulk. Then turn the dough out onto a well floured board, divide it in half and put it into two well buttered 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 inch loaf pans. Let the loaves rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes, or until they have nearly risen to the rims of the pans.
• Bake the loaves in a preheated 350°F oven for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, so that the tops are browned and loaves sound hollow when rapped.
• Welsh Fare S. Minwel Tibbott.

BARA BRITH (CURRANT BREAD) WELSH

Steps:

• Oven: 450F, Gas Mark 8 for 15 minutes: 375F, Gas Mark 5 for 45 minutes.
• Soak the fruit and candied peel in the water with the spice.
• Leave to steep in a warm place and use the warm spicy, strained water to mix the dough.
• Sift the flour and salt and rub in the lard; cream the yeast with the sugar and a little of the spiced water; mix this into the flour, together with the eggs and use enough of the water to give a firm, yet elastic dough.
• Knead well, leave to rise and knock back; blend in the drained fruit and knead again.
• Shape the dough into loaves and set into greased 1 lb tins in a warm place to prove; bake, reducing the temperature after the first 15 minutes.
• Originally, in some recipies, the fruit content would have been fresh currants or blackberries.
• Bara Brith is often served as part of the traditional Welsh tea.
• It can also be purchased at many of the small bakeries found throughout Wales.
• British Cookery (BTA/BFPC)

BARA BRITH BREAD

Steps:

• Combine 1 1/4 flour and the other dry ingredients (first five).
• In a saucepan heat buttermilk, sugar, butter and salt just until warm (115-120 degrees F), making sure butter is melted; stir constantly.
• Add to flour mixture, adding the egg in as well. Beat on low speed of electric mixer for 30 seconds. Then beat at high speed for 3 minutes.
• Stir in currant or raisins and as much of the remaining flour as can be mixed with a spoon. Turn onot floured surface and knead in enough of the remaining flour to make moderately stiff dough (takes 6-8 minutes).
• Shape into ball and place into a greased bowl, turning it over once. Cover and let rise until doubled (about 1 1/4 hours). Punch down and shape into a loaf. Put into a greased 8x4x2 inch loaf pan, cover and let rise till nearly double (30 minutes).
• Bake in oven at 375 degree F for 35-40 minutes, making sure to cover with foil the last 20 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool.