Best Barmbrack Recipes

facebook share image   twitter share image   pinterest share image   E-Mail share image

BARMBRACK (IRISH SWEET BREAD)



Barmbrack (Irish Sweet Bread) image

This traditional Irish sweet bread is known as barmbrack, or bairin breac in Gaelic, or speckled loaf, since it is run through with raisins. This is a perfect bread for breakfast or tea, spread with good butter, toasted or not. The recipe has been adapted slightly from one by the well-known Irish cookbook author Rachel Allen; her original calls for chopped candied peel instead of citrus zest, and fast-rising yeast instead of dry active yeast.

Provided by David Tanis

Categories     breads, side dish

Time 2h

Yield 1 loaf

Number Of Ingredients 15

1 teaspoon dry active yeast
2/3 cup/158 milliliters lightly warmed milk
1 egg, beaten
1 2/3 cups/214 grams all-purpose flour, plus flour for dusting
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon clove
1/4 teaspoon mace
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons/28 grams unsalted butter, softened, more for greasing pan
1/4 cup/50 grams granulated sugar
1/2 cup/75 grams golden raisins
1/2 cup/75 grams black raisins
1/2 cup/75 grams currants
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon grated orange zest

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.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 207, UnsaturatedFat 2 grams, Carbohydrate 39 grams, Fat 6 grams, Fiber 2 grams, Protein 3 grams, SaturatedFat 3 grams, Sodium 201 milligrams, Sugar 33 grams, TransFat 0 grams

IRISH TEA CAKE (BARMBRACK)



Irish Tea Cake (Barmbrack) image

Barmbrack comes in tons of varieties, from light and yeasted to super-dense and fruitcake-like, which is what I attempted here. It's traditionally a Halloween treat, and my experience was, unfortunately, equal parts trick and treat. This recipe improves on the original video version, which my Irish friends on YouTube said needed baking soda, more tea, and much less whole grain flour. Of course, top with butter and enjoy alongside a cup of hot tea.

Provided by Chef John

Categories     World Cuisine Recipes     European     UK and Ireland     Irish

Time 3h5m

Yield 8

Number Of Ingredients 23

2 Irish breakfast tea bags
2 cups boiling water
¼ cup dried currants
½ cup dried cherries
½ cup golden raisins
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup spelt flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ cup light brown sugar
1 large egg
¼ cup milk
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
1 tablespoon Irish whiskey
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons butter, melted
2 teaspoons honey, or to taste

Steps:

  • Place tea bags in a heatproof measuring cup. Pour in boiling water and let steep for 5 minutes. Remove tea bags and let cool until barely warm.
  • Combine currants, cherries, and raisins in a bowl. Pour warm tea over the fruit. Let sit for 2 hours. Drain fruit, reserving 2 to 4 tablespoons of the tea.
  • Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Thoroughly butter a 9x5-inch loaf pan and line with buttered parchment paper.
  • Whisk flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves together in a large bowl. Make a well in the center. Add brown sugar, egg, milk, reserved tea, lemon and orange zest, whiskey, vanilla, and butter. Mix until flour is mostly incorporated. Stir in fruit until just combined.
  • Spread batter into the prepared loaf pan. Tap pan against the counter.
  • Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Drizzle honey over the top. Let cool in the pan before slicing.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 315.5 calories, Carbohydrate 51.2 g, Cholesterol 46.8 mg, Fat 9.9 g, Fiber 2.7 g, Protein 5.6 g, SaturatedFat 5.9 g, Sodium 569.5 mg, Sugar 22.3 g

IRISH TEA BARMBRACK



Irish Tea Barmbrack image

This is an easy dark fruit cake or tea brack, which involves soaking dried fruit in strong black tea overnight. Barmbrack was traditionally served on Halloween in Ireland. Items, such as a ring to signify a wedding in the near future, would be wrapped up in paper and baked in the cake for one lucky person to find in their slice! There's no butter required for the recipe itself, but it's worth buttering every slice of this. Stored in an airtight tin, this cake will keep for 10 days.

Provided by Ita

Categories     Bread     Quick Bread Recipes     Fruit Bread Recipes

Time 9h45m

Yield 10

Number Of Ingredients 9

2 cups raisins
¾ cup golden raisins (sultanas)
¼ cup candied mixed fruit peel
1 teaspoon molasses (treacle), or more to taste
1 ¼ cups warm, strong black tea
1 ¾ cups self-rising flour
1 cup turbinado (demerara) sugar
1 egg
¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (mixed spice)

Steps:

  • Mix raisins, golden raisins, mixed fruit peel, and molasses with black tea in a bowl; cover and let soak, 8 hours to overnight.
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and line a loaf pan with parchment paper.
  • Stir flour, turbinado sugar, egg, and pumpkin pie spice into raisin mixture until well mixed; pour into the prepared loaf pan.
  • Bake in the preheated oven until barmbrack is firm to the touch, about 1 1/2 hours. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 298.9 calories, Carbohydrate 72.3 g, Cholesterol 18.6 mg, Fat 0.9 g, Fiber 2.3 g, Protein 4.1 g, SaturatedFat 0.2 g, Sodium 298.1 mg, Sugar 42.8 g

GRACIE'S BARMBRACK



Gracie's Barmbrack image

A delicious tea bread, also known as barmbrack, nice straight from the oven and buttered. For an egg-free option, it works fine with a tablespoon of applesauce instead of the egg. Enjoy warm or allow to cool before slicing and serving.

Provided by graciethebaker

Categories     Bread     Quick Bread Recipes     Fruit Bread Recipes

Time 3h35m

Yield 10

Number Of Ingredients 6

2 cups dried fruit
1 ¼ cups brewed black tea, cold
cooking spray
2 ¾ cups self-rising flour, sifted
¾ cup light brown sugar, or to taste
1 egg

Steps:

  • Place dried fruit in a bowl and pour in tea; let soak for 2 hours.
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a loaf pan with cooking spray and line with parchment paper.
  • Beat flour, brown sugar, and egg into fruit mixture until batter is well mixed; pour into the prepared loaf pan.
  • Bake in the preheated oven on the center rack until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 278.6 calories, Carbohydrate 64.6 g, Cholesterol 18.6 mg, Fat 1 g, Fiber 0.9 g, Protein 4.9 g, SaturatedFat 0.2 g, Sodium 455.5 mg, Sugar 16.2 g

BARMBRACK OR BARM BRACK



Barmbrack or Barm Brack image

I own a cookbook published by Chatelaine in 1968, Heritage Collection of Home Tested Recipes (my Mom usually has possession of it but she let me borrow it) and I decided to try a couple of recipes from it. This sounded so good and it is! I made it with Christmas tea, which is black tea with orange, cherry and almond flavours.

Provided by Myrna B.

Categories     Quick Breads

Time 1h50m

Yield 16 serving(s)

Number Of Ingredients 10

1 cup tea, hot and strong
1/2 cup dates, chopped
1/2 cup mixed peel, chopped
1 cup raisins, washed
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Steps:

  • Combine fruit and sugar in a large bowl. Pour tea over fruit mixture, cover, and let sit overnight.
  • Next morning, stir in egg, then flour,baking powder, soda, and salt sifted together.
  • Turn into greased loaf pan and bake for 1 1/2 hours at 300°F.
  • Turn onto wire rack to cool.
  • To serve, slice and butter.
  • NOTE: I did not include soaking time in the time to make.

IRISH BARMBRACK CAKES FOR HALLOWEEN



Irish Barmbrack Cakes for Halloween image

Barmbrack is one of those traditional Halloween recipes that's both a dessert and a Halloween game. Traditionally, a ring is baked into the cake, and the person who finds the ring in their slice of barmbrack is guaranteed to be married before the year is out. To make a more modern, kid-friendly version of the barmbrack...

Provided by Jenn Conley

Categories     Breads

Time 12h50m

Number Of Ingredients 14

2 c strong, hot black tea
3 1/2 c mixed dried fruits (raisins, cranberries, dry dates, candied orange peel, etc)
1 c whole milk
2 tsp active dry yeast
1 tsp granulated sugar
3 c bread flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 c brown sugar, packed
1/3 c butter
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice, ground

Steps:

  • 1. Soak dried fruits in tea overnight (or a few hours if not enough time).
  • 2. Heat milk until warm. Sprinkle yeast and teaspoon granulated sugar over top and stir. Let sit in a warm place for about 15 minutes, until foamy.
  • 3. Stir together the flour, salt, spices, and brown sugar in a large bowl.
  • 4. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture, and add egg, yeast mixture, and butter. Mix well with a wooden spoon.
  • 5. Drain fruit well, then add to the dough. This should produce a smooth dough. If it's too gooey, add more flour.
  • 6. Knead dough on a floured board for about 5-10 minutes. The dough should be smooth, but just a little sticky.
  • 7. Place dough in your greased cake or loaf pan, cover with a cloth, and let rise in a warm place for 45-60 minutes, until doubled.
  • 8. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake barmbrack 30 minutes.
  • 9. Remove bread from the pan, flip it upside down, return it to the pan, and bake 20 minutes more.
  • 10. Bread is done cooking it sounds hollow when tapped on the sides. Cool on a rack before serving.
  • 11. Sprinkle with powdered sugar or serve with butter and jam.

IRISH TEA BARMBRACK BY DARINA ALLEN



Irish Tea Barmbrack by Darina Allen image

Provided by @MakeItYours

Number Of Ingredients 11

100 g (3/4 cup) raisins
100 g (3/4 cup) sultanas
100 g (3/4 cup) currants
50 g (1/4 cup) glacé cherries, halved or quartered, or stoned, chopped dates
50 g (1/4 cup) candied peel or the zest of 1 lemon
250 ml (1 cup) hot, strong black tea
50 ml (1/4 cup) whiskey or Cointreau( or rum)
1 egg, lightly beaten
225 g (1 3/4 cups) self-raising flour
200 g (1 1/4 cup) light brown sugar
1 level teaspoon mixed spice (like pumpkin spice)

Steps:

  • If you can't get sultanas and/or raisins, just use all raisins instead, or you could substitute dried cranberries too. Darina's recipe calls for glacé cherries, but you could use chopped dates instead or leave them out altogether. I've been cheeky and have swapped out some of the tea for whiskey in this recipe, but if you don't want to use alcohol in your barmbrack, just use 300 ml (1 1/4 cups) tea. For a twist, use Earl Grey or even chai tea instead of regular black tea. If you want to add in some charms, like a ring or coins, just be sure to wrap them well in parchment paper first before adding them to the batter!
  • Put the raisins, sultanas, currants, cherries and candied peel in a large bowl, one that's big enough to accommodate all the ingredients later on. Pour over the tea and whiskey or Cointreau and allow the fruit to soak for at least 30 minutes or even overnight.
  • When you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Line a 450 g (1 lb) loaf tin with parchment paper or a loaf tin liner.
  • Add in the beaten egg, flour, sugar and mixed spice to the fruit and tea mixture. Stir well until everything is just combined. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin. Bake for about 1 1/2 hours or until a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool on a wire rack before slicing. This keeps very well in an airtight tin.

IRISH BARMBRACK



Irish Barmbrack image

Barmbrack is a traditional Irish cake eaten on holidays. After pouring into the prepared pan, it is tradition to add objects to the barmbrack which symbolize certain things for the person who receives each in their slice. Thoroughly clean objects before adding them to the barmbrack. These objects can be pressed into the bottom of the loaf after baking instead: coin-wealth or good fortune; ring-will marry within the year; bean-poverty; pea-will not marry within the year; matchstick-unhappy marriage; thimble-single for life.

Provided by Brooke Elizabeth

Categories     World Cuisine Recipes     European     UK and Ireland     Irish

Time 5h15m

Yield 12

Number Of Ingredients 10

2 ½ cups chopped dried mixed fruit
1 ½ cups hot brewed tea
2 ½ cups flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 egg
1 ½ cups sugar
¼ cup lemon marmalade
1 teaspoon grated orange zest

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.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 294 calories, Carbohydrate 70.4 g, Cholesterol 15.5 mg, Fat 0.9 g, Fiber 0.9 g, Protein 4 g, SaturatedFat 0.2 g, Sodium 69.3 mg, Sugar 29.1 g

BARMBRACK



Barmbrack image

This tasty bread is not too sweet, very nice toasted, buttered, and served with a hot cup of tea. Barmbrack is the centre of an Irish Halloween custom. The Halloween Brack traditionally contained various objects baked into the bread and was used as a sort of fortune-telling game. In the barmbrack were: a pea, a stick, a piece of cloth, a small coin (originally a silver sixpence) and a ring. Each item, when received in the slice, was supposed to carry a meaning to the person concerned: the pea, the person would not marry that year; the stick, would have an unhappy marriage or continually be in disputes; the cloth or rag, would have bad luck or be poor; the coin, would enjoy good fortune or be rich; and the ring, would be wed within the year. Recipe found at IrishAbroad.com Cook time does not include the overnight soaking of the dried fruit...

Provided by loof751

Categories     Dessert

Time 1h40m

Yield 10 serving(s)

Number Of Ingredients 7

2 1/2 cups mixed dried fruit (currants, dates & raisins)
1 cup black tea (heated to boiling)
1 egg, slighty beaten
1 mixed spice
4 teaspoons orange marmalade
1 1/3 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups self-raising flour

Steps:

  • Place dried fruit in a bowl, cover with the hot tea and let soak overnight.
  • The next day, add the remaining ingredients. and mix well.
  • Preheat oven to 375°F Pour batter into greased 7" square pan and bake in the center of oven for 1 1/2 hours.
  • Let cool in the pan on a wire rack. Slice and serve buttered with tea.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 320.3, Fat 1, SaturatedFat 0.2, Cholesterol 18.6, Sodium 412.6, Carbohydrate 76.1, Fiber 3.8, Sugar 28.3, Protein 4.7

BARMBRACK



Barmbrack image

The trick for flavour in this recipe,is to soak the fruit in a liquor of tepid water and lemon juice for 50 min., and to rub a mixture of cinnamon and butter onto the hot cake so that it seeps in to flavour the cake and create a lovely glossy sheen on the cobbled surface. If you'd like a particularly rich version, you can also...

Provided by stephanie Hawkins

Categories     Sweet Breads

Time 1h5m

Number Of Ingredients 15

for the fruit:
350 g sultanas tepid water, enough to cover the sultanas
1 lemon, juice only
for the dough:
450 g organic/stone-ground strong bread flour
pinch salt
15 g fresh yeast, softened with 1 tbsp tepid water
280 ml milk, at room temperature
50 g butter, softened
50 g sugar
1 egg, beaten
for the topping
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground coriander, or mixed spice

Steps:

  • 1. To prepare the fruit; soak the sultanas in the water and lemon juice for 30-45 minutes, then drain off the liquid.
  • 2. To make the dough; put all the ingredients into a mixing bowl and bring together with a spatula or wooden spoon.
  • 3. . Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for 15 minutes (preferably by hand, but you can use a dough hook on an electric mixer). Kneading develops the gluten and protein in the dough, giving it the elasticity to rise. Put the dough in a bowl, cover with a damp tea towel and leave for about 1 hour, until the mixture has risen and fills the bowl.
  • 4. Turn the mixture out onto a lightly floured board. 'Knock back' (knead), adding the soaked fruit and kneading the dough until the fruit is evenly spread throughout. Place in a 20-23cm buttered cake tin and cover with a damp tea towel. Leave in a warm place for about 20 minutes until the mixture rises up to the top of the tin.
  • 5. Preheat the oven to 200C/gas 6. Bake in the centre of the oven for 50 minutes until cooked.
  • 6. To make the topping: cream the butter and spices together until soft. Remove the barmbrack from the oven, and immediately spread the spiced butter on top. Leave to cool.
  • 7. Serve barmbrack sliced with lashings of butter. It is also delicious with blue cheese. Toasted, the fruits caramelise and absorb butter wonderfully. If it's not quite as fresh as you'd hope, this loaf makes an excellent bread and butter pudding.

Related Topics