Mary Berry Fruit Loaf Recipe

A fruit loaf is one of the most quietly satisfying things British baking produces. Not a celebration bake, not a showstopper — simply a dense, moist loaf packed with dried fruit, warmly spiced, sliced thickly and eaten spread with cold butter.

It is the bake that appears on the table without announcement and disappears before anyone has noticed how much they have eaten.

Mary Berry’s fruit loaf recipe is the reliable, traditional version — a yeasted fruit bread rather than a cake, which gives it its characteristic chewy, slightly dense crumb and its ability to keep beautifully for four to five days.

The dried fruit is soaked in warm tea before baking, which plumps it and gives the loaf a depth of flavour that unsoaked fruit cannot provide.

This is the bake for a cold afternoon, a pot of tea, and people who appreciate the simple things done properly.

Fruit Loaf Versus Tea Loaf — What Is the Difference?

Both use tea-soaked fruit and are baked in a loaf tin. The difference is in the leavening.

Tea loaf uses self-raising flour or baking powder — it is a quick bread with a cake-like crumb. It comes together in minutes with no waiting.

Fruit loaf uses yeast — it is a yeasted bread with a slightly chewy, denser crumb and more complex flavour. It takes longer because the dough needs to rise, but the result is more interesting and keeps considerably better.

Both are wonderful. This recipe is the yeasted fruit loaf. See the tea bread and tea loaf recipes elsewhere on this site for the quick versions.

Ingredients for Mary Berry Fruit Loaf

For the Fruit Soak

• 300g mixed dried fruit (sultanas, currants, raisins)
• 50g glacé cherries, halved and rinsed
• 200ml strong hot black tea (2 teabags)
• 50g soft light brown sugar

For the Dough

• 500g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
• 7g fast-action dried yeast (1 sachet)
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 50g soft light brown sugar
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 75g unsalted butter, softened
• 200ml warm whole milk
• 1 large egg, beaten
• The soaked fruit and all its liquid

For the Glaze

• 2 tbsp golden syrup, warmed
• Or 2 tbsp milk mixed with 1 tsp caster sugar

How to Make Mary Berry Fruit Loaf — Step by Step

Step 1 — Soak the Fruit

Place the mixed dried fruit, glacé cherries, and soft light brown sugar in a bowl. Pour over the hot tea. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Leave to soak for at least two hours — overnight gives an even better result. The fruit will absorb the tea and become plump and glossy.

Step 2 — Make the Dough

Place the flour, yeast, salt, soft light brown sugar, mixed spice, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl. Keep the yeast and salt on opposite sides until mixing begins.

Add the softened butter, warm milk, and beaten egg. Mix to a shaggy dough, then turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for eight to ten minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. It will be quite soft — resist adding too much extra flour.

Step 3 — Add the Fruit

Flatten the dough gently into a rough rectangle. Drain the soaked fruit slightly — reserve the soaking liquid and add it with the fruit. Scatter the soaked fruit evenly over the dough. Fold the dough over the fruit and knead very gently for two to three minutes until the fruit is evenly distributed throughout.

The dough will tear slightly as the fruit is incorporated — this is normal. Be gentle to avoid crushing too many fruit pieces.

Step 4 — First Rise

Shape into a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with cling film or a damp tea towel. Leave in a warm place for 1 to 1.5 hours until doubled in size.

Step 5 — Shape and Second Rise

Grease a 2lb (900g) loaf tin. Punch down the risen dough gently. Shape into an oblong that fits the loaf tin. Place seam-side down in the tin.

Cover loosely and leave to rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour until the dough has risen above the rim of the tin.

Step 6 — Bake

Preheat your oven to 190°C / 170°C fan / Gas 5. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until deep golden brown on top and hollow-sounding when tapped on the base.

Immediately on removing from the oven, brush the top with the warmed golden syrup or sweetened milk glaze. This gives the loaf its characteristic shine.

Cool in the tin for ten minutes then turn out onto a wire rack. Cool completely before slicing.

Step 7 — Slice and Serve

Slice thickly and serve with cold butter. This is the only appropriate way to eat a fruit loaf.

My Top Tips For Mary Berry Fruit Loaf

Soak the fruit overnight. Even two hours of soaking makes a significant difference to the plumpness and flavour of the dried fruit. Overnight gives the best result — the fruit absorbs the tea completely and becomes glossy and intensely flavoured.

Use the soaking liquid in the dough. All of it — the slightly dark, slightly sweet tea liquid carries enormous flavour. Adding it to the dough as part of the liquid gives the loaf a depth of flavour that a plain milk-only dough does not have.

Do not add too much flour when incorporating the fruit. The dough will become sticky as the moist fruit goes in. Resist adding more flour — a slightly sticky dough produces a more moist, more tender fruit loaf than a dry one.

The glaze makes a significant difference to appearance. A fruit loaf brushed with warmed golden syrup the moment it comes out of the oven is beautiful — deeply golden, slightly shiny, sticky on top. Without the glaze it looks pale and slightly dull.

Cool completely before slicing. A fruit loaf sliced while warm tears rather than cutting cleanly. Leave for at least an hour — preferably two — before cutting.

Serving Suggestions

Sliced thickly with cold salted butter — the only way. With a pot of strong tea alongside. As part of a traditional British afternoon tea spread. As a gift wrapped in baking parchment and tied with string.

How to Store Mary Berry Fruit Loaf

At room temperature: Wrap in baking parchment and store in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Yeasted bread keeps longer than cake-based versions and improves slightly over the first two days.

In the freezer: Slice and freeze individually for up to 3 months. Toast from frozen or defrost at room temperature.

Mary Berry Fruit Loaf Recipe

Mary Berry's fruit loaf is moist, packed with dried fruit, and sliced and buttered — the most traditional British tea-time bake.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Rising Time 1 hour hr 45 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs 40 minutes mins

Servings: 12 Slices

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: British

Calories: 285

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• Fruit Soak 2 hours minimum — overnight is better:
• 300 g mixed dried fruit
• 50 g glacé cherries halved and rinsed
• 200 ml strong hot black tea
• 50 g soft light brown sugar
• Dough:
• 500 g strong white bread flour
• 7 g fast-action dried yeast
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 50 g soft light brown sugar
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 75 g unsalted butter softened
• 200 ml warm whole milk
• 1 large egg beaten
• Soaked fruit and all its liquid
• Glaze:
• 2 tbsp golden syrup warmed

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Method

 

1. Soak dried fruit in hot tea with sugar — minimum 2 hours, overnight is better.
2. Combine flour, yeast, salt, sugar, and spices. Add butter, warm milk, and egg. Mix to a shaggy dough. Knead 8–10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
3. Flatten dough. Add soaked fruit and all liquid. Knead gently 2–3 minutes until fruit is evenly distributed.
4. Place in oiled bowl. Cover. Rise in a warm place 1–1.5 hours until doubled.
5. Punch down. Shape into an oblong. Place in greased 2lb loaf tin, seam-side down. Cover loosely. Rise 45 minutes to 1 hour until above the tin rim.
6. Preheat oven to 190°C / 170°C fan / Gas 5. Bake 30–35 minutes until deep golden and hollow when tapped. Brush immediately with warmed golden syrup.
7. Cool in tin 10 minutes. Turn out. Cool completely before slicing.

Notes

Soak fruit overnight — the longer the better.

Use all the soaking liquid in the dough — it carries enormous flavour.

Do not add too much extra flour when incorporating the fruit.

Glaze with warmed golden syrup immediately out of the oven — it gives a beautiful shine.

Cool completely before slicing — warm fruit bread tears.

Stores in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Freezes for up to 3 months.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between this and the tea loaf recipe on this site?

This fruit loaf is a yeasted bread — it uses yeast for leavening, needs two rises, and produces a slightly chewy, denser crumb that keeps for five days. The tea loaf uses self-raising flour and is a quick bread with a more cake-like crumb.

Can I use instant yeast?

Fast-action dried yeast and instant yeast are the same thing — both can be added directly to the flour without pre-activating. If you have active dried yeast, dissolve it in the warm milk with a pinch of sugar and leave for ten minutes until frothy before adding.

Can I add more spice?

Yes — increase the mixed spice to 1.5 teaspoons or add half a teaspoon of ground ginger for a more spiced loaf.

Can I make this in a bread machine?

Yes — add all the dough ingredients to the bread machine pan and set to the sweet bread or fruit bread cycle. Add the soaked fruit (well drained) when the machine beeps for additions. Glaze immediately after baking.

Why is my fruit loaf dense?

Either the yeast was old and the dough did not rise properly, or the dough was not kneaded long enough. Check the yeast freshness, knead for the full eight to ten minutes, and make sure the dough has truly doubled during both rises.