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Mary Berry Bara Brith Recipe

Mary Berry Bara Brith Recipe

Mary Berry's bara brith is a moist, fragrant Welsh tea loaf made with fruit soaked overnight in tea — completely wonderful and completely authentic.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Cooling Time 2 hours
Total Time 3 hours 25 minutes
Servings: 10 Slices
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: British
Calories: 250
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • Overnight Fruit Soak:
  • 450 g mixed dried fruit sultanas, raisins, currants, mixed peel
  • 300 ml hot very strong black tea 2 tea bags, steeped 5 minutes
  • 100 g soft dark brown sugar — dissolved in the hot tea
  • Bara Brith:
  • All the soaked fruit and its remaining liquid
  • 1 large egg beaten
  • 275 g self-raising flour sifted
  • 1 tsp mixed spice
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tbsp dark marmalade
  • To Finish:
  • 2 tbsp clear honey warmed

Method
 

  1. Place mixed dried fruit in a large bowl. Dissolve dark brown sugar in hot strong tea — pour over fruit. Stir. Cover tightly and soak overnight — minimum 8 hours.
  2. Preheat oven to 160°C / 140°C fan / Gas 3. Grease and line a 900g loaf tin with parchment overhang.
  3. Add beaten egg and marmalade to soaked fruit — stir. Sift flour and spices directly into fruit mixture — fold until completely combined. Batter will be thick and fruit-packed.
  4. Spoon into tin — smooth top. Bake 1 hour 15 minutes – 1 hour 30 minutes until skewer comes out clean. Cover loosely after 45 minutes if darkening too quickly.
  5. Brush warm honey over the top immediately on removing from oven. Cool completely in tin — 2 hours. Lift out using parchment overhang. Slice and serve with cold salted butter.

Notes

Soak fruit overnight — minimum 8 hours. This step cannot be shortened.
Use very strong tea — 2 tea bags steeped 5 minutes gives the tannin depth that defines bara brith.
Dark marmalade gives a slight bitter orange complexity — traditional in Welsh recipes.
Bake at a low temperature for the full time — dense fruit batter needs slow, even heat.
Improves over 2–3 days — wrap tightly and store at room temperature.
Freeze in slices for up to 3 months.
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