Traditional Welsh Bara Brith

Ingredients

• Servings: 1
• 6 ounces dried fruit
• 8 ounces dark brown sugar
• 1/2 pint strong hot tea
• 10 ounces self-raising flour
• 1 egg

Recipe

• 1 this is wales' traditional rich fruit bread.
• 2 south wales makes it with baking powder; northerners prefer yeast as the raising agent. either way it's delicious.
• 3 soak the dried fruit and sugar overnight in the tea.
• 4 you can use either fresh tea, or the cold dregs from the teapot (this gives a good strong colour). next day, sieve the flour and fold it it into the fruit. mix in the lightly beaten egg.
• 5 line a small loaf-tin with buttered paper then tip in the mixture, smoothing it well into the corners.
• 6 bake in a gentle oven at 300 f (150 c) for 1-1/2 hours.
• 7 cool and store for at least 2 days in a tin so that it matures moist and rich.
• 8 traditionalists say you should never butter the bara brith, but it's lovely that way!