Tea Brack is a sort of cross between cake and bread. The word Brack comes from an old Irish word, ‘breac‘, meaning speckled, which I imagine, refers to the fruit.
The Irish are great tea drinkers so there would always be tea left in the pot at the end of the day to soak the fruit.
The night before…
375g/12oz mixed Raisins/Sultanas
300ml/ ½pint Cold Milk-less Tea
Place fruit and tea in a bowl and leave to soak overnight
The next day….
Preheat oven, 170C/325F/Gas3.
Grease and base line a 900g/2lb loaf tin, or a 20cm/8” round cake tin.
To the bowl of dried fruit/tea mixture add:
225g/8oz Plain Flour
2½ tsp Baking Powder
125g/4oz Sugar
1 beaten Egg
Good pinch of Mixed Spice
….and mix well.
Transfer to the loaf/cake tin and bake for about 1 hour or until risen and firm to the touch.
Cool on a wire tray.
Store in a tin.
Best served when cold, spread with butter if you desire, and enjoyed with a mug of hot tea. I have been told that it tastes better after having been stored for a couple of days…. I have to admit that it has never lasted long enough in my home for me to be able to test this theory.
Kathleen Nash
