Borrowdale Teabread
Submitted by doughnut
A traditional English Lake District teabread packed with tea-soaked currants, raisins, and sultanas. Moist, fruity, and lovely sliced thick with a generous spread of butter. Just 7 simple ingredients.
YIELD
2 loafsPREP
20 minCOOK
READY
2 hrsStraight from the fells and farmhouses of England’s Lake District, this Borrowdale teabread is the sort of thing you want waiting on the counter after a long walk in the rain.
The method couldn’t be simpler. Soak a generous three cups of mixed dried fruit overnight in strong tea. The fruit plumps up, turns tender, and takes on a deep, malty sweetness.
Next day, stir in brown sugar, a beaten egg, melted butter, flour, and bicarbonate of soda. Into a loaf tin, into the oven, done.
The result is a dense, moist loaf that’s more fruit than bread, with a dark crumb and a gentle sweetness that’s never cloying.
Slice it thick, spread it with proper butter, and put the kettle on. That’s how it’s done in Borrowdale.
Kitchen Tips
- Use strong, hot tea for the overnight soak. The tannins add depth and keep the loaf beautifully moist for days.
- Don’t skimp on the soaking time. A full overnight rest gives the fruit time to absorb the tea completely.
- The loaf keeps brilliantly wrapped in foil. It actually improves after a day or two as the flavors settle.
Ingredients
Directions
Soak the fruit overnight in the tea, in a large mixing bowl.
Pre-heat the oven to 350℉ (180℃) degrees (180 C; gas mark 4).
Stir into the soaked fruit the sugar, the egg and the melted fat.
Sieve the flour and the bicarbonate of soda into the mixture and mix well. Spoon into a lightly greased and lined 9inch ;x 5inch (900g or 2lb) loaf tin and bake in a moderate oven for 1 to 1¼ hours, or until firm to the touch. Leave in the tin for about 5 minutes, then turn out and cool on a wire rack. Serve sliced and generously buttered. (Makes a 2 lb. loaf--900g)
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