A very short overview of the tea loaf.

'The beast from the East' and storm Emma have come and gone.

Here, in our little corner of the Fens we only had an inch or two of snow. I will confess to being at once disappointed and relieved. Disappointed that we weren't snowed in with 6ft drifts, relieved that we didn't suffer the disruption to daily life that others faced.

And now, hardly a week later, the temperatures have rocketed to a balmy 12 degrees and Spring seems to be on the horizon.

And just to prove it - a jug of tulips on our sunny kitchen windowsill!

Earlier in the week, I decided on a little baking. Mr digandweed is famous for his love of fruit cake and the easiest fruit cake to make is a tea loaf.

There are numerous recipes for this delicious cross between bread and cake.
The Irish have Barm Brack, the Welsh Bara Brith. Then there is this retro recipe using a well known breakfast cereal. The range of fruit used can vary and some recipes even include whiskey, but all have in common the fact that the fruit is soaked in liquid, usually tea for several hours.
This ensures plump fruit and a lovely moist loaf.

This recipe is packed full of fruit.

50g dried figs, chopped small
50g raisins
50g prunes, chopped small
300ml strong tea
225g plain flour
2tsp baking powder
1tsp ground ginger
125g brown sugar
1 egg, beaten

Soak the fruit in the tea for several hours, then stir in the remaining ingredients.
Spoon the mixture into 900g loaf tin and bake in an oven preheated to 180c for about 11/4 hours.
Allow to cool in the tin for about 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.

I then spread my loaf with a marmalade glaze.

Enjoy thickly buttered, with a cup of tea!

Have a good week everyone.


Annie
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