Traditional Irish Barmbrack with Yeast
#barmbrack #traditionalirishbarmbrack #irishrecipes #halloweenrecipes
Delve into the rich history of Barmbrack, a cherished Irish tradition. Barmbrack, or báirín breac in Irish, is a delicious yeast-based bread that has been a staple in Irish households for generations. What sets it apart is the delightful surprise it holds within its golden crust – fortune-telling charms! These hidden tokens, often symbolizing various aspects of life like wealth, love, or good luck, make enjoying Barmbrack a whimsical experience steeped in folklore.
As you slice into this aromatic bread, you'll uncover the hidden charms, each carrying its unique significance. It's a bit like a culinary fortune cookie, Irish style!
Barmbrack is traditionally enjoyed with a cup of tea, making it a delightful centerpiece for tea time gatherings and celebrations. Its sweet, fruity flavor is a testament to the warm hospitality of Ireland, where sharing stories and predictions from the charms adds an extra layer of fun to the occasion.
So, if you're looking to embrace a piece of Irish heritage or simply want to enjoy a delicious and unique bread, give Barmbrack a try! And remember, if you have any questions or need assistance with your Barmbrack adventure, don't hesitate to comment below – I'll be delighted to help you. ☘️????
How to Make a Traditional Irish Barmbrack with Yeast
Irish Barmbrack with Yeast
Timings.
Prep Time: 15 mins.
Soak Time: 4 hrs
Cook Time: 50 mins.
Total Time: 5 hours 5 mins.
Servings.
Serves 8-10 people.
Ingredients.
• 2 ½ cups (375g/13oz) Dried Mixed Fruit.
• ½ cup (125ml/4 fl oz) Cold Black Tea.
• 2 ¾ cups (450g/15 oz) Strong White Flour (if using Plain/All purpose but see note below).
• 3 tbsp (50g/1 ½ oz) Unsalted Butter, diced.
• 1 tsp Mixed Spice/Pumpkin Spice
• 1 tsp Cinnamon.
• ½ tsp Salt.
• 1 (7g) Sachet of Fast Action Dried Yeast.
• ¼ cup (50g/1 ½ oz) Caster Sugar.
• 2 Medium Eggs.
• ½ cup (150ml - 170ml/5 floz - 5.7 floz) Warm Milk.
Glaze
• 2 tbsp Warm Honey.
Oven Temperatures.
• Preheat the oven:
Fan Oven: 180°C/360°F.
Oven: 200°C/400°F.
Gas Mark 6.
Method.
1. Place the dried fruit in a bowl and add the cold black tea, soak the fruit in the tea for at least 4 hours or overnight.
2. Place the flour in a large mixing bowl. Using your fingertips, rub in the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. If you don’t have strong white flour or bread flour you can use plain or all-purpose flour but you won’t need to use as much liquid as this flour has less absorption in them.
3. Stir in the cinnamon, mixed spice, salt, instant yeast and sugar. When adding the yeast don’t place it on the salt or the salt will deactivate it and it won’t work.
4. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients, beat the two eggs and add half (keep the remainder as egg wash for the top of the barmbrack) and gradually add 150 -170 ml warm milk, adding a little at a time, until a slightly sticky dough is made.
5. Turn out onto a floured surface, add more flour if it sticks, and knead for 8–10 minutes, until the dough is elastic and smooth.
6. Roll out the dough and add the drained fruit and a little of the black tea if the dough is too dry. Knead well until combined, sprinkling in some more flour if the dough is too wet to knead. It should be smooth but still a little sticky.
7. Place in a clean, lightly oiled bowl, cover with oiled cling film or clean tea cloth and leave in a warm place until doubled in size (about 1½ hours).
8. Preheat the oven to the above temperatures. Knead the dough lightly and shape it into a ball. Place in an 8-inch round oiled tin and press it down gently so it’s touching the sides of the tin.
9. Brush the top with egg wash and bake in the oven for 45–50 minutes, until golden, covering with foil if it browns too quickly. The bread should sound hollow when tapped on the base.
10. When baked and still hot brush with some warm honey, and allow to sit in the tin for 15 minutes before removing to cool further on a wire rack.
11. Mmm, Scrummy!
Storage.
Store wrapped in a dry, air-tight container in a cool cupboard, for up to a week.
Note on Use of Flour
When using all-purpose or plain flour for bread made with yeast, it's important to note that these flours typically absorb less water than strong white flour. Consequently, you may not need to incorporate the entire amount of liquid specified in the recipe to achieve the desired dough consistency and avoid excessive stickiness. Adjust the liquid gradually until you reach the right dough texture, as using less liquid can help prevent dense and overly moist bread.
Traditional Irish Barmbrack
#barmbrack #tealoaf #fruitloaf
Traditional Irish Barmbrack made with Cider Recipe,
a.k.a. Irish Fruit Loaf or Irish Tea Loaf.
*Timings.*
• Prep Time: 15 mins.
• Cook Time: 1 hour.
• Total Time: 1 hour 15 mins.
*Servings.*
Serves 8 people.
*Ingredients.*
_Barmbrack Loaf_
• 2 ½ cups (375g/13oz) Mixed Fruit.
• 10 fl oz (300ml) Cider.
• ⅔ cup (125g/4½ oz) Light Brown Sugar.
• ¼ cup + 1 tbsp (75g/2½ oz) Butter, melted.
• 2 Medium Eggs, beaten.
• Zest of 1 Orange.
• 1¾ cup + 2 tbsp (300g/10½ oz) Plain Flour.
• 1½ tsp Baking Powder.
• Pinch of Salt.
• 1 tsp Mixed Spice.
• ½ tsp Cinnamon.
• A Ring/Coin (optional).
• Cider Glaze/Warm Honey.
_Cider Glaze_
• 2 tbsp White Sugar.
• 1 tbsp Cider.
*Oven Temperatures.*
Preheat the oven:
• Fan Oven: 160°C/320°F.
• Oven: 180°C/360°F.
• Gas Mark 4.
*Method.*
1. Place the mixed fruit, sugar and cider into a saucepan and heat until the sugar is melted. Just before it comes to a boil remove it from heat and allow it to cool completely or overnight if possible.
2. Preheat the oven to the above temperatures.
3. Pour the soaked fruit into a large bowl.
4. Add the melted butter, eggs, and the zest of one orange.
5. Mix well until all the ingredients are combined.
6. Add the plain flour, baking powder, pinch of salt, mixed spice and cinnamon.
7. Mix until all the dry ingredients are well mixed in.
8. If using, wrap a ring in parchment paper and stir into the mixture.
9. Pour into a lined 2Ib loaf tin and flatten the top.
10. Bake for approximately 1 hour until well risen and golden, check with a skewer and if the skewer comes out clean it’s baked.
11. Make the cider glaze by adding sugar and cider to a saucepan and heating until the sugar is dissolved.
12. When baked, brush the top with the cider glaze and return to the oven for 3 minutes to dry the glaze.
13. Allow it to cool for 1 hour before removing it from the tin and placing it on a wire rack.
14. Serve with plenty of real butter slithered all over.
15. Mmm Scrummy!
*Storage.*
• Store wrapped in a dry, air-tight container in a cool cupboard, for up to a week.
Notes:
• The cider is optional.
• People use tea as an alternative to cider.
• The ring is also optional.
• Please warn people if you're putting the lucky ring into your cake! :-)
• Best served with butter.
• I prefer Barmbrack went it's not long out of the oven.
If you have any questions about how to make this traditional Irish Barmbrack fruit and tea loaf cake then please leave me a question and I will reply to you ASAP, Happy Baking everyone!
Please see my other Traditional Irish Barmbrack Recipe made with Tea:
Traditional Irish Barmbrack | Patrick Ryan on the Irish origins of Halloween ????
Patrick Ryan is in the AM Kitchen to whip up some traditional Barmbrack, a traditional Irish fruit cake for Ray and Paul! ???? ???? ????️
????️ Traditional Barmbrack Recipe ????️
Ingredients
Barmbrack Dough:
500g strong white flour
50g brown sugar
5g / 1 tsp salt
300ml milk
1 egg
10g fresh yeast or 1 tsp of dried yeast
Zest of 1 orange
1 tsp cinnamon
50g diced butter
300g dried fruit
25ml whiskey
100ml of earl grey tea
(You can use a mix of sultanas, raisins, cranberries and currents as well as some mixed peel Allow to marinade at least overnight)
Whiskey glaze1;
15ml water
30g caster sugar
30ml whiskey
METHOD:
(This dough can be made by hand you may however find the dough a little wetter than what you may be use to. If you have a food mixer feel free to use it using the dough hook attachment!)
1). Mix together the flour, salt and sugar in the bowl of the mixer. Add the orange zest and cinnamon to the flour
2). Crumble the yeast into the flour and pour the milk along with the egg into the flour. Begin to mix the dough on a slow medium speed. This is quite a soft, supple dough. If it feels a little wet and stinky don't panic, just stay with it and be persistent the dough will come together.
3). Avoid the temptation to add extra flour. Continue to mix for 3 to 4 mins. As the dough develops slowly add the diced butter into the dough. Increase the speed of the mixer slightly. Continue to mix until all the butter has been incorporated. The dough should start to come away from the bowl
4). Add the dried fruit to the dough and gently knead for 1 to 2 minutes to distribute the fruit evenly. We simply want the fruit to be evenly distributed without having it all broken up. Put the dough in an oiled bowl, cover with a damp tea towel and leave to prove for about 2 hours
5). Once the dough has doubled in size turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and knock back.
6). Prepare three 1 ld loaf tins by brushing with melted butter and dusting lightly with flour.
7). Cut the dough into 3 equal portions approximately 455g each. Roll each piece of dough round allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes. Finally shape each loaf and place into the prepared loaf tin. Cover loosely with cling film. Leave to prove again for 60 to 80 minutes or until doubled in size.
8). Preheat the oven to 200°C/375°F/gas mark 5. Brush the surface of each dough with a little beaten egg.
9). Bake the loafs at 200c for 25 minutes, until rich golden in colour.
10). While the loaves are baking prepare the whiskey glaze. Dissolve 30g of sugar in a saucepan with 30ml of water. Place of a low heat to warm gently stirring occasionally. To the sugar syrup add 30 ml of whiskey. Set aside until required.
11). Once the loaves have baked Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Brush the loaves repeatedly with the whiskey glaze.
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00:00 Hallowe'en Origins!
00:44 Start the dough
1:33 Enrich dough by adding butter
2:44 Add the dried fruit
3:56 Add *secret ingredients*
5:45 Mould your dough
6:48 Bake for 25-30 minutes
7:04 Make whisky glaze
7:51 Glaze your baked dough, slice and enjoy!
-
Monday-Friday from 7.00am to 10.00am & weekends from 9.00am to 12:00pm on Virgin Media One.
Email: Irelandam@virginmedia.ie
#IrelandAM #VMTV #Ireland #halloween #pagan #samhain #hiddenring #baking #traditional #irishhistory
Really simple Halloween Barmbrack from mixed fruit and tea to moist brack | Catherine Leyden
Catherine Leyden is getting us ready for Spooky Season! She runs through her simple recipe for tea #brack, yeast brack and Halloween barmbrack.
You can get the full recipe here:
For all the latest Ireland AM clips visit here:
#IrlAM #Halloween #CatherineLeyden #Barmbrack
Irish Barmbrack
#Barmbrack #Baking #Scrummy
How to make Irish Barmbrack.
Prep Time 15 mins.
Cook Time 1 hour.
Total Time 1 hour 15 mins.
Serves 8 people.
INGREDIENTS
2 ½ cups (13oz/375g) mixed fruit. (not 1 ⅔ cup as per video)
10 fl oz (300ml) cold black tea.
⅔ cup (4 ½ oz/130g) caster sugar.
1 ¾ cups (8oz/225g) self-raising flour.
½ teaspoon of mixed spice.
1 egg, beaten.
Ring, coin or other charms.
Honey (for decoration).
METHOD
1. Place the mixed fruit and cold back tea in a bowl to soak for 8 hours.
2. Preheat the oven to 170°C/325°F/Gas Mark 3.
3. Pour the soaked fruit into a large bowl.
4. Add the sugar, self-raising flour, mixed spice and beaten egg.
5. Mix well until all the ingredients are combined.
6. Wrap the ring, coin and any other charms in parchment paper and stir into the mixture.
7. Pour into a lined 2Ib loaf tin or 20cm/8” round cake tin.
8. Bake for approximately 1 hour until well risen and golden brown.
9. Check with a skewer and if the skewer comes out clean then it’s baked.
10. Allow the cake to cool for 1 hour.
11. Brush some melted honey on the top of the loaf.
12. Serve warm or cold with plenty of real butter.
13. Mmm Scrummy!