Barmbrack

(Irish fruit bread)

Yield: One 8" round loaf

INGREDIENTS	PREP	AMOUNT
Strong black tea		2 cups
Dried fruit (raisins, sultanas, currants, candied peel, etc.)		2 cups

Milk, lukewarm	about 110-115°	1 cup
Yeast, active dry		2 tsp, or 1 package
Sugar		2 tsp

Flour		3 to 3 1/2 cups
Sugar		1/4 cup
Cinnamon, ground		1/2 tsp
Cloves, ground		1/2 tsp
Nutmeg		1/4 tsp

Egg	beaten	1 each
Butter, unsalted	softened to room temperature	1/3 cup
Salt		1 tsp

Basic Steps: Soak → Proof → Sift → Mix → Knead → Rise → Punch Down → Rise → Bake

Place the dried fruit and hot strong tea in a bowl and let soak at least one hour, preferably overnight.
Mix yeast, warm milk and sugar in a small bowl. Let rest 5-10 minutes to activate yeast.
Sift together the flour, sugar and spices into a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour. Add the yeast mixture, egg, butter and salt to the center of the flour. Stir with a wooden spoon to mix the ingredients and bring the dough together. Add a little more flour if the dough is too wet or a little more milk if it is too dry.
Remove the dough to a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes until smooth but still a little sticky. Drain the dried fruit and knead a little at a time into the dough until all the fruit has been incorporated.
Remove the dough to a large, lightly buttered bowl, cover with a cloth or plastic wrap, and set in a warm corner till doubled in size, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Remove the dough to a lightly floured surface, punch down to deflate and knead lightly for 2-3 more minutes. Form into a ball and placed in a buttered 8" cake pan. Cover with a cloth or plastic wrap and let rise again till doubled in size.
Preheat oven to 400°F. Bake 35-45 minutes until top is browned and sounds hollow when tapped. Remove to a rack and cool.

Substitute 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour for 1/2 cup of the white flour flour.
Just before baking, brush the top of the loaf with a mixture of 1 egg yolk and 3 Tbsp milk beaten together. This will give the loaf a dark shiny crust.
Some recipes eliminate the yeast and use baking soda as a shortcut leavener. But since barm is Irish for yeast, I cannot recommend this method as authentic.
Many barmbrack recipes call for "mixed spice". You can make this yourself out of equal parts ground cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Ground allspice can also be added.

Barmbrack is a tea bread popular in Ireland, especially around Halloween. It is best served toasted with butter and a cup of Irish tea.
Also known as barm brack, barn brack or baírín breac. Barm is Irish for yeast, and brack means bread.
Barmbrack is used at Halloween time to tell fortunes for the coming year. A pea, a stick, a piece of cloth, a coin and a ring are all baked inside the bread. The one who gets the pea will not marry. The one who gets the stick will have an unhappy marriage. The piece of cloth fortells poverty, while the coin indicates riches. And finally, the finder of the ring will marry within the year.