Ginger & Sultana Loaf

I'm a huge fan of very dark, sticky and spicy gingerbread and the last time I baked one, I posted it way back in 2011 here, so it's been a long wait...

Unlike the earlier gingerbread, this one won't knock your socks off, but it is a good, moist loaf with chunks of stem ginger and sultanas. If you can, use stem ginger (I used Opies Stem Ginger in Syrup which comes in a jar) as it really adds to the flavour of the loaf.  If not, leave it out (you'll still get the taste from the ground ginger) or use chopped crystallized ginger instead. 

Like most gingerbread loaves it improves with age over a week but as noted in my last gingerbread post, I've never tested that theory as nothing ever lasts that long (unless it's inedible).

And, as I've used one in my photo, let me just say how much I love hellebores or winter roses. I have little clumps of them under trees and their hidden beauty always makes me smile. One trick I learned from an English home and garden magazine was to leave the picked hellebores somewhere midway between the cold outside and warmth inside (the entrance way works for us) to let them adjust to a warmer temperature.  They then won't droop so quickly when they feel the heat. Me? I never droop in the heat - bring it on!

Ginger & Sultana Loaf

100g butter

100g dark cane (or soft brown) sugar

100g treacle

1 egg, beaten

200g plain flour

2 teaspoons ground ginger

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

150ml warm milk

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

50g sultanas

2 pieces of stem ginger, chopped (optional)

(I add any syrup clinging to the stem ginger too - nice & sticky!) 

Preheat the oven to 150 degrees C. 

Grease and line a loaf tin.

Place the butter, sugar and treacle in a saucepan and heat gently until melted, stirring constantly.  Allow to cool slightly, then beat in the egg.

Sift the flour and spices into a mixing bowl, then stir in the melted mixture and beat well to combine.

Mix the milk with the bicarbonate of soda and add this to the mix.  Stir in the sultanas and the stem ginger. 

Pour the mixture into the loaf tin and bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Leave to cool in the tin. 

tea loaf

I’m all for easy recipes.   Ones where I don’t have to think too much.  Ones where I can just throw it all in and get on with something else.  This Barm Brack (tea loaf) fits the bill nicely. 

And, if you are in a hurry, please scroll straight to the recipe.  I won’t mind.  I know how you feel. 

But for those of you who want to know what Barm Brack is, I’ll tell you what I know so far.  It may not be much, but it may be enough.  I do know that it is good.

As is often the case with older recipes, there is some discrepancy over the origin of the name. But the words yeast and bread and speckled appear regularly.  This is fitting, as Barm Brack is a traditional Irish tea bread, speckled with dried fruit.  Although, to be honest, there is no yeast in this one. 

The loaf was traditionally served at Hallowe’en and, in keeping with a night when superstition was elevated, small charms were hidden in the mixture to foretell the fortunes of those gathered around the table — a wedding ring meant impending marriage, a rag warned of a poor life ahead, a thimble was a sad portent of spinsterhood.   Choose carefully, my friend, and please do not choke.

You have nothing to worry about with this recipe.  No surprises, I promise.

The sultanas and dates can be substituted with dried fruit of your choice.  You may like to add spices and mixed peel.

I have used Earl Grey tea but it works well with regular tea.  The tea plumps up the sultanas and dates giving them their soft texture. 

This recipe was sent to me from my father (a retired chef).  Dad scribbled a note on the recipe (Bill is my Irish partner):

Bill will think he is back in Ireland when he tastes it!!

Barm Brack

350ml (12 fluid oz) hot, strong tea (use 3 teabags)

200g (7oz) soft brown sugar

175g (6oz) sultanas

175g (6oz) dates, chopped

285g (10oz) self-raising flour

1 egg, lightly beaten

Grease and line a 2lb loaf tin.

Put the tea, sugar and dried fruit in a bowl, stir to combine and leave overnight to soak. 

Mix the soaked fruit into the sieved flour, add the beaten egg and mix to combine.  Turn into the loaf tin and cover loosely with tin foil.

Bake in a moderate oven (180°C/350°F) for 1 hour 45 minutes.  Turn off the heat and leave to cool, with foil intact, in the oven.

When cold, cut in thick slices, butter generously and serve with a cup of tea.  But it also tastes good without the butter.

Barm Brack keeps well, but if it ever lasts long enough to become stale, it is very good toasted and buttered.

The loaf also freezes well – although I can’t say for certain, as it has never made it to the freezer in our house.