This Irish Tea Brack (or Irish tea bread recipe) is easy and delicious. It’s a lovely treat for St Patrick’s Day celebrations! Gluten free, vegan, nut free, coconut free, soya free and full of flavour. There are two types of Irish Brack: Barm Brack and Tea Brack. Bram Brack contains yeast and is allowed to rise before baking whereas Tea Brack is more of a tea loaf. Both are great – Tea Brack is slightly easier and quicker to produce.
Allowing the dried fruit to soak in the tea overnight make the fruit plump and juicy and makes the flavour of the tea in the fruit works well with the sweetness of the loaf. I use Campbell’s tea which is imported from Ireland and pretty hard to get but you can use any strong black tea such as Yorkshire tea or breakfast tea.
Ingredients
75 grams sultanas
75 grams raisins
75 grams currants
100 grams glace cherries (check they are gluten free and vegan)
25 grams dried cranberries
300 millilitres freshly brewed tea (I use the wonderful Campbell Irish tea but you can use any strong breakfast tea)
1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
2.5 tablespoons cold water
225 grams gluten-free flour blend
2 teaspoons baking powder
120 grams sugar
1 tablespoon molasses
1 teaspoon mixed spice
Method
1. Mix the dried fruits together in a large bowl and add the freshly brewed tea. Allow it to cool, cover and place in the fridge overnight
2. Preheat oven to 170 C (fan). Lightly grease a loaf tin
3. Place the ground flax seeds in to a small cup and add the cold water. Allow to steep for at least five minutes
4. Add the molasses to the flax mixture and combine. Add this mixture to the soaked fruit and combine well
5. Add all the remaining ingredients to the soaked fruit mixture and stir well until combined
6. Place in the greased loaf tin and put in the oven for approximately 90 minutes or until a clean knife inserted comes out clean and the top is lightly coloured. Check after 60 minutes and turn in the oven to brown evenly
7. Allow to cool in the tin before removing and store wrapped well in an air tight container.
