Title: Currant Bread (Welsh)
Categories: Bread Ethnic
Yield: 16 Servings
| 1/4 | lb | Dried fruit |
| 4 | oz | Candied peel |
| 1 | pt | Warm water |
| 1/2 | ts | Mixed spice |
| 2 | lb | Plain flour |
| 2 | ts | Salt |
| 6 | oz | Lard |
| 1 | oz | Fresh yeast |
| 1/2 | lb | Demerara sugar |
| 2 | | Eggs |
Oven: 450F, Gas Mark 8 for 15 minutes: 375F, Gas Mark 5 for 45 minutes.
Soak the fruit and candied peel in the water with the spice. Leave to steep
in a warm place and use the warm spicy, strained water to mix the dough.
Sift the flour and salt and rub in the lard; cream the yeast with the sugar
and a little of the spiced water; mix this into the flour, together with
the eggs and use enough of the water to give a firm, yet elastic dough.
Knead well, leave to rise and knock back; blend in the drained fruit and
knead again. Shape the dough into loaves and set into greased 1 lb tins in
a warm place to prove; bake, reducing the temperature after the first 15
minutes. Originally, in some recipies, the fruit content would have been
fresh currants or blackberries. Bara Brith is often served as part of the
traditional Welsh tea. It can also be purchased at many of the small
bakeries found throughout Wales. British Cookery (BTA/BFPC)