A lovely old-fashioned bake, this is a great thing to serve up at teatime when you fancy a little something. Spread with lashings of good butter. It’s easy to make but you just need to remember to soak the fruit beforehand.
Ingredients
- 350 g dried fruit (mixture of raisins, chopped dried apricots, sultanas, dates)
- 200 ml freshly brewed tea
- 50 ml maple syrup
- 250 g wholemeal spelt flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp mixed spice
- 2 eggs
How to Make It
- Put the dried fruit in a bowl and pour over the tea and maple syrup. Leave the fruit to soak in the tea and syrup for at least a few hours and preferably overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C Fan/Gas 4. Line a 1 kg/2 lb loaf tin with baking parchment.
- Sieve the flour into a bowl and stir in the baking powder and mixed spice. Add the fruit and any unabsorbed liquid along with the eggs. Mix everything thoroughly, then spoon into the prepared loaf tin.
- Bake the tea bread in the oven for about an hour. Remove and leave it to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn it out and transfer it to a cooling rack.
- Serve thickly sliced and spread with butter.
