# Bara brith

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Welsh tea bread

Bara brith Bara brith, a traditional Welsh bread Type Fruit loaf Place of origin Wales Main ingredients Yeast, mixed fruit (such as raisins, currants and candied peel) Variations Without yeast, using self-raising flour instead Media: Bara brith

Not to be confused with [B'nai B'rith](/source/B'nai_B'rith).

**Bara brith** (Welsh: [\[ˈba(ː)ra briːθ\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/Welsh)) is a traditional Welsh [tea bread](/source/Tea_loaf) flavoured with [tea](/source/Tea), dried fruits and spices. It is similar to [fruitcake](/source/Fruitcake).

It has been championed as a symbol of [Welsh cookery](/source/Welsh_cuisine) by celebrity chefs such as [Bryn Williams](/source/Bryn_Williams), especially in response to a decline in popularity in recent decades. In 2007, a survey showed that 36% of teenagers in Wales had never tried it, though far fewer were unaware of it, suggesting it still had a place of cultural significance even though supermarket chain [Morrisons](/source/Morrisons) had removed their range from shelves a year earlier.

Several variations on bara brith have been made, including changing it into a chocolate, sausages and [ice cream](/source/Ice_cream).

## History

Bara Brith derived its name from the [Welsh language](/source/Welsh_language), *bara* meaning bread and *brith* translating as speckled. It was traditionally made in farmhouses by adding fruit, sugar and spices to the basic bread dough to make a sweet treat for special occasions. It has subsequently been used as a colloquialism—to "over spice the Bara Brith" means to do something to excess.[1]

In 2006, British supermarket chain [Morrisons](/source/Morrisons) withdrew Bara Brith from sale at 19 of its Wales-based stores. Complaints were issued in the Press, but the company insisted that the bread was removed because of lack of sales.[2] A survey conducted by British supermarket chain [Sainsbury's](/source/Sainsbury's) in 2007, showed that 36% of teenagers in Wales surveyed had never tried Bara Brith. When responses across the UK were viewed, some 85% of teenagers had never tried the traditional Welsh bread.[3]

[Celebrity chef](/source/Celebrity_chef) [Phil Vickery](/source/Phil_Vickery_(chef)) baked Bara Brith in [Brynsiencyn](/source/Brynsiencyn), [Anglesey](/source/Anglesey), in 2011 for a segment on the ITV television series *[This Morning](/source/This_Morning_(TV_programme))*. He used a traditional recipe which had been handed down to local chef Nerys Roberts through her family.[4] Her bakery had previously supplied British supermarket chain [Safeway](/source/Safeway_(UK)) with Bara Brith, before it was bought out by Morrisons.[5] Beca Lyne-Pirkis baked a Bara Brith for one her entries during the [fourth season](/source/The_Great_British_Bake_Off_(series_4)) of the BBC television series *[The Great British Bake Off](/source/The_Great_British_Bake_Off)* in 2013. Although she based it on her grandmother's recipe, she found it difficult to complete within the three hours allocated for that round. But it won praise from judges [Paul Hollywood](/source/Paul_Hollywood) and [Mary Berry](/source/Mary_Berry).[6]

## Recipe

The bread is made by mixing flour (either [white](/source/White_flour) or [self-raising](/source/Self_raising_flour)), yeast (if not using self-raising flour), butter, mixed dried fruit (such as [raisins](/source/Raisin), [currants](/source/Zante_currant) and [sultanas](/source/Sultana_(dried_grape))), mixed spices and an egg.[6] Some recipes favour soaking the dried fruit in tea overnight before the baking.[7] This mixture is then [proved](/source/Proving_(baking_technique)) to allow [fermentation](/source/Fermentation_in_food_processing) to take place. After an initial period, the air is knocked out of the mixture and it is allowed to prove once more. This period of preparation can take up to two hours, including the resting time for the bread mixture. It is then baked in an oven.[6] Bara Brith is traditionally served at [tea time](/source/Tea_(meal)), alongside [tea](/source/Tea). It is normally served in slices with butter spread on one side.[7]

### Variations

In [Argentina](/source/Argentina), Bara Brith is also known as *torta negra* ("black cake"). One of the most traditional foods coming out of the [Chubut](/source/Chubut_Province) valleys, it was brought by the [Welsh settlers](/source/Welsh_settlement_in_Argentina) who started arriving in the country in 1865.[8] Other variations exist within Wales. Lyne-Pirkis' version of the Bara Brith on *The Great British Bake Off* substituted a tea oil to replace the overnight soaking process for the fruit.[6] In E. Smith Twiddy's *The Little Welsh Cookbook*, a cup of cold tea is included in the mixture, and [marmalade](/source/Marmalade) is used as a glaze.[9] Celebrity chef [Bryn Williams](/source/Bryn_Williams) uses [lard](/source/Lard) in his recipe, and a combination of raisins and [candied peel](/source/Candied_peel) as the mixed fruit.[10]

The flavours of a Bara Brith have also been made into other types of food. Pemberton's Victorian Chocolates in [Llanboidy](/source/Llanboidy), [Carmarthenshire](/source/Carmarthenshire), developed a Bara Brith-inspired chocolate in 2009, using a tea-flavoured cream-filled chocolate complemented with dried fruit and possessing a cake-like texture.[7] When [Charles, Prince of Wales](/source/Charles_III) visited [Ammanford](/source/Ammanford), Carmarthenshire, in 2011, he tried Bara Brith [ice cream](/source/Ice_cream). It had been created by a local ice cream parlour who knew of the Prince's fondness for the bread.[11]

## See also

- [Barmbrack](/source/Barmbrack)

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Shipton, Martin (14 April 2010). ["Is Ieuan Over-Spicing the Bara Brith with Barnett as Pounds 300m in Cuts Loom?"](https://web.archive.org/web/20160529072734/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-223794256.html). *[Western Mail](/source/Western_Mail_(Wales))*. Archived from [the original](https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-223794256.html) on 29 May 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["Give Us Back Our Bara Brith"](https://web.archive.org/web/20160529072453/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-141691949.html). *[Daily Post](/source/Daily_Post_(North_Wales))*. 4 February 2006. Archived from [the original](https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-141691949.html) on 29 May 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Williams, Sally (5 July 2007). ["'Junk-fed' teenagers shun traditional British dishes"](https://web.archive.org/web/20160529072616/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-166038694.html). *[Western Mail](/source/Western_Mail_(Wales))*. Archived from [the original](https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-166038694.html) on 29 May 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["TV Chef Tries Hand at Firm's Bara Brith"](https://web.archive.org/web/20160529072803/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-272511942.html). *[Western Mail](/source/Western_Mail_(Wales))*. 15 November 2011. Archived from [the original](https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-272511942.html) on 29 May 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Parri, Ian (15 February 2006). ["Feedback"](https://web.archive.org/web/20160529072457/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-142078237.html). *[Daily Post](/source/Daily_Post_(North_Wales))*. Archived from [the original](https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-142078237.html) on 29 May 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2016.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-bakeoff_6-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-bakeoff_6-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-bakeoff_6-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-bakeoff_6-3) ["Beca's Bara Brith with a Twist Is a Bake off Hit"](https://web.archive.org/web/20160529072817/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-343876470.html). *[South Wales Echo](/source/South_Wales_Echo)*. 16 September 2013. Archived from [the original](https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-343876470.html) on 29 May 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2016.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-crumbs_7-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-crumbs_7-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-crumbs_7-2) Williams, Sally (11 April 2009). ["Crumbs. Chocolate Inspired by Bara Brith"](https://web.archive.org/web/20160529072719/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-197582330.html). *Western Mail*. Archived from [the original](https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-197582330.html) on 29 May 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** Bain, Andrew (2009). [Lonely Planet*'s 1000 Ultimate Experiences*](https://books.google.com/books?id=IZBcCIixzIIC&pg=PA291). Victoria: [Lonely Planet](/source/Lonely_Planet). p. 291. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-74179-945-3](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-74179-945-3).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** Hershey, Sarah (1 July 2001). ["Bannocks"](https://web.archive.org/web/20160529072854/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-75997068.html). *Countryside and Small Stock Journal*. Archived from [the original](https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-75997068.html) on 29 May 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** ["Wales on a Plate"](https://web.archive.org/web/20160529072806/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-281853129.html). *[Western Mail](/source/Western_Mail_(Wales))*. 3 March 2012. Archived from [the original](https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-281853129.html) on 29 May 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** Stone, Antony (2 July 2011). ["Charles Tastes End of His Tour – with Bara Brith Ice-Cream"](https://web.archive.org/web/20160529072741/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-260300817.html). *[Western Mail](/source/Western_Mail_(Wales))*. Archived from [the original](https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-260300817.html) on 29 May 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2016.

## External links

Look up ***[bara brith](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Special:Search/bara_brith)*** in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Wikibooks has a book on the topic of: ***[Cookbook:Bara brith](https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cookbook:Bara_brith)***

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Bara brith](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bara_brith) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bara_brith?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.