For an authentic taste of Ireland, enjoy a loaf of traditional Irish Barmbrack (or Tea Brack) with your St. Patrick’s Day feast. This sweet bread, studded with dried fruits and flavored with warm spices, will put an Irish twinkle in your eye.
Barmbrack is a treat that’s steeped in Celtic tradition and has been a feature of Irish Halloween celebrations for centuries. Its name in the Gaelic, Báirín Breac, means “speckled loaf” referencing the specks of fruit throughout.
Similar to an American-style quick bread, it’s usually enjoyed slathered with butter and paired with a cup of tea or coffee for a fitting start to the day or the perfect ending to an authentic Irish dinner. And, even though it’s traditionally served at Halloween, it’s great any time of year.
Traditionally, barmbrack was baked with tiny charms scattered through the batter, which were meant to tell the fortune of those who received one in their slice. If you got a dried pea, you wouldn’t marry. If your slice contained a tiny piece of cloth, you’d have bad luck. A coin meant you’d have good fortune, and a ring ensured you’d be married within the next year!
Irish bakers usually still include the ring charm just for a bit of whimsy and as a nod to the old ways.
— This post was originally published on March 11, 2022. It has been updated with additional information.
Recipe Snapshot
Cuisine: Irish
Cooking Method: Oven
Total Time: 1 Hour (plus 8 hours standing time)
Servings: 10
Primary Ingredient(s): Brewed black tea, golden raising, dark raisins, flour, cinnamon, cloves, sugar, egg
Skill Level: Easy
What Makes This Recipe Special
Traditional Irish Barmbrack is a wonderfully simple bread with a long and meaningful history. The dried fruit is soaked overnight in strong black tea, which plumps the raisins and gives the loaf a gentle depth of flavor. Once baked, the bread is tender, lightly spiced with cinnamon and cloves, and filled with sweet specks of fruit in every slice.
Part of its charm is the tradition behind it. For generations, Irish families baked charms into their barmbrack as a playful way of telling fortunes. Today it is still enjoyed in the same comforting way it always has been, sliced thick, spread with butter, and served with a hot cup of tea or coffee.
Ingredient Notes
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- Black Tea — The dried fruits are steeped in tea for this recipe. The tea should be hot when added to the fruit. Irish Breakfast, English Breakfast, and plain black pekoe tea are good choices.
- Golden Raisins and Black Raisins — Golden raisins are also called sultanas. You’ll find them along with the regular black raisins in the grocery store. If you don’t care for raisins, you can substitute any dried fruit such as prunes, dates, or cherries.
- Cinnamon and Cloves — In Ireland, this recipe would call for “mixed spice,” which is literally a mixture of warm spices such as cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg. If you have pumpkin pie spice on hand, it’s a good substitute.
The complete ingredient list with detailed measurements is included in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How to Make Barmbrack (Tea Brack)
- Place the raisins (or other dried fruit) in a bowl. Pour over the hot tea. Cover the bowl and let the fruit sit until plumped (at least 8 hours, preferably overnight).
- Preheat the oven to 325 F. Liberally grease or butter a 9×5 loaf pan.
- Drain the raisins reserving the liquid. Set both aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the sifted flour, salt, cinnamon, cloves, brown sugar, and baking powder. Whisk well.
- Add the egg, stirring with a wooden spoon until the mixture is a crumbly texture.
- Add 3/4 cup of the reserved tea and mix well. Add more tea a little at a time until the mixture is the consistency of cake batter. (Note: you likely won’t need all the tea.)
- Add the plumped raisins to the batter and stir well.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes. Turn the loaf out and let it cool completely on a wire rack.
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Recipe Tips
- Because there is no fat (other than the yolk of the egg) in the batter, it’s important to adequately prepare the pan to prevent sticking. In addition to a liberal application of shortening or butter, you may wish to also line the pan with parchment paper and a spritz of cooking spray.
- Make sure that you’ve worked out any clumps in the brown sugar. Using a fork helps to break it up.
- If the raisins have absorbed all the tea, simply brew a little extra so you’ll have enough for the batter.
- If you notice the top of the bread getting too dark, tent the loaf lightly with foil.
- Substitute 2 tablespoons Irish whiskey for an equal amount of the tea.
- Try a slice toasted and spread with butter for the most amazing “cinnamon raisin toast” you’ve ever had!
Serving Suggestions
Irish Barmbrack is traditionally served in thick slices spread generously with butter. The bread has a gentle sweetness and warm spice that pairs well with a hot cup of tea or coffee, making it a wonderful addition to breakfast or an afternoon tea table.
For a special treat, try lightly toasting a slice and adding a little butter while it’s still warm. The raisins become even more fragrant, and the spices really shine through. Barmbrack also fits right in with a St. Patrick’s Day spread and goes well with other Irish favorites such as classic Irish stew, beef and stout pie, and traditional Irish champ.
Storing Leftovers
Barmbrack keeps well-wrapped at room temperature for about a week. Wrap well and freeze for up to 3 months.
Questions About Barmbrack
Barmbrack can turn out dry if too much flour is added or if the batter does not contain enough of the soaking tea. The batter should be about the consistency of cake batter before baking. Also, avoid overbaking. Start checking for doneness around the 50-minute mark.
The long soak allows the dried fruit to fully absorb the tea and become soft and plump. This step also infuses the bread with flavor and keeps the finished loaf moist. Shortening the soaking time often results in firmer fruit in the baked bread.
Yes and no. Older barmbrack recipes contained yeast and produced a raised loaf. More modern recipes, such as this one, call for fruit steeped in tea. The two terms have become fairly interchangeable, though some Irish cooks do differentiate the two.
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Recipe
Traditional Irish Barmbrack
Ingredients
- 2 cups hot brewed black tea
- ¾ cup golden raisins (sultanas)
- ¾ cup dark raisins
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour sifted
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ⅔ cup brown sugar
- 1 large egg beaten
Instructions
- Place the raisins (or other dried fruit) in a bowl. Pour over the hot tea. Cover the bowl and let the fruit sit until plumped (at least 8 hours, preferably overnight).2 cups hot brewed black tea, ¾ cup golden raisins, ¾ cup dark raisins
- Preheat the oven to 325 F. Liberally grease or butter a 9×5 loaf pan.
- Drain the raisins reserving the soaking liquid. Set both aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the sifted flour, salt, cinnamon, cloves, brown sugar, and baking powder. Whisk well.1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt, ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground cloves, ⅔ cup brown sugar
- Add the egg, stirring with a wooden spoon until the mixture is a crumbly texture.1 large egg
- Add 3/4 cup of the reserved tea and mix well. Add more tea a little at a time until the mixture is the consistency of cake batter. (Note: you may not need all the tea.)
- Add the plumped raisins to the batter and stir well.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes. Turn the loaf out and let it cool completely on a wire rack.
Notes
- Keeps well-wrapped at room temperature for about a week. Wrap well and freeze for up to 3 months.
- If you notice the top of the bread getting too dark, tent the loaf lightly with foil.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
I must have done something wrong. I followed the instructions but this came out a flat, wet, fairly tasteless and completely unrisen loaf. My baking powder was good; I used it the same day for other things. I just don’t understand what might have gone wrong.
I’m sorry the recipe didn’t turn out well for you! That’s always disappointing, whether you’re new in the kitchen or you’ve been cooking for years!
The hard part about troubleshooting baking problems from a distance is that there are so many variables involved. Without actually being in the kitchen and watching your process step by step, there’s really no reliable way for me to know exactly what may have gone wrong.
With a quick bread like barmbrack, things like measuring differences, the brand of flour used, the moisture level of the fruit, how much the batter was mixed, oven temperature, or even the size of the baking pan can all affect the outcome. It sometimes takes only a small change for a loaf to come out flatter or denser than expected.
I’ve made this recipe many times and tested it carefully before publishing it, and have had good results with it. Baking can just be a little finicky sometimes, and I’ve also had my share of loaves that didn’t behave the way I expected.
I do appreciate you trying the recipe and taking the time to leave a comment.
If you’re substituting pumpkin pie spice, how much do you put in?
Use 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice.
So sorry! It’s 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder. I’ve corrected the recipe.