Autumn and winter are seasons of tea brack and fruit cake, with traditional practices focussing on using dried fruit during these darker months when fresh fruit was not available, and black tea to rehydrate the dried fruit giving both moisture and flavour to the end result.

Ever popular, these foods are energy dense and rich in carbohydrate, so make a great snack for active days. Our fruity tea bread keeps for up to a week in an airtight tin, and is bound to be a hit with the whole family!

Makes 15 slices.

Ingredients:

250ml strong tea, cold
375g mixed dried fruit
1 orange, zested and juiced
100g wholemeal flour
125g self-raising flour
1 level tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 egg well beaten
25g butter, melted
1tsp cinnamon or mixed spice

You will need: one x 2lb loaf tin, lined with parchment paper
Preheat the oven to 180’ C.

Method:
A day ahead (overnight works well), mix together the tea, dried fruit, orange juice, orange zest and spice.
Cover and allow to sit overnight at room temperature so as the fruit absorbs the liquid.

When you are ready to bake, preheat oven to 180 C.

In a large bowl mix together the flours and bicarbonate of soda ensuring no lumps.

Add the fruit mixture, melted butter and beaten egg, mixing well so as to avoid any ‘flour pockets’.

Pour the mixture into the lined tin, levelling the top gently.

Place into oven for approx. 1 hour, testing with a skewer to check whether it is cooked. If not, return to oven for further 10-15mins, covering with extra parchment paper if colouring too quickly.

Once cooked, allow to cook fully on a wire rack before slicing.

Nutritional analysis per 100g Per serving (72g, 1 slice):

Energy (kcal) 204 147
Protein (g) 4.1 3.4
Total Carbohydrate (g) 41.4 29.8
Of Which Sugars (g) 24.4 17.6
Fat (g) 3.6 2.6
Saturates (g) 1.6 1.1
Fibre (g) 2.9 2.1
Sodium (mg) 223 161
Salt equivalent (g) 0.56 0.4