Barm Brack-Tea Loaf

Irish Traditional Tea Bread.

This is the easiest cakey loaf you will ever make. It's loved by everyone. Serve buttered with tea.

   N.B. The fruit and tea must be soaked overnight.

Ingredients:
Just under UK 2 cups of black tea, cold with no leaves. Try Earl Grey for a change.
3/4 cup of soft brown sugar or equivalent, try a little less if you like, even half a cup is fine.
2 and 1/2 cups of mixed dried fruit. Raisins, currants, sultanas, dates, apricots etc. Chop or cut them if larger than raisins. Or you can use one fruit only, for example, currants.
Put these in a bowl, cover and leave overnight.

Heat oven to 350F.
Ingredients 2:
1  and 1/2 cups wholewheat flour
1 scant cup white flour.
3 teaspoons of baking powder.
1 standard egg, beaten

Sift the flours and baking powder into the tea/fruit mix. Add the chaff.
Add the beaten egg.
Stir without beating until there is no flour visible.
Transfer to a lightly sprayed and  paper lined loaf tin. 4 and 1/2 x 8 and 1/2 inches. (12 x 22cm.)
Bake for  45 minutes to 1 hour, test. ( Press gently to see if it springs back.)
Leave in the tin until warm. Turn out onto wire rack to cool.

This loaf can be cut quite thinly when it's cold.

Hint: save your left-over tea until you have 2 cups-if you're a cheap-skate like me.