Irish Tea Brack (Tea-Soaked Raisin Bread) Recipe

By
Carrie Vasios Mullins
Carrie Vasios Mullins is a contributing writer at Serious Eats.
Carrie Vasios Mullins
Carrie Vasios Mullins is the former national editor at Serious Eats, with a focus on all things sweet.
Learn about Serious Eats' Editorial Process
Updated Apr. 02, 2020
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Photograph: Carrie Vasios

This traditional Irish bread is characterized by first soaking raisins in tea overnight. However soaking is the only time consuming part—the rest is about as easy a dump-and-stir bread as you can get. It's typically served buttered, but it's just good plain, or with a bit of jam.

adapted from Irish Traditional Cooking

Recipe Facts

5

(1)

Active: 15 mins
Total: 12 hrs
Serves: 8 servings
Makes: 1 loaf

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Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups raisins

  • 1 cup strongly brewed tea, such as Irish Breakfast, cooled

  • 2 cups (about 10 ounces) self-rising flour

  • 1 cup light brown sugar

  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten

  • Old-fashioned oats, thick cut if possible

Directions

  1. Combine raisins and tea in a bowl, cover and refrigerate overnight.

  2. Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour loaf pan, knocking out any excess flour.

  3. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, egg, raisins, and tea. Stir to combine and pour into prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle top with oats. Bake bread until top is brown, about 1 hour 40 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Special Equipment

8 1/2- by 4 1/2- inch loaf pan

This Recipe Appears In

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
311 Calories
1g Fat
72g Carbs
5g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories 311
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 1g 1%
Saturated Fat 0g 1%
Cholesterol 23mg 8%
Sodium 441mg 19%
Total Carbohydrate 72g 26%
Dietary Fiber 2g 8%
Total Sugars 39g
Protein 5g
Vitamin C 1mg 3%
Calcium 159mg 12%
Iron 3mg 14%
Potassium 310mg 7%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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