Bara Brith
from the kitchen of Sharmagne Leland-St. John

2½ cups and wheat flour
½ cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
⅔ cup milk
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
6 tablespoons butter
¼ cup sugar
½ cup sultanas
½ cup currents
1½ tablespoons dried apricots, chopped (or candied citrus peel)
½ teaspoon allspice

Combine the flours in a ceramic bowl which has
been warmed in the oven for a few minutes.

Warm the milk until tepid and sprinkle the yeast
over it. If the milk is too hot, it will "kill" the
yeast.

Cut the butter into small pieces and stir it into
the warm milk mixture until melted. Pour into
the flour mixture and form into a fairly light
dough.

Transfer to a greased bowl. Cover with a thin
pastry cloth and let it rise until doubled in bulk,
approximately 30 to 40 minutes depending if all
the ingredients were warm to start with.

Now toss together the sugar, dried fruits and allspice.
Put them in the oven to warm for a few minutes, then
mix them into the dough with your hands making sure
all the ingredients are well distributed. If the dough
seems a bit stiff, add additional milk as necessary.

Grease a large oven-warmed 1½ to 2 quart casserole
dish. Pat the dough into the casserole and cover with
plastic wrap or a pastry cloth and let the dough rise to
the top of the casserole dish, approximately 1 to 1½
hours.

Preheat the oven to 425°

Bake on the centre rack for 20 to 30 minutes covering the
top with foil during the last 10 minutes.

Cool the loaf in the casserole dish for 5 to 10 minutes, then
turn out to cool on a wire rack.




 


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