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Arán Breac (Speckled Bread)

Arán Breac (Speckled Bread) is a traditional Irish recipe for a classic fruited tea bread made for Halloween that traditionally had little lucky charms baked in them. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Irish version of: Speckled Bread (Arán Breac).

prep time

20 minutes

cook time

80 minutes

Total Time:

100 minutes

Additional Time:

(+110 minutes proving)

Serves:

8–10

Rating:

Tags : Vegetarian RecipesBaking RecipesCake RecipesIrish Recipes

The name here is the traditional Gaelic term for the soft yeasted and fruited bread known more commonly as 'Barm Brack'. Just like the term barm brack, arán breac simply means 'mottled bread' or 'speckled bread' (cognate with the Welsh Bara Brith), a term used because of the dried fruit included in the bread dough. This form of barm brack is also the traditional bread served in Ireland for Hallowe'en.

The form of barm brack baked for Halloween typically has small 'lucky' ingredients baked into the dough. Two of these never change, the coin and the ring, but others are dependent on the household where the bread is baked. In Ireland it's really only the children who celebrate Hallowe'en and the main meal for them in the early evening is more of a 'High Tea' than dinner, with the Barm Brack being the centrepiece and the finding of the 'lucky charms' in it being the high point of the fun.

Some of the more common lucky charms include:
     a gold-coloured ring to foretell marriage within a year (always present)
     a small coin to foretell wealth (always present)
     a small piece of cloth to forecast poverty
     a little piece of matchstick to forecast that the husband will beat his wife
     a thimble to forecast spinsterhood
     a button to forecast bachelorhood
     a religious medal to forecast a life in holy orders
some households use a pea and a bean for wealth and poverty, respectively

Whichever charms you use, they should be wrapped in greaseproof paper before being inserted into the cake dough. The version presented here is more of a tea bread than a true yeasted bread... but it just shows that two types of barm brack are made in Ireland.

Ingredients:

500g plain flour
180g sugar
500g mixed dried fruit
1 tsp active dried yeast blended with 1/2 tsp sugar and 50ml water water
1 egg
1 tsp mixed spice (pumpkin pie spice)
pot of hot tea

Method:

Place the dried fruit in a bowl and pour over just enough of the hot tea to just cover them, then set aside to soak over night.

Blend together the yeast, sugar and water then set aside for 10 minutes until frothy.

The following day, add the sugar and egg to the fruit mix. Sift in the flour, yeast mixture and mixed spice and fold in gently until just combined (do not over-mix or the fruit will break down into a pulp). Stir in the lucky charms of your choice then turn into a bowl and set aside in a warm spot until doubled in volume.

After this time, knock the dough back then turn into an 18cm diameter springform cake tin. Cover with a cloth and set aside to rise for 40 minutes. After this time, transfer to an oven pre-heated to 180°C and bake for about 80 minutes or until the top of the cake is nicely browned and a skewer inserted into the centre emerges cleanly (note that if you would like a glossy top to your bread brush with a little milk or egg wash before baking).

Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. This can be made up to a week in advance and stores well if kept in an air-tight tin.

It is traditional for the person who baked the cake to slice and distribute it, as they are more likely to know where the charms lie, ensuring that they are equitably distributed between the diners.

Find more Halloween Recipes Here.