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Fruit filled Barmbrack Irish Halloween Bread
Enjoy this delicious traditional Irish recipe typically served around Halloween.
Barm Brack (also known as barmbrack or bairín breac) is a fruit filled yeasted dough a little sweeter than sandwich bread, but not rich like cake. Many Irish folks bake items into the bread as a game of fortune-telling. Sometimes there’s a ring indicating an impending marriage or a coin foretelling good fortune, luck or riches.
Overview of ingredients for Barm Brack:
- bread flour
- ground allspice
- salt
- active dry yeast
- granulated or white sugar
- whole milk
- water
- Irish whiskey or black tea for soaking the raisins
- vegetable oil for greasing the bowl and pan
- unsalted butter
- a mixture of golden raisins, raisins and dried currants
- coarse sugar for topping
Barm Brack is simple yeast bread loaded with golden raisins, dried currents and raisins.
Some Barm Brack recipes call for the fruit to be soaked in black tea, thus the idea that it’s a tea bread. I usually skip the tea and soak the fruit in Irish Whiskey to add a little zing. It’s a great way to add a little spirit and flavor to this recipe!
Feel free to soak the fruit in water, tea or even rum. It’s all good!
Overview: how to make Barmbrack
Make the dough:
First combine the fruit in a small bowl and cover with whisky and water. Set aside the fruit to soak overnight or for at least an hour. When ready to make the dough, drain the fruit reserving the liquid. You’ll need it to add to the bread.
Next sift together the flour, allspice and salt in the mixing bowl of a stand mixer. Add the yeast and granulated sugar. Turn the mixer on low and slowly add the warm milk and reserved whiskey mixture. Knead using the dough hook until it pulls away from the side of the bowl.
Place the dough in a well oiled bowl, cover and let rise for 90 minutes or until doubled in size.
Add the dried fruit and form the loaf:
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and gently knead. Add the butter and raisins and work the dough until incorporated. Return the dough to the oiled bowl and rise again for 30 minutes.
Gather the dough into a neat circle and place in the prepared pan. Cover and let rise again until for 60 minutes.
Bake the Barm Brack:
Brush the top of the loaf with milk then sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake until cooked through. Cool, slice and enjoy!
What kind of pan should you use to bake Barmbrack?
Bake Barm Brack in a skillet, deep dish cake pan or a square baker. We usually bake ours in a 9-inch springform pan which works beautifully!
You can also divide the dough in half and bake in two loaf pans. Reduce the baking time to about 30 minutes.
This Barm Brack bread recipe yields of loaf with terrific texture and amazing flavor. The crust is nothing short of fantastic and the plump juicy fruits are so good. This is one terrific loaf!
Once your family gets a whiff of the incredible aroma lofting from the kitchen, they’ll come running to snag a slice or two. It’s hard to wait until the loaf cools a bit before slicing, but slightly warm is okay.
We love Irish recipes!
I’m a bit of a sucker for all things Irish. Perhaps it’s because of my Scottish/Irish lineage or maybe I just love their recipes and style.
If you look back over the years you’ll see many traditional Irish recipes such this Barm Brack, Irish Soda Bread and another recipe we love for Brown Irish Soda Bread.
Sometimes we incorporate Bailey’s Irish Cream in desserts whether or not it’s St. Patrick’s Day. Check out Bailey’s Irish Cream Pie, Bailey’s Irish Cream Chocolate Truffles, and our famously terrific Bourbon Balls with Jameson.
How to serve Barm Brack
Serve a thick hearty slice of Barm Brack with afternoon tea. Smear a little sweet creamy butter on top and enjoy!
You can also toast leftover bread for breakfast which is also great with a little sweet butter. This bread is so good and flavorful there’s no need for lots of add-ons. However, it’s hard to resist smearing on a little Irish butter.
Barm Brack is the recipe to make every year!
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Barm Brack
Ingredients
- 4 ¾ cups bread flour, plus extra for kneading
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 package active dry yeast (2 ¼ teaspoons)
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 ¼ cup milk, heated to 95-100 degrees on an instant read thermometer
- ⅓ cup water, plus extra as needed
- ⅓ cup Irish Whiskey, such as Bushmills or Jameson or black tea
- vegetable oil, for oiling the bowl and pan
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 ¾ cups golden raisins, raisins and dried currants mixed
- 1 tablespoon milk, for garnish
- 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar, for garnish
Instructions
- Place the raisins, currants and golden raisins in a small bowl or measuring cup. Add the whiskey and ⅓ cup water. Soak the fruit for at least 1 hour or overnight.
- When ready to start the bread, drain the raisins reserving the liquid. Add enough water to the soaking liquid to measure ⅔ cup. Set the fruit and liquid aside.
- Sift the flour, allspice and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Stir in the yeast and granulated sugar. Turn the stand mixer on the lowest setting and add the warmed milk, water and whiskey mixture. Mix until the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl. The dough should be slightly sticky but soft.
- Put the dough in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place for about 90 minutes or until doubled in size.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead lightly for one minute. Add the butter and soaked fruit and work them in until completely incorporated. Return the dough to the oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow the bread to rise again for about 30 minutes.
- Oil or grease a 9-inch springform or deep dish cake pan. Form the dough into a neat circle and press into the prepared pan. Cover and let the dough rest in a warm place until it has risen again, about 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Brush the top of the loaf with milk and sprinkle with coarse or turbinado sugar. Bake for 15 minutes then cover with foil. Lower the temperature to 350°F and bake for 45-55 minutes or until golden brown and it sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. Transfer to a rack and cool.
- Serve with butter.
Recipe Notes
- Store lightly covered at room temperature.
- Bread can also be toasted with great results.
Nutrition
Maddie
I made your recipe and loved it so much! I shared some with my friends and family and they enjoyed it so much that they wanted me to make it again (and every holiday after that). Thank you for such a wonderfully delicious and flavorful recipe.
Tricia Buice
Thanks Maddie! I love this fruity bread and wish I could make it weekly. What a treat 🙂
Monica
I've never made anything like this so I'm fascinated. As always, your bread came out beautifully! It's got so much texture and flavor. Your house must've smelled insanely good!
Tanna at The Brick Street Bungalow
Happy Third Anniversary, Tricia. I am so glad to have "met" you through blogging. I am just sure we need to meet in person one of these days. Your recipes, your photos and your sweet spirit make this a wonderful, wonderful place to visit. Here's to many more years of Saving Room for Dessert!! <br /><br />This bread looks like just the kind of comfort food I need this weekend.
Daniela Grimburg
Happy 3rd Anniversary, Tricia.<br />Your blog is beautiful and the recipes delicious, I love to visit.<br />This Irish bread looks soo inviting, I'm ready to try it right now!
Mary Bergfeld
Your bread looks amazing! I'd love a slice with Irish beyyer and my afternoon tea. I hope you have a wonderfulweekend. Blessings…Mary
Susanna
I can say first hand that this bread was DELICIOUS!!! It was great meeting you the other day. My mom really liked you too. Also, Ed gave me the info today… thank you very much! Congrats on 3 years with this blog. It shows your heart, soul, and dedication. I hope to see you at a future event soon. 🙂
Angie Schneider
This somehow reminds me of X'mas bread..would love a large slice for my breakfast, Tricia. Totally irresistible!
scrambledhenfruit
Happy Third Blog Birthday! I'm partial to the Irish myself, and your bread is lovely. I love the tipsy raisins! 🙂
Wendy
Your Irish raisin bread looks so delicious, Tricia! I can imagine the delight of spreading it with butter and nibbling it along with a hot cup of tea. I enjoy making Irish soda bread with raisins. Usually, soda bread is my comfort zone in bread baking.However, I really want to try this bread. I will follow your directions carefully and perhaps conquer the yeast demon! 🙂
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef
Oh this looks amazing! I'd be happy to have this all winter (and maybe all summer) too!
Abbe@This is How I Cook
I've never heard of this bread, Tricia but i can assure you I will be trying it! I love raisins and the though of Jameson's in there really hits the spot. I've been blogging about the same and I'm not sure I've ever stuck with anything for that long! So glad I found you!
Anna and Liz Recipes
Hey Tricia! We love a good Irish bread and Happy 3rd Anniversary! And, we're so glad we're friends! <br />