The title of this tea bread recipe is a little misleading as you can make it using any floral flavoured tea
– there are so many different varieties available nowadays, and it’s fun to experiment. Of course, the old favourites like Earl Grey and Lady Grey always produce wonderful results, but I find that Jasmine Blossom imparts a particularly delicate floral flavour. The choice of flavour is yours, but whatever you choose your tea bread will be deliciously moist and will keep for several days – not that this ever happens in my household! It makes a great bake for Mother’s Day on the 10th March too.
Ingredients
- 2 Organic Jasmine Blossom Tea Bags (I used ‘Good Earth’ teabags which are available in most supermarkets)
- 125g golden caster sugar
- 225g sultanas
- 225g raisins
- 50g dried cranberries
- 2 medium eggs, beaten
- 225g self raising flour
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 2 tbsp clear honey for the glaze
Method
- Place the tea bags in a heatproof bowl and add 300 ml of boiling water. Leave to steep for 5 minutes. Remove the tea bags giving them a good squeeze, add the sugar and stir to dissolve. Add the fruit to the tea and leave in a cool place to stand – if possible overnight – but for a minimum of 4 hours if you don’t have that long.
- Preheat the oven to 180C, 160 Fan, or gas mark 4 and line a 1kg loaf tin with parchment paper.
- Add the beaten eggs, flour and zest and juice of the lemon to the fruit mixture and beat well. Pour into the lined tin and bake for 1 to 1 and a quarter hours, or until a skewer placed into the centre of the cake, comes out clean.
- Allow the loaf to cool in the tin for 10 minutes. While it’s cooling, warm the honey either in a pan or the microwave and then brush liberally over the top of the loaf with a pastry brush.
- Slice and serve with tea of your choice – if you have tea bread left over after a couple of days, it is delicious spread with butter.
Recipe by Pauline Mardell
