Making Traditional Welsh Bara Brith with Thermomix®

Share now or save for later

What if you could simplify the preparation of your favourite homemade bakes without losing the tradition behind them? Today I’m making one of Wales’ most traditional teatime treats – bara brith – using my new Thermomix® TM7. Don’t forget to PIN this recipe so you can find it once you’re ready to start baking!

Few bakes feel quite as reassuring as a loaf of bara brith slowly baking in the oven. The scent of strong tea, dried fruit and warming spice drifting through the kitchen is enough to transport many Welsh households straight back to childhood teatimes, where thick slices were served generously buttered alongside mugs of piping hot tea.

Translating from Welsh as “speckled bread”, bara brith has long been a staple of Welsh kitchens. The name refers to the generous scattering of dried fruit throughout the loaf, which is first soaked in tea to soften and deepen the flavour before being folded into a lightly spiced batter. The result is a rich, moist fruit loaf that improves even further after a day or two – if it lasts that long.

While the flavours remain rooted firmly in tradition, modern kitchen appliances can make the preparation much easier. Thermomix® combines several kitchen tools in one appliance, functioning as digital scales, mixer and food processor in a single unit. For home bakers, this means fewer steps, less measuring and a much simpler way of bringing everything together.

Thermomix is produced by Vorwerk, a German company founded in 1883 and known for its engineering and design. Today, Vorwerk is Europe’s largest direct sales company, with Thermomix recognised globally for combining smart technology, elegant design and German craftsmanship in a single premium appliance.

The latest model, the TM7, is designed to replace more than 20 kitchen tools in one appliance, supported by a personal service network of expert Advisors who help users make the most of their machines.

Why Thermomix® works well for traditional baking

One of the most useful features when baking with Thermomix® is the built-in weighing system. Ingredients can be added directly into the mixing bowl and measured as you go, removing the need for separate scales and helping keep the process tidy and efficient.

Mixing is equally straightforward. Instead of stirring ingredients together in a large bowl by hand, the machine blends everything evenly in seconds, creating a smooth batter without overworking it. For fruit loaves like bara brith, this helps ensure the fruit and spices are distributed evenly throughout the mixture.

Thermomix® also connects seamlessly to Cookidoo, its integrated recipe platform featuring more than 100,000 guided recipes with clear, step-by-step instructions. Following recipes this way can make baking feel far more approachable, whether you’re trying something new or revisiting traditional favourites.

Cookidoo is also useful for planning ahead. You can bookmark recipes, organise them into your own collections and even create weekly meal plans. Once your plan is in place, the app can generate a shopping list based on the ingredients required, making preparation much simpler.

Alongside recipes like this traditional bara brith, Cookidoo also includes several Welsh dishes within its Taste of Wales collection, offering inspiration for everything from savoury classics such as Glamorgan sausages to sweet bakes like Welsh cakes.

Another advantage of using Thermomix® is the reduction in washing up. As ingredients are weighed and mixed in the same bowl, there are fewer utensils and mixing bowls to deal with afterwards. The appliance even includes a pre-clean function that helps loosen any remaining mixture from the bowl, making the final wash-up much quicker once the batter is ready for the oven.

The traditional way to make bara brith

At its heart, bara brith is a wonderfully simple bake made using a handful of store cupboard ingredients.

Ingredients

• Black tea bags
• Boiling water
• Dried mixed fruit
• Light brown sugar
• Self-raising flour
• Mixed spice
• Egg
• Yeast (optional – this recipe omits it, but some traditional versions include it).

Method

The process usually begins by soaking dried fruit in strong tea, allowing the fruit to plump up and absorb flavour.

Once softened, the fruit is combined with sugar, eggs, flour and mixed spice before being transferred to a loaf tin and baked slowly in the oven.

Traditionally, everything would be mixed together in a large bowl before baking. The method itself is straightforward, though it does require a bit of elbow grease to ensure the fruit is evenly distributed throughout the batter.

How Thermomix® simplifies the process

Using Thermomix® doesn’t change the essence of the recipe – the fruit still benefits from soaking in tea and the loaf still needs time in the oven to develop its rich flavour and soft crumb.

What it does do is streamline the preparation stage. Ingredients can be weighed directly into the mixing bowl and combined quickly and evenly, creating a smooth batter with minimal effort. The result is a classic Welsh fruit loaf made in a way that feels simple and efficient, while still retaining the traditional flavours that make bara brith such a beloved bake.

You’ll find the full recipe below.

Print Pin

Bara Brith (Welsh Fruit Loaf)

A traditional Welsh bara brith made using the Thermomix for a simpler, more streamlined method. Mixed dried fruit is soaked in tea to create a rich, moist loaf, then combined with flour, sugar and spices to produce this classic tea bread. Perfect sliced and served with butter alongside a cup of tea.

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine British, Welsh

Keyword currants, dried fruit, fruit cake, sultanas, Thermomix

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Steeping Time 8 hours hours

Total Time 9 hours hours 15 minutes minutes

Servings 12 slices

Calories 314kcal

Author Kacie Morgan

Cost £1

Equipment

• Thermomix TM7
• 1 large loaf tin

Ingredients

• 2 black tea bags e.g. Earl Grey or English Breakfast
• 300 g boiling water
• 450 g dried mixed fruit
• 250 g light brown sugar
• 450 g self-raising flour
• 2 tsp mixed spice
• 1 large egg

Instructions

• Place the tea bags in a bowl and pour over the boiling water. Add the dried mixed fruit and leave to soak for several hours or overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Line a loaf tin with baking parchment.
• Remove and discard the tea bags from the soaked fruit.
• Place the sugar, flour, mixed spice and egg in the Thermomix mixing bowl and mix for 10 sec / speed 5.
• Add the soaked fruit along with any remaining soaking liquid. Mix for 10 sec / speed 3 until combined.
• Transfer the mixture to the prepared loaf tin and smooth the top.
• Bake for around 1 hour, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
• Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.

Notes

• This loaf improves in flavour after a day or two as the fruit continues to soften.
• Traditionally served sliced with butter.


Nutrition

Calories: 314kcal | Carbohydrates: 72g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Trans Fat: 0.002g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 17mg | Potassium: 327mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 38g | Vitamin A: 25IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 89mg | Iron: 1mg

Have you tried making bara brith before, or do you have your own family recipe for this classic Welsh fruit loaf? Let me know in the comments.

Don’t miss my other Welsh recipes – here are some of my favourites:

• Welsh ham cawl
• Welsh rarebit
• Glamorgan sausages
• Welsh cakes
• Welsh porc faggots
• Crempogau (Welsh pancakes)

Don’t forget to PIN this recipe so you’ll be able to find it once you’re ready to start baking!

Share now or save for later