Earl Grey Tea Fruit Loaf Food

EARL GREY TEA FRUIT LOAF

Steps:

• Place all the fruit in a bowl and cover with the hot tea. Leave to soak overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 150C/130C Fan and line a 900g/2lb loaf tin with non-stick baking paper.
• Add the flour, sugar and egg to the bowl of soaked fruit (if there is a little excess liquid this is fine) and mix thoroughly.
• Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth out hte top. Bake for 1¾ hours, or until the cake is risen and just firm to the touch, but check it after 1¼ hours to see how it is doing. Loosely cover with a piece of tin foil from about half way through to prevent over browning if necessary. Leave to cool in the tin for about 10 minutes.
• Turn out the loaf and remove the paper.
• Seve thick slices with a generoius spread of butter.

MY GRANDMOTHER'S FAT FREE ENGLISH TEA LOAF - BREAD

Steps:

• You will need two 1 lb (450 g) loaf tins (6 x 4 x 2 1/2 inches), the bases lined with greaseproof paper (parchment).
• The evening before you want to bake these loaves, place all the fruits, including the candied peel, in a bowl, then dissolve the sugar in the hot tea, pour this over the fruits, cover the bowl and leave it overnight.
• Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 3, 325°F/170°C.
• Beat the egg and add the milk.
• Add the beaten egg & milk mixture to the bowl containing the fruits. Then sift in the flour, and mix them together well.
• Now divide the mixture between the prepared loaf tins and bake them in the centre of the oven for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours, or until they feel springy in the centre.
• Then straight away, loosen them with a palette knife and turn them out on to a wire rack to cool.
• Store in an airtight tin or cover with extra greaseproof paper and freeze. (For up to 3 months).
• These are great sliced, toasted and served with butter as a tea-time snack.

TEA LOAF

Steps:

• Mix the sultanas, raisins and orange zest in a large mixing bowl. Pour over the tea and cover the bowl. Leave to sit for a minimum of 6 hours or ideally overnight to allow the dried fruit to soak up all the liquid.
• Heat the oven to 180C/160 fan/gas 4. Grease and line a 900g loaf tin. Add the eggs, flour and sugar to the soaked fruit, ensuring everything is well combined. Spoon the mixture into the tin and place in the centre of the oven for 1 hour 30 mins or until firm to the touch. Leave to cool in the tin for 15 mins before transferring to a wire rack.
• Cut into thick slices and serve with butter. To store, wrap tightly and keep in an airtight container for up to five days. The loaf will taste even better after a few days.

EARL GREY & LAVENDAR TEA BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 170C/335F and grease line a loaf tin with grease proof paper.
• Strongly brew 400ml of Earl Grey tea and the dried lavender. After 15 minutes add 300ml of this to a saucepan on medium heat.
• Add mixed fruits to the pan, bring to the boil then down to a simmer. Stir in the sugar until dissolved then take the pan off the heat.
• Measure out the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl and briefly mix to combine.
• Beat the eggs then add them to the fruit-tea mixture along with the orange zest and stir to combine.
• Add the dry ingredients to the fruit mixture a little at a time, stirring to incorporate until there are no floury streaks running through.
• Scoop the batter into the lined loaf tin and level off with a spatula before baking for 50-55minutes.