This low-fat recipe for Overnight Country Fruit Bread is from a very old Farmhouse cookbook that my grandmother used to have.
An Old Country Recipe
This low-fat recipe for Overnight Country Fruit Bread is from a very old Farmhouse cookbook that my grandmother used to have. She copied the recipe out for me many years ago, and I treasure this scrap of paper with her handwritten recipe. It’s a classic farmhouse recipe for a fruit bread that is started off the night before, where the fruit is steeped in hot tea.
As well as being packed with plump, tea-soaked fruit, it uses honey in place of sugar, which adds a lovely taste to it. Honey was often used in British country recipes many years ago, as many people kept their own bee hives and therefore local honey was cheaper and often more accessible than sugar.
I love tea breads, they are so easy to make and make a fabulous cake style bread for the cake tin. Today’s recipe for Overnight Country Fruit Bread is extra special, as it has a wonderful sticky honey and nut topping. This adds an extra crunch and sweet honey taste top the tea bread, and looks rather special too.
There are many regional variations of Tea Breads, or Tea Loaves, from Bara Brith in Wales, to Fruited Tea Loaf with Whisky from Scotland. And, where I call home in North Yorkshire, there are a multitude of tea bred recipes, including my mum’s recipe for a Farmhouse “Teacup” Spiced Fruit Loaf.
What is a Tea Bread or Tea Loaf?
A tea loaf or tea bread such as today’s recipe for Overnight Country Fruit Bread, is exactly what it says on the cake tin, it’s a cake style non-yeast fruit loaf (bread) where the fruit has been soaked in tea. There are many British recipes where TEA is used in the title of a recipe, the most popular being Tea Cakes.
There are also similar recipes that use tea as a soaking agent, such as Boiled Fruit Cakes. The action of soaking or boiling dried fruit with tea makes for very moist cakes or tea breads that keep for a long time without drying out. Although today’s recipe for Overnight Country Fruit Bread doesn’t have spices added, you can of course add mixed spices if you fancy a spiced version.
Variations on the Overnight Country Fruit Bread recipe
I have added a list below of some added extras or variations on my recipe for Overnight Country Fruit Bread, including how it make it vegan.
- Use flavoured teas such as Earl Grey, Lapsang Souchong or Jasmine tea for extra flavour.
- Use plain flour with 1 teaspoon baking powder if you don’t have any SR flour.
- Add chopped glace cherries for an extra fruity taste.
- Chopped dried apricots, cranberries, figs and dates can be added with the dried mixed fruit.
- Margarine can be used in place of butter.
- Add 1 teaspoon of mixed spice for a spiced tea bread.
- Chopped almonds or hazelnuts can be used in place of walnuts.
- For a VEGAN version use margarine, omit the eggs and add 2 tablespoons of vinegar to the wet mixture, before adding the flour.
More FRUIT BREAD Recipes
PIN ME for Later
Step-by-Step Method:
PRINTABLE RECIPE IS AT THE END OF THIS POST
- Put the mixed fruit and peel into a bowl with the honey and hot tea, cover and leave overnight to soak.
- When you are ready to bake the fruit bread next day, pre-heat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas mark 4. Grease and line a 450g (1lb) loaf tin.
- Stir the beaten egg, SR flour, salt and melted butter into the soaked fruit with honey and tea, in that order. Mix well.
- Spoon the fruit bread batter into the loaf tin, and bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes.
- After 50 minutes, remove the bread from the oven, and brush half of the honey over the top.
- The scatter the Demerara sugar and chopped walnuts over the top, then drizzle the rest of the honey over the bread. Return to the oven and bake for a further 20 minutes.
- Remove the bread once cooked, and allow to cool in the tin for a few minutes before removing it from the tin and cooling on a wire rack.
- Once cold, serve in slices with butter. Store in an airtight tin for up to 1 week.
More TEA Recipes:
PIN ME too for Later
Overnight Country Fruit Bread RECIPE
Overnight Country Fruit Bread
This low-fat recipe for Overnight Country Fruit Bread is from a very old Farmhouse cookbook that my grandmother used to have. She copied the recipe out for me many years ago, and I treasure this scrap of paper with her handwritten recipe. It's a classic farmhouse recipe for a fruit bread that is started off the night before, where the fruit is steeped in hot tea. As well as being packed with plump, tea-soaked fruit, it uses honey in place of sugar, which adds a lovely taste to it. Honey was often used in British country recipes many years ago, as many people kept their own bee hives and therefore local honey was cheaper and often more accessible than sugar.
Ingredients
- Fruit Bread:
- 225g (8ozs) mixed fruit and peel
- 150ml (1/4 pint) hot tea
- 100g (4ozs) clear honey
- 2 free-range eggs, beaten
- 225g (8ozs) SR flour
- Salt
- 25g (1oz) melted butter
- Topping:
- 50g (2ozs) clear honey
- 25g (1oz) chopped walnuts
- 1 tablespoon Demerara sugar
Instructions
- Put the mixed fruit and peel into a bowl with the honey and hot tea, cover and leave overnight to soak.
- When you are ready to bake the fruit bread next day, pre-heat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas mark 4. Grease and line a 450g (1lb) loaf tin.
- Stir the beaten egg, SR flour, salt and melted butter into the soaked fruit with honey and tea, in that order. Mix well.
- Spoon the fruit bread batter into the loaf tin, and bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes.
- After 50 minutes, remove the bread from the oven, and brush half of the honey over the top. The scatter the Demerara sugar and chopped walnuts over the top, then drizzle the rest of the honey over the bread. Return to the oven and bake for a further 20 minutes.
- Remove the bread once cooked, and allow to cool in the tin for a few minutes before removing it from the tin and cooling on a wire rack.
- Once cold, serve in slices with butter. Store in an airtight tin for up to 1 week.
Notes
Use flavoured teas such as Earl Grey, Lapsang Souchong or Jasmine tea for extra flavour.
Use plain flour with 1 teaspoon baking powder if you don't have any SR flour.
Add chopped glace cherries for an extra fruity taste.
Margarine can be used in place of butter.
Add 1 teaspoon of mixed spice for a spiced tea bread.
Chopped dried apricots, cranberries, figs and dates can be added with the dried mixed fruit.
Chopped almonds or hazelnuts can be used in place of walnuts.
Nutrition Information
Yield 12 Slices Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 90Total Fat 2gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 1gCholesterol 34mgSodium 69mgCarbohydrates 16gFiber 1gSugar 7gProtein 2g
Nutrition information is an approximate calculation based on the ingredients listed and it can vary according to portion sizes and when different ingredients are used.
I have added this to Cook Blog Share
Rebecca - Glutarama says
What a lovely recipe and I adore how vintage the photos are too. Just been clearing out my grans house and seen lots of similar cookware items. This reminds me of a similar recipe I have and I know I’ll be able to recreate yours but swap the flour out for Gluten Free
Karen Burns-Booth says
Hi Rebecca,
Thank you so much, and cherish your nan’s cookware too!
There are some great gluten free flours out there and I’m sure you’ll be able to make this GF with ease.
Karen
Melissa says
It was interesting to read about the history of this recipe. I was not familiar with tea breads. Thanks for the variations too!
Karen Burns-Booth says
You’re very welcome Melissa, it’s so nice to hear you enjoyed my post. Karen
Regina says
Gi Karen!
I loved the tea bread story. I really like this type of cake / bread. What is SR flour, please. Thank you!
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thank you so much Regina – SR flour is Self Raising flour which you might know as cake flour? It has baking powder in it, as a raising agent. Karen
Mary Lou says
Hello from Oregon, USA. I love making fruit loaf tea breads as well as zucchini bread. Can I bake this is two smaller pans rather than 1 standard loaf pan? Can you suggest the time to bake? I have arthritis and managing large pans is getting to be a problem. Thank you for a truly wonderful post. I love all things British, Irish, Scottish, Welsh and Cornish for great food. I really enjoy your wartime stories and so glad you preserved your Mother’s books. Stay safe.
Karen Burns-Booth says
Hi Mary Lou
Yes you can bake this in 2 smaller pans, and you will just need to reduce the cooking time slightly, by about 10 to 15 minutes.
And THANK YOU so much for your lovely comments too, I am so pleased you enjoy my posts and recipes…you stay safe too and thanks for popping by! 🙂
Karen
Desicart says
Thank you for sharing that lovely food recipe.so yummy!! i love it! i ll definitely try it!!
Karen Burns-Booth says
It’s my pleasure, thanks for stopping by to leave a comment, Karen
Nic | Nic's Adventures & Bakes says
Thanks for sharing, this looks yummy perfect for afternoon tea 🙂
Nic | Nic’s Adventures & Bakes
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thanks Nic, do let me know if you make this. Karen
Mischa says
Well, lovely lady, I am simply amazed at this recipe. From across the pond, we don’t really have the tins for delivery of such a delightful baked good, so I took your tea bread & combined it with a New England brown bread (in a can). I had to double the way attempt (wasn’t paying attention & made too much tea) which works, but drop one egg. What I’ve done is to fill wide mouth mason jars half way with the batter. Place jars on a biscuit pan, then follow your baking instructions. After the 50 minutes, I do add topping, light on the honey, then I cover it with a lid & band, turn off oven & let the jars seal. Thank you for a lovely recipe. I have been looking to use 5# of walnuts & this is perfect. Btw, I used a chai tea, Bengal Spice by Celestial Seasons.
Karen Burns-Booth says
Hello Mischa from across the pond!
Lovely to see you here and THANK YOU for your lovely comments, and how you made this recipe to suit you too!
I LOVE the idea of baking this in a Mason Jar, what a stroke of genius.
I ALSO love your choice of aromatic and fragrant teas too….:-)
Lovely to e-meet you here!
Karen
Kat (The Baking Explorer) says
Such a classic and so much flavour, I’d love a slice with plenty of butter!
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thanks Kat! Yes this is fabulous with lots of butter Karen
Eb Gargano | Easy Peasy Foodie says
What a lovely recipe! I am a huge fan of tea bread 😀 Eb x
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thank you so much Eb! 🙂