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I used to make this amazing tea loaf/bread years ago. It never ever failed. Then I copied the recipe onto a 3 x 5 card, threw the original recipe book out, and since that, nothing has ever been the same. I figure I either forgot a key ingredient or transcribed it with a huge error.
So - here's what happens. When I try to make it from this recipe below, it turns out basically inedible unless you have really strong teeth! It's too chewy, in a gummy way, and too hard on the outside. It used to be a lovely bread that would slice easily and then get slathered in butter. It would last no longer than a day because everyone loved it. So what on earth have I done wrong? The recipe was given to me by my Grandad's second wife in 1970. I really miss it!! The one I tried this morning had to be taken out of the oven after 1.5 hours as it was getting so brown and hard on the top. I'm eating a piece now and it's, well, very hard work. LOL.
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Tea Bread
Soak 3/4 cup of raisins in 1 cup of cold black tea overnight. The following day, add 2 cups flour, 1 cup soft brown sugar and 1 well-beaten egg to the mixture. Empty into a loaf pan and bake at 300 for 1.75 hours.
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Could it be missing baking soda? Baking powder? Cooking time wrong?
Well, for starters, there's no leavening listed. Whether it used baking soda and/or baking powder originally, I don't know--I'm assuming that it's a quick bread and not a yeast bread.
If I were you I'd look at recipes, online or in a cookbook, for quickbreads with similar ingredients and try to figure out how much leavening to use, as well as the baking time and temp. 300 seems like too low a temperature, and 1.75 hrs. seems like too long a time.
So, unless it is sitting out and turning into sour dough, you need to add baking soda, baking powder, or yeast. I think you would remember if you used to make it as a sour dough recipe because the handling is so different.
Pour in the tea and mix together to form a gloopy batter.
Pour into a loaf tin and bake in the oven for 45 mins, then turn the oven off and leave in there for another 10 mins.
Turn out onto a wire rack to cool, but not too much, as this tea loaf is best served warm with butter. Bliss.
I haven't done the conversion of grams to cups yet. Will work on that soon! The link supplied switches it to ounces, not cups. But interesting how it also doesn't have a leavening agent. ANd its missing my egg.
Wow thanks for such quick replies that were being typed as I studied grams and ounces!
SATX, that looks like a good site, I'll check it out. Rohirette, you may be on to something. Using self-raising/rising flower is the same as adding baking soda or baking powder? The recipe book was a hand kept one that was falling apart.
with raisins in the loaf, I would add a little of both soda & powder. Fruit changes the acidity and can impact the leavening ability of powder alone. But since the similar recipe calls for self-rising, just go with that; it's already taken into account the raisins.
Using self-raising/rising flower is the same as adding baking soda or baking powder?
Yes. THe basic formuila for self-rising flour is 1 cup all purpose flour, 1 tsp baking powder, and 1/4 tsp salt. The advantage of commercial self-rising flour is that it's all premixed. But yoiu can sift up a perfectly good batch in next to no time.
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