Teacake is an English sweet bun with dried fruit in the inside.
Across the world, different cultures have their own take on a Teacake. In America, the Teacakes are sort of like large dense cookies, while in England they take form as a yeast-based bun. Despite their differences, they were all made for a similar reason - as an accompaniment to afternoon tea time.
Ingredients
500g bread flour, sieved
pinch of salt
50g cubed butter
7g fast action dried yeast
40g caster sugar, plus 3tbsp for the glaze
220g mixed dried fruit
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
300ml warm milk, plus extra for brushing
Instructions
Rub together the butter, salt and flour with your fingers to make a breadcrumb-like texture. Add the yeast, dried fruit, sugar and spices and mix thoroughly.
Create a small well in the middle of your mixture using a spoon. Add most of the milk to the flour mixture, reserving about 1/4 of it, and mix until you have a soft dough. Knead your dough on a floured surface for around ten minutes, until it is smooth and springy. Grease a mixing bowl and leave your dough in it, covered, for around 2 hours. Your mixture should double in size during this time.
After this first rise knock the dough back by kneading it briefly again, until it feels elastic again. Divide into 12 for average sized tea cakes, or six for bigger ones (but remember these will need extra time in the oven!). Arrange on a greased baking sheet and cover.
Leave your mixture to rise again in a warm place, for around one hour, until your tea cakes have doubled in size.
Heat your oven to 220C. Brush your tea cakes with the remaining milk to glaze them. Bake in the middle of the oven for around 10 – 15 minutes, until golden. Warm 3tbsp caster with 3tbsp of water until it’s dissolved. Use this glaze to brush your tea cakes with.
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