Teacakes

Teacakes

Make light, fruity teacakes – perfect for a Sunday morning breakfast or a lazy afternoon tea.

Serves: 8

A teacake is a light, sweet bun with dried fruit such as currants, sultanas and fruit peel. A popular teatime treat in the UK, these fruit-filled teatime treats are thought to be a refinement of the original 'handbread': a shaped roll made on a flat tin.

You can add a teaspoon of allspice to the flour, if you like. Serve them split and buttered, either warm from the oven or toasted with a pot of tea.

This recipe is an extract from The Perfect Afternoon Tea Recipe Book by Antony Wild and Carol Pastor (ISBN: 9780754834519, Lorenz Books, £15).

Ingredients

  • 450g Strong white bread flour plus extra for dusting
  • 1tsp Salt
  • 1tsp Easy-blend dried yeast
  • 40g Caster sugar
  • 300ml Milk
  • 40g Butter
  • 50g Currants
  • 50g Sultanas

Method

  • Step 1

    Sift the flour and salt into a bowl.    

  • Step 2

    In a jug or bowl mix the yeast, 5ml/1 tsp of the sugar and the lukewarm milk and leave to stand for 5 minutes.  

  • Step 3

    Add the remaining sugar to the flour and make a well in the centre. Pour in the milk a little at a time and mix well, adding just enough to make a dry dough. Add the butter and knead briefly, to bring it together.

  • Step 4

    Turn the dough out on to a lightly floured surface and knead for at least 15 minutes, until the dough is no longer sticky and full of little bubbles, adding a little extra milk if necessary. You can also do this in a food processor using the hook attachment, for 10 minutes.  

  • Step 5

    Shape the dough into a ball, place in a clean bowl and cover with a dampened dish towel. Leave at room temperature for 1 hour, until it has doubled in bulk.

  • Step 6

    Generously grease two baking sheets. Turn out the dough and knead in the dried fruit until it is evenly distributed. Divide the dough into eight to ten portions, and shape into balls. Flatten each one into a disc about 1cm/½in thick.  

  • Step 7

    Place the discs on the baking sheets, 2.5cm/1in apart. Cover with oiled clear film and leave in a warm place for 30–45 minutes, or until they have almost doubled in size. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6.  

  • Step 8

    Brush the top of each teacake with milk, then bake for 15–18 minutes, or until golden. Turn out on to a wire rack to cool slightly.

  • Step 9

    To serve, split open the teacakes while warm and spread generously with butter, or let the teacakes cool, then split and toast them.

Discover more perfect afternoon tea recipes

This recipe is an extract from The Perfect Afternoon Tea Recipe Book by Antony Wild and Carol Pastor (ISBN: 9780754834519, Lorenz Books, £15). The Perfect Afternoon Tea Recipe Book
Start your weekend with toasted teacakes

Gill Meller

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