Name: Lincolnshire plum bread
Prep time: 190 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 290 min
Ingredients: 2 teabags of your choice (I prefer Earl Grey); 100 g raisins; 100 g currants; 50 g sultanas; 200 ml whole milk; 10 g dried yeast; 1 tsp caster sugar; 450 g strong white bread flour; 1/2 tsp salt; 1 tsp ground allspice; 1 tsp ground cinnamon; 100 g unsalted butter, chilled and cut into cubes; 40 g light muscovado sugar; 1 medium egg, beaten; 50 g candied mixed peel

Lincolnshire plum bread

Though it is likely that this fruit loaf had been made in domestic households since the eighteenth century it began to be made commercially in 1902 by Charles Myers in Alford and is currently made by the Lincolnshire Plumbread Company which bases its recipe on that of a local farmer’s wife who fed it to the farmworkers in the 1930s.

Equipment

Weighing scales
Measuring jug
1 kg loaf tin
Small saucepan
Large mixing bowl
Cling film
Clean tea cloth
Cooling rack

Preparation method

Day 1

Place the teabags in a large bowl and fill with boiling water.
Add the raisins, currants and sultanas. Cover with cling film and leave to soak overnight.

Day 2

Grease the loaf tin lightly with lard.
Place the milk in the small saucepan and heat to 30C/86F.
Transfer to the measuring jug, whisk in the yeast and teaspoon of sugar and leave to stand for 10 minutes to activate the yeast.
Sift the flour, salt and spices into the large mixing bowl. Add the fats and rub in until you have a breadcrumb consistency.
Add the sugar and stir in thoroughly.
Add the beaten egg to the yeast mixture and whisk in.
Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add the egg and yeast mixture and use your hands to bring everything together to a sticky dough.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for 10 minutes until silky and elastic.
Wash and dry the mixing bowl and lightly oil before placing the dough in it. Cover with clingfilm and leave to prove for 2 hours. Because of the sugar and fat content it is unlikely to double in size like most breads but don’t worry, it does most of its rising in the oven.
Drain the soaked fruit.
Turn the dough onto the floured work surface and knock back. Scatter the soaked dried fruits and candied peel over the dough and gently knead in to incorporate them evenly into the dough.
Place the dough in the greased tin, cover with the clean tea cloth and leave to rise for 45 minutes.
Preheat oven to 200C/400F/gas 6.
When the loaf is ready for the oven, wrap the sides of the tin with kitchen foil, shiny side facing outwards. This will help prevent the sides burning which is often a problem with enriched doughs.
Place in the preheated oven and bake for 40 minutes. If the top of the loaf looks as if it is burning place a piece of foil over the top.
The loaf is cooked when it is well risen, lightly browned and sounds hollow when tapped underneath.
Allow to cool in the tin before transferring to the cooling rack and allow to cool completely.
Serve with butter.

Note: I prefer to knead by hand, but you may favour using a dough hook attachment in a stand mixer. Just take off a couple of minutes from the recipe’s kneading time if you use one.

For tips and advice see my guide on making bread.

More fruit bread recipes

Northumbrian harvest teacake

Pateley Lovefeast bread

Spiced date loaf

Suffolk harvest cake

Westmoreland pepper cake

Yorkshire spiced loaf