Halloween began in Ireland, as the ancient festival of Samhain, when the boundary between the living and the dead was believed to be at its thinnest. Many of its customs are Irish, and one of the most delicious is the barmbrack, from the Irish bairín breac, the speckled loaf.

Into the Halloween brack went small tokens, each with a meaning. Find the ring and you would marry within the year; a coin promised wealth, a pea meant no marriage, and a piece of cloth bad luck. Bakeries in Ireland still sell bracks with a ring inside every October, and the slicing is still watched closely.

An Irish Halloween

Derry, in Northern Ireland, hosts one of the largest Halloween festivals in Europe. For a gentler stay, the castles of the west are atmospheric this time of year; read our piece on Dromoland Castle in County Clare. Closer to home, Boston’s Irish community keeps the brack tradition, as we wrote in our St. Patrick’s Day in Boston guide.

The tea is the trick

Soaking the dried fruit overnight in strong black tea plumps it and flavors the whole loaf. This is the quick, yeast-free tea brack most Irish home cooks make today.

Ingredients

Makes one 9 x 5-inch loaf.

• 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) strong hot black tea
• 2 cups (300 g) mixed dried fruit: raisins, golden raisins and currants
• 1/4 cup (40 g) chopped candied peel
• 3/4 cup (150 g) light brown sugar
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp mixed spice, or 1 tsp cinnamon with a pinch each of nutmeg, ginger and cloves
• 1 tbsp honey, warmed, to glaze
• A clean ring wrapped in parchment, for tradition (optional)

Method

1. Soak the fruit. Pour the hot tea over the dried fruit, peel and sugar. Stir, cover and leave overnight.
2. Mix. Heat the oven to 350°F and line a loaf pan. Stir the egg into the fruit, then fold in the flour, baking powder and spice.
3. Add the ring. If using, push the wrapped ring into the batter. Smooth the top.
4. Bake. Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, until dark golden and a skewer comes out clean.
5. Glaze. Brush with warm honey while still hot. Cool in the pan, then wrap and leave for a day before slicing.

How to serve it

Thickly sliced, toasted and spread with salted Irish butter, with a pot of tea. Warn your guests about the ring.

What to pour

Strong tea, or an Irish coffee for an evening by the fire.

Make a menu of it

For a full Irish Halloween, pair the brack with colcannon, coming tomorrow. For more of the season, read our guide to Halloween in Salem, and find every recipe At the Table.

Photo: Sinead Davies, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0