Bara Brith recipe

This is a very old Welsh recipe. The word "Bara" is the Welsh word for bread and "brith" is the Welsh word for speckled.

1 pound mixed dried fruit, chopped
1 1/4 cups freshly-brewed tea
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 3/4 cups self-rising flour
1/2 cup milk
1 egg, beaten to blend
3 tablespoons orange marmalade
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Place fruit in large bowl. Pour tea over fruit. Add brown sugar and mix well. Cover and let stand at room temperature overnight.

Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.

Add flour, milk, egg, marmalade and cinnamon to soaked fruit mixture. Stir until combined. Spoon dough into the prepared loaf pan. Bake until bread is brown and crusty and wooden pick inserted near center comes out clean, about 2 hours.

Cool slightly. (Can be prepared up to 4 days ahead. Wrap tightly and store at room temperature.)