"The fire was nice and bright and on one of the side-tables were four very big barmbracks. These barmbracks seemed uncut; but if you went closer you would see that they had been cut into long thick even slices and were ready to be handed round at tea." - From 'Dubliners' by James Joyce [Penguin Modern Classics - New Ed Edition, Feb. 2000]
Barmbrack, or Bairin Breac, is a seasonal Celtic bread typically served during Samhain as the center of a divinatory ritual that revealed fortunes to its recipients for the coming year. To make a traditional Barmbrack, trinkets and charms are always added into the mixture. Upon cooling, pieces of the cake are carefully cut and eaten and the charms divined. Although some of the meanings are antiquated (if not downright insulting in some cases), charms for Barmbrack traditionally include:
- Bean: poverty (or bachelorhood)
- Button: bachelorhood
- A small piece of cloth: poverty
- Coin: wealth
- Matchstick: the husband will beat the wife
- Gold ring: marriage
- Thimble: spinsterhood
Naturally, your own charms and meanings can and should be utilized as a part of your Samhain traditions. Each charm should be wrapped carefully in parchment paper and placed in equal intervals through the bread before its final rise. Remember, when choosing to add charms to your Barmbrack, be certain to warn your guests before consuming!
Traditional Barmbrack
- 1cup of Constant Comment tea, prepared
- 4 cups white flour
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp Allspice
- Pinch of salt
- 1/2 stick butter
- 1 package of yeast
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp white sugar
- 1 1/4 cups luke-warm milk
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 cup raisins
- 1 cup dried fruit
The evening before, soak the raisins and dried fruit in the brown sugar and tea. Constant Comment is an orange spiced tea which adds a delicious flavor to the fruits, however any black tea can be substituted. Drain before using.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
1. Sift flour, spices and salt into a bowl. Rub in the butter.
2. Add the yeast to the teaspoon of sugar and 1 teaspoon of the warm milk.
3. Pour the rest of the warm milk and the egg into the yeast mixture and combine with the dry ingredients and the sugar. Beat well and knead until the batter is stiff but elastic.
4. Fold in the prepared fruit. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth and leave in a warm place until the dough has doubled. Knead again for another 2 or 3 minutes and divide between two greased 1 1b loaf pans.
5. Wrap the charms in greaseproof paper and then hide them in the dough. Be sure they are well distributed. Cover again and let rise until the dough comes up to the top of the pan (30 minutes to an hour).
6. Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour, until the top is nicely browned and the bread sounds hollow when thumped.
Keeps about one week in a sealed container, but do note: Stale Barmbrack is still delicious when toasted and buttered!
Further Links and Resources:
Samhain Divination and Communication
Halloween/Samhain Traditions and Customs
Lisbeth Cheever-Gessaman - Lisbeth Cheever-Gessaman is a writer, spiritual activist and free spirit who divides her time between Europe and America cultivating a ...
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