Can I Make Bara Brith with Gluten-Free Flour?

Our answer

Nigella's recipe for Bara Brith is based on a version made by the neigbour of Nigella's late sister, Thomasina. Bara Brith is a fruited tea bread that is perfect for mid-afternoon, but just as good at other times of the day. It is made with dried fruits that are soaked overnight in tea.

As the batter itself contains a fair amount of liquid, it may work with gluten-free flour. Generally we would suggest using a gluten-free flour blend (or baking mix) that has been formulated for baking or breads. We have found in some other recipes that using a mixture of gluten-free flour and ground almonds (almond meal or almond flour) gives a slightly better result, as the oil in the almonds helps to add a little extra moisture. So you could also use a combination of 200g (about 1 1/2 cups) of gluten-free flour and 50g (about 1/2 cup) of ground almonds. Make gluten-free flours are the plain (all-purpose) type, without raising agent, so you would need to add 2 teaspoons of baking powder as well, making sure that the baking powder is also gluten free. Please bear in mind that gluten-free cakes will be more crumbly, so it may help to slice the bread with a serrated knife, using a short, sawing motion. Unfortunately as we have not tried the Bara Brith in gluten free form, we are unable to guarantee the results. You may also like to try Nigella's Chocolate Tahini Banana Bread, which is a popular gluten free recipe.