My first memory of teacakes is greedily chomping on one during a break time at school (you used to be able to buy them at a little tuck-shop they ran in the P.E corridor). They were absolutely huge things (or at least they felt like that to tiny hands), often tasted a little stale and were always dripping with butter.  I created this recipe in honour of those school day treats, however these ones are slightly more refined and not in the least bit stale-tasting.

Prep time 1-2 hours
Bake time 15 minutes
Makes 6 large teacakes.

Ingredients

350g strong white flour
7g dried yeast
100g butter, plus a little more for brushing on the baked teacakes
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon mixed spice
150g mixed dried fruit
175ml semi-skimmed milk

Method

• Place the flour into a large bowl and rub in the butter with your fingertips, until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs
• Rub the yeast into the flour and butter
• Add the salt, spices, fruit and milk and combine until it the mixture forms a dough (adding more milk if it feels a little dry)
• Place the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for around 10 minutes, or until the dough feels soft but not sticky
• Return the dough to the bowl, cover with a tea towel and leave to rise for about an hour and a half, or until it has doubled in size
• When the dough has risen, divide it into 6 equal pieces and then roll each piece into a ball
• Place the balls onto a lined baking tray, leaving a good gap between each one, and cover with a tea towel
• Leave the balls to rise for around 30 minutes, or until they have noticeably puffed up.
• Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees˚C
• When the teacakes have risen, bake them for around 15 minutes, or until they have turned a light golden brown
• When the teacakes are out of the oven, leave them on the baking tray and brush them with a little melted/softened butter and cover them with a tea towel until they have cooled (this will help keep them soft)
• These teacakes taste best on the day they are made, but will keep well for a couple of days in a re-sealable food bag

Top Tip

Serve your teacakes toasted with plenty of butter!