Angela's Sticky Tea Bread
Angela's Sticky Tea Bread is a classic fruited loaf made with strong brewed tea, sultanas and glacé cherries, baked into a moist, sticky slice. The Thermomix TM7 makes it simple: weigh the flour and sugar directly in the bowl, mix the batter evenly, and grind fresh mixed spice for maximum aroma. Ideal for afternoon tea or a lunchbox snack.
About this recipe
Angela's Sticky Tea Bread Thermomix TM7 recipe brings a beloved British teatime classic straight to your all-in-one kitchen machine. This moist fruit loaf, steeped in strong brewed tea with plump sultanas and glossy glacé cherries, delivers a sticky, caramel-sweet crumb that tastes even better the day after baking. Searching for tea bread recipes that actually work in the Thermomix TM7? This one is a genuine keeper: the built-in scale weighs the caster sugar and self raising flour directly into the bowl, while freshly ground mixed spice gives a warmer aroma than anything from a supermarket jar. A touch of bicarbonate of soda and sea salt balances the sweetness perfectly. Serve thick slices buttered with an afternoon cuppa, or tuck a piece into a lunchbox as an afternoon snack. It is also a brilliant bake for beginners, since the machine handles the mixing while the oven does the rest.
Preparation tips
- Brew the tea nice and strong and let the sultanas and glacé cherries soak in it until plump and juicy; the longer they steep, the stickier and more flavourful your finished tea bread will be.
- Line the loaf tin carefully with baking parchment, leaving an overhang on both sides so you can lift the sticky tea bread out cleanly without losing any of that sugary crust.
- For a deeper flavour, wrap the cooled loaf in parchment and keep it overnight before slicing; the tea-soaked crumb becomes denser and stickier, and buttered slices taste divine the next day.
Recipe variations
- Lactose-free version: replace the unsalted butter with a plant-based margarine or coconut oil. The tea bread keeps its sticky texture and the sultanas and glacé cherries still deliver all the fruity sweetness.
- Festive winter variant: add a finely grated orange zest, a pinch of cinnamon and chopped dried cranberries instead of some sultanas for a Christmas-style tea loaf, dusted lightly with caster sugar before serving.
Thermomix TM7 Benefits
- Built-in scale - The Thermomix weighs the self raising flour and caster sugar directly in the bowl for consistent batter. [weighing]
- Fresh spice grinding - The TM7 grinds whole mixed spice finely, giving the tea bread warmer aroma than shop-bought blends. [grinding]
- Even mixing - The Thermomix mixes the butter, sugar and tea-soaked sultanas into a uniform sticky batter. [mixing]
- Gentle melting - The TM7 heats the butter and margarine gently until just melted, ready for the fruited batter. [heating]
- Fruity chopping - The Thermomix chops the glacé cherries quickly into even pieces, spread through every slice. [chopping]
Ingredients
- unsalted butter
- margarine
- black tea, brewed
- sultanas
- glacé cherries
- caster sugar
- self-raising flour
- bicarbonate of soda
- fine sea salt
- ground mixed spice