Sticky Malt Loaf Recipe

A lighter version of this uniquely British quick bread is just the thing to serve with a cup of strong tea.

By
Sydney Oland
Sydney Oland: Contributing Writer at Serious Eats
Sydney Oland
Sydney Oland lives in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, where she develops recipes and owns and operates three businesses: a bean-to-bar chocolate company, an ice cream company, and a collective food production space. Previously, she wrote brunch and British food recipe columns for Serious Eats.
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Updated March 05, 2025
Overhead view of a freshly baked sticky malt loaf, served on a ridged platter. Two slices have been cut and shingled to reveal the interior texture of the quick bread.

Serious Eats / Sydney Oland

For those unacquainted with the classic snack, malt loaf is a sweet loaf that normally contains some sort of dried fruit. Dense and small, this loaf is served as a snack between meals spread with lots of soft butter beside a strong cup of tea. This particular version has a lighter texture than many malt loaves found across the pond, but has all the sweet malty flavor that is a unique, even craveable, part of this quickbread.

The sticky aspect of this recipe comes from topping the still-hot loaf with a sprinkle of malt extract while it cools. If you've never worked with malt extract before, it will get sticky very fast. So if you happen to get a few patches on your counter, get them scrubbed up quick.

Malt extract is an absolutely essential part of this bread, and unless you happen to be a home brewer already, you're going to want to head on over to whatever home brew supply shop is in your area. (Or, of course, order it online.) The extract I used for this recipe is sparkling amber, but feel free to experiment. Different extracts will give your final product different flavors; I would start off with whichever extract is closest to the beer you like to drink, and go from there. The tea flavor is a more subtle component of the dish, so any black tea will work. Just make sure to brew it strong.

August 2012

Recipe Details

Sticky Malt Loaf Recipe

Prep 10 mins
Cook 50 mins
Active 15 mins
Total 60 mins
Makes 1 loaf
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Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon butter

  • 1/2 cup hot, strongly-brewed black tea (like PG Tips)

  • 1 1/4 cup plus 1/2 teaspoon malt extract

  • 1/2 cup sugar

  • 1/2 cup raisins

  • 2 eggs, beaten

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour

  • 1 teaspoon baking powder

  • Pinch salt

Directions

  1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 300°F (150°C). Butter an 8- by 4-inch loaf pan and set aside. In a mixing bowl, combine tea, 1 1/4 cup malt extract, sugar, and raisins and mix until ingredients are well combined. Add beaten eggs and mix again.

  2. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix wet and dry ingredients together and pour batter into loaf pan. Bake until loaf is brown and a thin knife inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 teaspoon of malt extract over loaf while it is warm and allow to cool. Remove from pan, slice, and serve.

Special Equipment

8- by 4-inch loaf pan

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
3116 Calories
24g Fat
655g Carbs
67g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Amount per serving
Calories 3116
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 24g 31%
Saturated Fat 11g 54%
Cholesterol 403mg 134%
Sodium 1015mg 44%
Total Carbohydrate 655g 238%
Dietary Fiber 10g 34%
Total Sugars 447g
Protein 67g
Vitamin C 2mg 9%
Calcium 664mg 51%
Iron 19mg 108%
Potassium 2364mg 50%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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