TABELIA

AUTHENTIC RECIPE

Far BretonBreton Prune Far

Breton Prune Far
Difficulty★★☆☆☆ Prep16 min Cook55 min Rest1 hr servings4

A dense Breton home-style dessert of batter studded with prunes and baked at high heat. Descended from grain porridge, its chewy, close texture is neither pudding nor cake. Resting the batter for 1 hour to fully hydrate the flour is key. The acidity and aroma of tea-soaked prunes sharpen the simple batter.

Recipe developed and reviewed by the Tabelia Editorial TeamUpdated
100/ 100

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Ingredients (4 servings)

  • Pitted prunesSoak in strong black tea for 15 minutes to plump200 g
  • Black tea bagsFor soaking the prunes; brew strongly with 250 ml boiling water1 bag
  • Eggs4
  • Whole milk750 ml
  • Cake flourSift before adding125 g
  • Granulated sugar125 g
  • Salt1 pinch
  • Unsalted butter for the dishGenerously butter the inside of the ovenproof dish20 g

Method

13 min

Soak the prunes in tea

  • 1 Pour 250 ml boiling water into a heatproof bowl and steep 1 black tea bag to make strong tea.
  • 2 Add 200 g pitted prunes and leave to rehydrate for 15 minutes.
28 min

Make the batter

  • 1 Meanwhile(While the prunes soak.) Make the appareil, the pourable egg batter.
  • 2 Mix 4 eggs, 125 g granulated sugar and 1 pinch salt in a bowl without whisking in air.
  • 3 Sift in 125 g flour and mix until no dry flour remains.
  • 4 Gradually add 750 ml milk to loosen. It is ready when the batter is thin and free of lumps.
31 hr

Rest the batter

  • 1 Cover with plastic wrap and rest at room temperature for 1 hour.
  • 2 This stage fully hydrates the flour, a legacy of Brittany’s buckwheat culture.
  • 3 Resting gives the baked dessert its chewy, firm texture.
45 min

Prepare the dish and batter

  • 1 Begin preheating the oven to 200°C.
  • 2 Generously coat the inside of an ovenproof dish about 20 × 25 cm with 20 g butter.
  • 3 Lift the prunes from the tea and lightly blot dry with paper towels.
  • 4 Meanwhile(While waiting for the oven to heat.)
550 min

Pour and bake

  • 1 Distribute the prunes across the dish, gently stir the rested batter again and pour it in carefully.
  • 2 Bake at 200°C for 15 minutes, then lower to 180°C and bake for another 30–35 minutes.
  • 3 A deep golden surface that has puffed considerably and then settled slightly signals that it is baked.
  • 4 Gently shake the dish: if the center wobbles as a single mass rather than rippling like liquid, it is cooked through.
630 min

Cool and let the texture set

  • 1 Leave in the dish until the initial heat has dissipated.
  • 2 Once at room temperature, cut into squares and serve.

Ready when

Far firms as it cools, developing its finished chewy texture.

A view of Saint-Malo, Bretagne
Saint-Malo, BretagneFrance Photo: Eusebius · CC BY 3.0 (resized; display cropped)

About this dish

Brittany, at France’s northwestern tip, is a peninsula of pastures and port towns jutting into the Atlantic. Far takes its name from the Latin word for grain. Originally it was a simple porridge of wheat or buckwheat flour cooked in milk and served with meat. The dessert is connected to the region’s history of developing a buckwheat food culture where wheat was difficult to grow.

Over time it became a sweet baked preparation enriched with eggs and sugar, and far aux pruneaux, with dried prunes sunk into the batter, became the standard form. Prunes are said to have been familiar in the ports as provisions for long voyages.

Today it is an everyday presence in bakeries and crêperies throughout Brittany, while families bake large dishes for Sundays and gatherings. Substantial slices eaten at room temperature make it an unadorned, everyday sweet.

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