Teacakes - simple, working recipe needed

I wish you luck - recipes involving breadmaking are always trial and error, there are so many things to go wrong. it took me years to get it right, and my husband is currently learning .
Sounds as if in your last attempt the dough was too dry, maybe needed more oil.
My advice is to master a brioche-type bread recipe first, then all you do is add some spice and dried fruit to the dry ingredients before adding the fluids.

ps the type of flour to use is very important - you need a good quality strong canadian or english bread flour.

Are you sure you are using the correct type of yeast? I had several failures with my breadmaker recently then I found out I was using the wrong kind of dried yeast. Good luck with the tea cakes. Delicious toasted with lots of butter and damson jam.

I have a recipe - I do usually start to use it around this time of year but am on a diet. It's a handwritten scrap of paper in my cake recipe file that I have hidden from myself on purpose. But at great potential risk and danger to my waistline, I shall endeavour to find it tomorrow.

I did try out the hairy biker recipe, but it was nothing like the ones I was brought up on. Far too rich and heavy, what were they thinking of. However that was just before they both went on a diet. I'm not surprised if they were eating teacakes like that.

Found it! Deciphering my writing took a little longer...

I make the dough in the breadmaker, then form it and let it rise and give it a brush with a sugar syrup before baking them, but that's up to you.

Tea cakes for toasting

1 tsp yeast
18oz strong white flour
1 dsstsp sugar
2 oz butter
1 dsstsp milk powder (not necessary but helps to make them keep longer)
1 tsp salt
1 egg
250 ml water
1 tsp mixed spice
6-8 oz dried fruit, I use sultanas.

This is very much my own recipe though, to get it as near as I can to the tea cakes I remember as a child. I can't find one anywhere, like you.

And also finally found one for those without breadmakers

theenglishkitchen.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/toasted-teacakes.html

This looks very similar to mine, just a different method, not too sweet and not too rich and heavy.

Thanks everyone for your kind suggestions. I must admit I was a bit sceptical of Paul Hollywood's approach, and maybe I was not too generous with the oil on the worktop kneading technique.

I will try again soon - it is that time of year and I'm now practising my shortbread (with semolina flour) as well, and Nigella's Parmesan Shortbreads - which the grandchildren devour like they've never been fed for weeks!!

Thanks Janerowena for the recipe - I will give that a go.