There is something about the cold weather which makes homemade bread even more welcoming.
Fruit bread with a cup of tea in the afternoon just makes me feel grateful for my lovely warm office in the comfort of my own home.
And fortunately it’s a great one for getting the children involved with too. Choosing the fruit and trying out new spices is a part of the fun of this recipe. Added to the excitement as the dough seemingly magically doubles in size by being in the airing cupboard creates some interesting conversations.
Fruit Loaf
2015-01-19 17:39:57
Yields 2
A delicious Winter to Spring loaf
Prep Time
2 hr
Cook Time
20 min
Total Time
2 hr 20 min
Ingredients
- 50g chopped, dried apricots
- 50g raisins
- 50g dried cranberries
- 50g chopped, dried mangoes
- 50g chopped, glace cherries
- 200ml orange juice
- 500g strong white flour
- 50g caster sugar
- 1tsp mixed spice
- 1.5tsp cinnamon
- 14g fast active yeast
- 50g melted, unsalted butter
- 150mls semi-skimmed milk
- 1 medium egg, beaten
- Additional oil for greasing and flour for dusting
Instructions
- Soak the fruit in orange juice for 30mins, sieve the fruit and reserve the juice.
- Combine the flour, sugar, spices and yeast in a mixing bowl.
- Create a well, and add the melted butter, milk, orange juice and beaten egg.
- Gradually combine the dry mix into the liquid with a wooden spoon and as the dough forms tip onto a floured surface and begin kneading until the dough becomes soft and springy.
- Lightly oil the mixing bowl and cover with lightly oiled cling film or a damp tea towel.
- Place in a warm place (airing cupboard) for an hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
- Knock the dough back and divide in two.
- Dust two loaf tins and shape the dough into ovals, place the dough into the tins, cover with a damp tea towel and return to prove for 30mins.
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celcius.
- Bake the loaves for 20mins, with a golden brown appearance.
- Remove from oven, leave to cool before removing from the tins.
- Cut into slices and enjoy with butter.
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2 Comments
Polka Dot Family
January 21, 2015 at 16:43I love fruit loaf, I wonder whether I could tweak this recipe to make within my slow cooker.
Polka Dot Family recently posted…Living Arrows Week Three {2015}
Debbie
January 31, 2015 at 22:02Ooooh, are you a slow cooker lover? I bought one and the hubby took the plug off it (don’t ask!), am really tempted to get into meal planning and this seems key to getting thrifty.