Eat * Bake

Nana's Yummy Fruity Bread

Here is another great bread recipe by my mother (Lucas' Nana). The texture not to mention the tangy sweetness of the bread is something I look forward to when I'm back in my hometown. It tastes particularly good when toasted and spread with butter and I give you fair warning, its pretty addictive, especially to a bread lover like myself!

Ingredients:

450g strong white flour
14g instant yeast
50g caster sugar
150ml warm milk
50ml warm water
1 egg beaten
50ml olive oil (plus oil for extra greasing)
1 tsp salt
50g dried apricots
50g dried figs
50g pitted dates
50g sultanas
Juice & rind of 1 orange


1. Put the flour, yeast and caster sugar and 1 tsp salt into a large mixing bowl with the spices and dried fruit and mix well. Make a well in the center and pour in the warm milk, 50ml warm water, the beaten egg, juice and rind of an orange and oil. Mix everything together to form a dough. If the dough is too dry add a little more warm water, if it's too wet, add more flour.
2. Knead on a floured surface until the dough becomes smooth and springy. Transfer to a clean, lightly greased bowl and cover loosely with a clean, damp tea towel. Leave the dough in a warm place to rise until roughly doubled in size. This will take around an hour.
3. Tip the risen dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for a couple of minutes. Divide the dough into two pieces and shape to fit a well greased baking tin. Once placed in the baking tin, cover with a damp towel and leave to prove for 20 minutes until doubled in size again.
4. Bake loaves in the center of a hot oven (230C) for 30 minutes or until the bread sounds hollow when tapped. Leave to cool on a wire rack. Serve warm with butter.