Ultimate Fruit Loaf

One of the best things about making your own bread is being able to be generous with your additives. I’ve used figs and apricots but feel free to use your favourite fruits or nuts in this bread.

makes 1 loaf
takes about an hour (plus 8-14 hours to rise)
425g (15oz) bread flour, preferably unbleached
1/4 teaspoon dried yeast
100g (3oz) dried figs, halved
50g (2oz) dried apricots, halved
100g (3.5oz) whole almonds
semolina, optional

1. Combine flour, 375g (13oz) water, 1 teaspoon salt and yeast in a bowl. Cover with cling wrap and leave for 8 – 14 hours.

2. Preheat on the highest setting for at last 30 minutes.

3. Place a generous amount of flour on your kitchen counter. Scoop dough onto the flour. Sprinkle generously with the driver fruit and more flour. Fold the edges from the outside in to form a rectangular loaf.

4. Place a little semolina and the almonds in the base of the loaf pan. Place loaf with the rough top side up. Dust with flour and cover loosely with the foil.

5. When the oven is hot bake for 45 minutes with the foil on.

6. Remove the foil and turn the oven down to 200c (400F) bake for a further 15 minutes until the loaf is deep brown.

7. Cool in the tin for a few minutes then turn out onto a wire rack to cool further.

Prepare Ahead?

You can par bake the loaf and freeze. Just bake loaf for 45 minutes with the foil on then cool the loaf on a rack and freeze. To reheat, preheat the oven to 200C (400F) and bake straight from the freezer on a baking tray for 20 minutes or until the loaf is deep golden brown.

Variations

fruit & nuts – play around with the type of fruit and nuts.

round loaf – instead of baking in a loaf pan, follow the instructions for the yeasted loaf and add the fruit and nuts when you’re forming your loaf.

Problem Solving

too wet – if the crumb is soggy after the loaf has cooled it means it is underbaked. This is a common problem if you’re just using a regular saucepan to bake your loaf. A heavier cast iron pot will radiate more heat into your loaf. If you can’t justify buying a new pot, make sure you bake the loaf for longer with the lid on. It may take an extra 15 minutes. Keep experimenting with your oven until you are happy.

loaf sticking to the tin – the fruit can stick to the pan and burn a little. Just use a knife to loosen the bread from the sides of the pan. Next time grease the pan before baking or line with baking (parchment)paper.

fruit too hard – if your fruit is too hard, try soaking it in some warm water or a little brandy next time before using.

not enough fruit / nuts – it’s up to you! Feel free to increase or decrease the amount of fruit as you see fit.

loaf too flat – 5 possible causes here:
1. Inactive or sluggish yeast – buy a fresh batch of yeast OR make sure you’re letting the dough rise in a warm place.
2. Gluten not developed – next time allow to rise for longer OR make sure you’re letting the dough rise in a warm place.
3. Dough not wet enough – next time try to use less flour when forming your loaf.
4. Oven not hot enough – make sure you preheat your pot for at least 1/2 hour on the highest setting.
5. Flour protein content too low – try a different brand of flour and make sure it is designed to be used for bread making.

crust too soggy – another symptom of underbaking. Next time bake longer at the first stage. Also make sure the loaf isn’t covered when its cooling as the steam can make your crust soggy.

burned – remember to turn the oven down when you take the foil off. Or bake for less time with the lid off.

can’t find semolina? – semolina is just coarsely ground wheat that looks a little like sand. It makes a lovely rustic crust on the bottom of your bread but it isn’t essential. Fine polenta or cornmeal makes a good substitute or just use a little flour to dust the base of the pot.