Spiced fruit loaf

date dates dough dried apricot dried apricots dried fruit easter baking fig figs fruit bread glacé cherries glacé cherry homemade sweet bread sultana sultanas tea loaf tealoaf

N/A

Makes 2 x 2lb loaves, each cuts into 8 slices

Source

Ingredients

450g strong white flour , plus extra for dusting

2 x 7g sachets easy-blend yeast

50g caster sugar

150ml warm milk

1 egg , beaten

50g unsalted butter , melted, plus extra for greasing

oil , for greasing

1½ tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

50g dried apricot , chopped

50g dried fig , chopped

50g pitted date , chopped

50g sultana

50g glacé cherry , chopped

juice 1 orange

Method

Soak the dried fruits in the orange juice for about 30 mins, then sieve, reserving the juice.

Put the flour, yeast, caster sugar and 1 tsp salt into a large mixing bowl with the spices and soaked fruit and mix well. Make a well in the centre and pour in the warm milk, reserved orange juice, the beaten egg and the melted butter. Mix everything together to form a dough – start with a wooden spoon and finish with your hands. If the dough is too dry, add a little more warm water; if it’s too wet, add more flour.

Knead in the bowl or 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 in a warm place to rise until roughly doubled in size – this will take about 1 hr depending on how warm the room is.

Knock the dough back by kneading for a few secs. Dust 2 x 2lb loaf tins with flour. Halve the dough. Use a little flour to help you shape each half into a smooth oval, then pop them into the tins. Cover both loosely with a clean, damp tea towel and leave to prove in a warm place for about 20 mins. Meanwhile, heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.

Bake for 20 mins, then cool in the tins before turning out and slicing.