Fruity Bread

A little birdie dropped the seed into my head this weekend of breakfast bread. I quite literally am in love with toasted bread with a good coffee in the mornings. Yesterday, I was on a roll (and quite obsessive) with baking two different types to see which I liked the best. The following is the winner. I totally recommend a strong cup 'o joe to bring out the "flavors".

I mainly love that this recipe allows me to use my bread machine (to make the dough) but required me to get my hands dirty and complete the bread with kneading, rising and cooking in the oven. Basically, I had to put some of 'me' in the process instead of relying totally on the machine. Sometimes I find that it is all too easy to rely on the ease of the bread maker. Isn't that considered cheating to hard-core bread aficionados? And for the people that will enjoy some of my bread, does it mean they will be eating a piece of me? I'm beginning to think like Tita in Like Water for Chocolate.

(thanks to www.whatscookingamerica.net)

Breakfast Fruit Bread

1 1/4 cups warm water (110 degrees F.)
2 eggs, room temperature
1 tablespoon oil (olive oil, canola oil or vegetable oil)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon diastatic barley malt (optional)* - I use.
4 cups bread flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3 teaspoons instant active dry yeast
2 to 2 1/2 cups of mixed chopped nuts and chopped dried fruit (such as raisins, dates, apricots, apples, cherries, etc.)** - I mix mine with flour.

* Also called gluten flour, instant gluten flour, pure gluten flour, and vital wheat gluten depending on vendor and manufacturer. This is flour with the starch and bran removed. Gluten is the natural protein in the wheat endosperm which, when combined with water, forms a taffy-like dough. This retains the gas and steam from baking.

** To keep dried fruit and nuts from sticking together, put them in a small bowl with approximately 2 teaspoons flour; stir to thoroughly combine.

Place all ingredients except nuts and dried fruit in bread pan of your bread machine. Select dough setting and press start. Check the dough (don't be afraid to open the lid). It should form a nice elastic ball. If you think the dough is too moist, add additional flour (a tablespoon at a time). The same is true if the dough is looking dry and gnarly. Add warm water (a tablespoon at a time)

After approximately 15 minutes of the dough cycle, add nuts and dried fruit, and continue dough cycle. NOTE: If the addition of dried fruits causes your dough to get too sticky, don't worry. Add additional flour now or add it when you do the kneading process. When dough cycle has finished, remove dough from pan and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Form dough into an oval, cover with a cotton towel or plastic wrap and let rest for 10 minutes.






After resting, turn dough bottom side up and press to flatten. Shape dough into a loaf and place on a baking sheet that has been coated with cooking spray or on a silpad. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot to rise for approximately 20 to 30 minutes or until doubled (time can vary depending on room temperature). After rising, slash the bread with a very sharp knife making three 1/2-inch deep diagonal slashes.

Oven Rising: Sometimes I use my oven for the rising. Turn the oven on for a minute or so, then turn it off again. This will warm the oven and make it a great environment for rising bread. If you can't comfortably press your hand against the inside of the oven door, the oven is too hot. Let it stand open to cool a bit. Sourdough rises more slowly than yeast bread; Always remember, the longer the rise time, the more sourdough flavor.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until loaf sounds hollow when tapped.

Remove from oven and cool on a bread rack. Let baked loaf cool for 30 minutes before cutting (this is because the bread is still cooking while it is cooling).