Fruit Nut Bread Recipes

FRUIT & NUT BREAD

Steps:

• Turn bread dough onto a floured surface; roll out to 1-in. thickness. Sprinkle the walnuts, raisins, cranberries and dates over dough; fold over and knead well until the fruit and nuts are evenly mixed into dough. Shape into a round loaf and place in a greased 9-in. round baking pan., Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. Beat egg white and honey; brush over loaf. With a sharp knife, make 2 shallow crosses across top of loaf. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack.

NUT AND FRUIT BREAD

Steps:

• Grease an 8 x 5 inch loaf tin thoroughly. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• In a small bowl, beat the egg well. Mix in milk and melted butter or shortening.
• Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together into a mixing bowl. Add sugar, nuts, raisins and orange rind; mix well. Blend egg mixture into fruit and nut mixture until flour is just moistened. Turn batter into greased loaf tin, and allow to stand for 20 minutes.
• Place pan in the center of the oven. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes. Turn bread out on wire rack, and cool for several hours before slicing.

FRUIT-AND-NUT RYE BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Spread the nuts on a baking sheet and bake until lightly toasted, about 10 minutes. Let cool, then roughly chop.
• Pour the hot water over the dried fruit in a bowl; let soak until softened, about 15 minutes. Drain the fruit, reserving the soaking liquid. Add more water to the liquid to equal 1 cup. Let the liquid cool to room temperature.
• Stir the bread flour, rye flour and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer with a wooden spoon. Make a well in the center and add the 1 cup soaking liquid, molasses and vegetable oil. Stir with the spoon until the mixture forms a stiff shaggy ball (there might be some patches of dry flour). Cover the dough with a lightly damp kitchen towel and let sit until the liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes.
• Sprinkle the salt evenly on the dough. Knead with the dough hook on medium speed until the dough pulls away from the bowl and is very smooth and elastic, about 7 minutes. With lightly oiled hands, mix the nuts and dried fruit into the dough. Press down on the dough to remove any air pockets. Lightly oil the top. Cover with a lightly damp kitchen towel and let rise at room temperature until doubled in size, about 2 hours.
• Lightly oil a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan. With oiled hands, gently deflate the dough in the bowl and transfer to the pan, pressing down until smooth and even. Push down and submerge any visible fruit or nuts on the top of the dough to keep them from burning during baking. Cover with a lightly oiled piece of plastic wrap and set aside until the dough rises 1 to 1 1/2 inches above the top of the pan, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Position a rack in the middle of the oven; preheat to 375˚ F. Brush the top of the loaf with water. Sprinkle some oats on top. Bake until the crust is dark brown and a thermometer inserted into the middle of the bread registers 200˚ F, 35 to 40 minutes (tent the bread with foil if it starts getting too dark). Remove the loaf from the pan and transfer to a rack to cool completely.

MOROCCAN SPICED FRUIT & NUT BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a small saucepan, combine apricots, dates and orange juice; bring to a boil. Cook, uncovered, 1 minute. Remove from heat; let stand, covered, 10 minutes., In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugars, baking powder, salt and spices. In a another bowl, whisk eggs, milk, melted butter and orange zest until blended. Add to flour mixture; stir just until moistened. Fold in coconut, pecans and apricot mixture., Transfer to a greased 9x5-in. loaf pan. Bake 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool., In a small bowl, beat remaining ingredients until blended. Serve bread with orange butter.

GERMAN FRUIT AND NUT BREAD HUTZELBROT

Steps:

• NOTE:* If above ingredients* (prunes, peaches, pears and figs)* are unavailable, use 2 1/2 cups mixed dried fruit If any of the dried fruit is hard, simmer it in water to cover about 10 minutes and let sit a half-hour.
• If it is reasonably soft this is not necessary.
• Drain well any of the fruit which you have cooked.
• Chop all the fruit (except raisins) and toss fruit, including raisins with 1/4 cup flour.
• In a large mixing bowl combine the yeast, warm water and 1/2 teaspoon sugar or honey.
• Let sit until bubbling.
• Add 1 cup liquid (either that in which fruit is cooked, or juice): the liquid may be warm but not hot.
• Add the anise seed, cinnamon, salt, lemon peel, cloves, honey and melted butter.
• Beat well to mix.
• Add 2 1/2 cups the flour and beat at least 200 strokes by hand or 2 minutes with an electric mixer.
• Stir in the nuts.
• Gradually add more flour until the dough holds together and leaves the sides of the bowl.
• Turn it out onto a floured board and knead until smooth and elastic, adding a little more flour as necessary but trying to keep a soft dough.
• Put the dough into a buttered bowl, turn to coat all sides or brush the top with melted butter.
• Cover with a towel and let rise until doubled in bulk.
• Punch the dough down, turn out onto a lightly floured board, knead a few times and press the dough out into a large oval with your hands.
• Sprinkle the surface with some of the chopped fruit.
• Fold the dough in half and press out again into a large oval.
• Sprinkle with more fruit.
• Repeat this process until all the fruit has been incorporated.
• Don’t be surprised if the pressing becomes a bit harder each time.
• Ignore any flour that is left in the bottom of the fruit bowl.
• Cut the dough in HALF with a sharp knife, cover with the towel and let rest 10 to 15 minutes.
• With your hands form each piece of dough into an oblong, something like a meatloaf.
• Place on buttered cookie sheets and brush the tops with melted butter (if you put them both on one sheet be sure there is room in all directions for expansion).
• Cover with a light cloth and let rise until not quite doubled.
• Preheat the oven to 350 F.
• Bake loaves 40 to 50 minutes, or until bottoms sound hollow when thumped.
• Cool on a rack.
• When cool, glaze with an icing of confectioners’ sugar and milk, if you wish, and decorate with blanched almond halves and candied cherries.
• The Garden Way Bread Book.
• A Baker’s Almanac.

OATMEAL, FRUIT AND NUT BREAD

Steps:

• Combine oats and buttermilk; mix well and set aside for a few minutes.
• Combine dry ingredients, except for the sugar, and mix well.
• Add brown sugar to oat mixture and mix well, pressing out any lumps.
• Add buttermilk mixture and vanilla to dry ingredients and stir just until dry ingredients are moistened.
• Stir in fruit and nuts (if using).
• Put batter into 2 1-lb loaf pans that have been sprayed with nonstick spray.
• Bake at 325 for 25-30 minutes.
• Cool in pan for 5-10 minutes, then remove from pans to cool on wire rack.