Baking - Christmas Bread

Christmas Bread

 Hugh Fernley Whittingstall - River Cottage

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Ingredients:

  • 75g raisins
  • 125g sultanas
  • 50g dried apple, roughly chopped
  • 3tbsp brandy
  • 500g strong white bread flour
  • 150ml warm milk
  • 100g butter
  • 100g golden caster sugar
  • 2 medium eggs
  • 7g dried yeast
  • 1tsp salt
  • 1tsp ground all spice
  • 1tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1tsp vanilla extract
  • 60g hazelnuts, chopped
  • 2tsp mixed peel
  • 1 tsp preserved stem ginger
  • Zest of ½ orange

Method:

Put the raisins, sultanas and dried apple in a mixing bowl and pour over the brandy, leave overnight

Put the flour, milk, butter, sugar, yeast, eggs, salt, spices and vanilla into a mixing bowl and combine everything together
Kneed for 10min until the mixture is smooth and elastic
Leave the dough in a warm place until doubled in size

Once the dough has risen, knock it back and place the dough on a work surface and pat out flat
Sprinkle the fruit, nuts, mixed peel, ginger and orange zest over the dough and roll up
Gently kneed to incorporate the fruit and nuts

Divide the dough into 7 pieces and roll each piece into a ball
Place the balls in a buttered and flour dusted 20cm cake tin
Loosely cover with cling film and leave to prove in a warm place for about an hour

Preheat the oven to 160°c and bake for 45-60min