Fruit Bread

5 from 1 vote

Fruit bread is an enriched bread flavoured with candied peel and raisins, similar to stollen but without the marzipan. Fruit bread tastes great toasted and served with salted butter.

Prep Time20

Cook Time1

Total Time1 20

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: German

Servings: slices

Calories: 232kcal

Author: Janice Lawandi

Equipment

Ingredients

Dried fruit

160 grams sultana raisins or a mix of golden raisins and Sultanas
120 grams candied mixed peel (orange, lemon, citron) chopped
15 mL water

Enriched dough

30 mL warm water around 38 °C–42 °C (100–110 °F)
0.625 mL granulated sugar basically a big pinch
8 grams instant yeast also called rapid rise yeast
125 mL whole milk (3.25 % fat) or 2 % milk
70 grams unsalted butter
375 grams bleached all-purpose flour you may need up to 60 grams extra to achieve a smooth dough
50 grams granulated sugar
2.5 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
2.5 mL ground cinnamon
2 large egg(s)
5 mL pure vanilla extract

Egg wash

1 large egg(s)
1 pinch Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt

Metric - US

Instructions

Prepare the dried fruit

Mix the raisins and the chopped candied peel with the 15 mL (1 tbsp) water. Warm in the microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute to help soften the fruit. The fruit should absorb most of the liquid. Set aside to soak at room temperature while you prepare the rest.

Make the enriched dough

Pour the 30 mL (2 tbsp) warm water into a small bowl. Add a pinch of sugar and sprinkle with yeast. Stir and let stand 5 minutes. The yeast will get foamy (that’s how you know it’s good!).
In a microwave safe bowl, combine the milk and butter and microwave to heat/melt the butter. Let stand until lukewarm, about 5 minutes.
In the bowl of an electric mixer with paddle attachment, stir together the flour, sugar, salt, and cinnamon.
Then add the yeast/water mixture, eggs, vanilla, and the lukewarm milk/butter mixture. Mix for about 2 minutes. The dough should be a soft, but not sticky ball.
When the dough comes together, cover the bowl with either plastic wrap or a tea towel and let rest for 10 minutes.
Uncover the bowl and add the soaked fruit. Mix on low speed to incorporate. If the dough seems wet, add in a little extra flour until it comes together again.
Switch from the paddle to the dough hook, and knead the dough for approximately 6 minutes. The dough should be soft and satiny, tacky but not sticky. The full six minutes of kneading is needed to distribute the dried fruit and other ingredients and to make the dough have a smooth consistency.
Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling around to coat it with the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm, dry place for one to two hours or until doubled.

Shape the bread

If you are baking a loaf, shape the risen dough into a loaf, and fit it in a greased 9×5-inch loaf pan that has been fitted with a rectangle of parchment at the bottom. Let it rest while the oven is preheating. If you are baking a braided boule, divide the dough into four equal pieces, then roll them out into 14 inch ropes. Weave the ropes together to make a braided round boule. Transfer it to a parchment-lined sheet pan.
Cover the bread with a tea towel and let it proof at room temperature for 30 to 45 minutes.
Preheat oven to 325°F (165 °C) with the oven rack on the middle shelf. Remove the top shelf if you are baking in a loaf pan because the bread is quite tall.

Egg wash

In a small bowl, whisk the extra egg with a pinch of sugar to make an egg wash. When the oven is preheated and you are ready to bake the bread, brush it evenly with the egg wash. You won't use it all.
Bake the fruit bread for 50–60 minutes. The bread will bake to a deep golden brown colour, and you will know it is done when the internal temperature measures 190°F (88°C) in the centre of the loaf.
Remove the fruit bread from the oven and let it cool completely out of the pan, on a wire rack, then wrap in foil to store or slice and freeze in a freezer bag.

Nutrition