Golden Berry Bread
Bread has gone out of style these days, but I still like to bake it, especially on a cold day. I love the way the smell of baking bread gives the house a homey feel.
Golden Berry Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cups bread flour
- 1 cup whole-wheat flour
- 1 ¾ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon yeast
- ¾ cup Golden Berry Blend dried fruits (from Trader Joe’s)
- ¾ cup pecans
- 1 ½ cups warm water
Instructions
- I use a 6-qt bucket to mix this bread. It’s overkill, but what I had around the house. In a bread bucket or large bowl, whisk together the flours, cinnamon salt and yeast. Add the Golden Berry Blend and the pecans. I keep the nuts whole because I like chunks of nuts, but you could chop them. Add the warm water—I use warm water straight from the tap. Make sure all the flour is incorporated in the dough, but don’t worry when the dough looks messy; it’s supposed to. Cover the bucket or bowl loosely with the lid or with some plastic wrap. Set it aside in a warm spot for 8 – 12 hours.
- Turn the oven on to 450º F and place a cast-iron pot with its cover in the oven. Let them heat up for about half an hour.
- While the oven heats, sprinkle some flour on a piece of parchment. Pour the dough onto the floured parchment and gently shape the dough into a ball. Cover the ball with the bowl or bucket until the oven is ready.
- Remove the pot from the oven and the cover from the pot. Drop the parchment paper and the ball into the pot. Slash the top of the ball with an X (I use scissors). Cover with the lid and return to the oven. Bake for 30 minutes. Then remove the cover and bake for another 15 minutes.
- Remove the pot from the oven and the bread from the pot. Cool the bread on a rack.
Notes
What I love about recipes like this one is that they’re so flexible. You can switch out the kind of fruit and/or nuts, the spice and even the flours. I’ve made this with all white bread flour, with just raisins, with dried apples and walnuts, with cranberries and orange zest, with cherries and almonds. I’m thinking of trying blueberry with lemon zest and nutmeg. You can always put fewer or more fruits and nuts, depending on your taste.
