A New England Holiday Bread With Olde World Roots

Total Time: 4 hrs 35 mins Preparation Time: 4 hrs Cook Time: 35 mins

Ingredients

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 cups warm water
• 2 tablespoons active dry yeast or 1 1/2 tablespoons instant yeast
• 1/2 cup nonfat dry milk powder
• 2 cups whole wheat flour (traditional, whole grain)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon allspice
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 cup butter (1 stick, 4 ounces or a combination) or 1/2 cup vegetable oil (1 stick, 4 ounces or a combination)
• 1 tablespoon salt (or less if you choose)
• 4 -5 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 cups dried fruit (choose from either the celtic or the new england version)
• 2/3 cup golden raisin (4 ounces)
• 2/3 cup currants (3 1/4 ounces)
• 2/3 cup citrus peel, chopped (4 ounces- orange, lemon, citron, etc.)
• 2/3 cup cranberries, chopped in half
• 2/3 cup golden raisin (4 ounces)
• 2/3 cup currants (3 1/4 ounces)

Recipe

• 1 mixing the dough:
• 2 dissolve 1 tablespoon of the sugar in the water. add and dissolve the yeast and dry milk.
• 3 stir in the whole wheat flour and spices.
• 4 cover and let this mixture work for 2 hours.
• 5 preparing the fruit:
• 6 while the sponge bubbles away, melt the butter over very low heat.
• 7 remove it from the heat and add the balance of the sugar and the dried fruit of your choice.
• 8 after 2 hours, blend this into the sponge.
• 9 finishing and kneading the dough:
• 10 add the salt and then the unbleached flour a cup at a time, mixing thoroughly until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl.
• 11 turn out onto a floured surface and knead until it begins to feel as if it belongs together.
• 12 let it rest while you clean and grease your bowl.
• 13 continue kneading the relaxed dough until it feels smooth and springy.
• 14 rising:
• 15 form dough into a ball, place it in the greased bowl, turning it so the top is greased, cover and place it where it will be warm and cozy.
• 16 because this is a sweet dough, we are using double the amount of yeast.
• 17 even so, the rising period may take longer than usual, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
• 18 shaping and rising:
• 19 when you can poke your finger in the dough without it bouncing back, knock it down, turn it out onto your floured board, and knead out any stray bubbles.
• 20 you can divide this dough in two pieces and bake it in two bread pans or bake it as two round free-form loaves.
• 21 for a grander offering, bake it as one large round loaf. place the shaped dough in lightly greased bread pans or on a baking sheet.
• 22 let the dough rise until almost doubled again.
• 23 baking:.
• 24 fifteen minutes before you bake the bread, preheat your oven.
• 25 two loaves: preheat to 350°f and bake for 35 to 40 minutes.
• 26 one large loaf: preheat your oven to 400°f bake for 1 hour, lowering the temperature 25°f after the first 15 minutes and every 15 minutes thereafter (your final baking temperature should be 325°f).