Basic Fruit Bread Recipes

Steps:

• Cream butter and sugar, add eggs, sour cream, and vanilla. In another bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and add to above mixture.
• Carefully fold in fruit.
• Pour into two prepared bread pans and bake at 350° for one hour.
• This recipe may be doubled.
• Variation: Prune Bread: Use 3/4 pound chopped pitted prunes and add 3/4 teaspoon cardamom, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, 1 Tablespoon grated orange peel.
• Cranberry Bread: Use 2 cups whole cranberries, eliminate cinnamon, add 1 Tablespoon grated orange peel, 1 teaspoon orange extract.

Steps:

• Soak the dried fruits in the orange juice for about 30 mins, then sieve, reserving the juice.
• Put the flour, yeast, caster sugar and 1 tsp salt into a large mixing bowl with the spices and soaked fruit and mix well. Make a well in the centre and pour in the warm milk, reserved orange juice, the beaten egg and the melted butter. Mix everything together to form a dough - start with a wooden spoon and finish with your hands. If the dough is too dry, add a little more warm water; if it's too wet, add more flour.
• Knead in the bowl or on a floured surface until the dough becomes smooth and springy. Transfer to a clean, lightly greased bowl and cover loosely with a clean, damp tea towel. Leave in a warm place to rise until roughly doubled in size - this will take about 1 hr depending on how warm the room is.
• Knock the dough back by kneading for a few secs. Dust 2 x 2lb loaf tins with flour. Halve the dough. Use a little flour to help you shape each half into a smooth oval, then pop them into the tins. Cover both loosely with a clean, damp tea towel and leave to prove in a warm place for about 20 mins. Meanwhile, heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.
• Bake for 20 mins, then cool in the tins before turning out and slicing.