Baked: Cinammon Fruit Bread

Contributor post by Janis of Pinecone Camp. 

It's nice to be back at Poppytalk....it's been so long! I haven't baked for awhile either, so I thought I'd share a recipe with Poppytalk readers. This bread is so good, and pretty easy to make too. Perfect for an upcoming Easter brunch, and kids seem to love a mini anything ;) 

Cinnamon Fruit Bread 
Makes 8 small loaves or 2 large loaves 

(small tins approximately 1.5"x2"x4")

3 cups all purpose flour

2 packets active dry yeast

3 tablespoons sugar

3 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup mixed dry fruit, chopped (I used apricots, Turkish figs, dates)

3/4 cup very warm milk

1 egg, beaten

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

Juice of one orange

Place chopped fruit in a bowl with the orange juice. Allow to soak for about 20 minutes, then strain, reserving the juice.

In a small saucepan, warm milk but don't bring to a boil. Mix the yeast, warm milk and half the sugar in a small bowl. Allow to stand until foamy on top, about 10 minutes. 

Place the flour, remaining sugar, cinnamon, salt, and dried fruit in a large bowl and combine well. Make a well, in the centre of dry mix, and add the yeast mixture, egg, reserved orange juice and melted butter. Blend together with a wooden spoon until a dough forms. Remove from bowl, and knead dough, on a lightly floured surface, until smooth and elastic (about 5 minutes). 

Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, and cover with a damp towel. Set aside, in a warm spot, for about 60-90 minutes, or until dough doubles in size. The time depends on how warm your room is. 

Remove dough from bowl, and knead again for a minute, then break into 8 equal pieces. Form dough into oval shapes in place in a lightly oiled bread tin. Cover with a clean, damp, towel and allow to rise for another 20 minutes. In the meantime, preheat oven to 350f/180c.

Place mini loaves on a large baking sheet, and bake for about 25 minutes or until golden brown and sounds a little hollow when tapped. Serve warm with a little orange butter (orange rind added to softened butter). Enjoy! 

If you give this recipe a try, I'd love to know what you think of it!

Janis, an interiors photographer has a lovely column on her blog called Baked filled with beautiful delicious recipes you must check out.  Visit her blog here and her Baked column here.