Spiced Fruit Sourdough Loaf Food

SPICED FRUIT SOURDOUGH LOAF

Steps:

• Dissolve the honey in the hot tea.
• Combine the raisins, currants and orange zest in a heatproof bowl and pour the hot tea over. Cover and leave for 3-6 hours.
• Using a fine sieve, strain the fruit over a jug, reserving the soaking liquid. Set fruit aside, covered in the fridge, until the next day.
• Measure the soaking liquid and make up to 400 ml with tap water if necessary. Set aside until you're ready to make the dough.
• In a large bowl, stir the flour, salt and spices together.
• Dissolve the sourdough starter in the reserved soaking liquid.
• Stir the liquid into the flour, salt and spices. Bring together into a rough dough that leaves the sides of the bowl clean.
• Cover the bowl with cling film and leave overnight or 14-16 hours.
• Scrape the dough out of its bowl onto a well-floured worktop and flatten out.
• Spread half the soaked fruit over the dough. Fold over the sides of the dough to cover the mix and flatten the dough again.
• Spread the rest of the fruit over the dough, fold over the sides again and continue folding until it's distributed evenly
• Shape your loaf to the proving vessel, cover with cling film and leave to rest 10 min.
• After 10 min place the dough into lined, floured proving basket or tea towel-lined bowl, cover with cling film and leave for 90 min.
• After 60 min preheat oven to 250C/500F/Gas 10 and put a cast iron pot with lid into the oven.
• After 90 mins, carefully flip the dough from the proving basket into the pot, slash the top, replace the lid and put in the oven. Turn heat down to 220C/425F/Gas 7. Bake for 30 min.
• After 30 min remove pot from the oven, take bread out and put bread directly on the oven shelf. Bake for 10-20 min until the bread is cooked through, turning down the oven if necessary to stop the outside burning
• Leave on a wire rack to cool.

SPICED FRUIT LOAF

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.