Cranberry and Apricot Whole Wheat Bread

The picture is of Black Olive and Pepper Bread on the left and Cranberry Apricot Bread on the right; the torn off slice is hot cranberry bread.

This is a long-rise bread made with very little yeast, some dried fruit and two eggs.  I think it is quite delicious for being so healthy!   

Cranberry and Apricot Whole Wheat Bread Ingredients

½ tsp. yeast (Use yeast that is sold in a jar and refrigerate it if you will make a lot of bread)

1 ¾ c. water

2 tbsp. honey or sugar (to boost the yeast)

2 whole extra large eggs

Pinch salt

1 ½ c. bread flour

2 c. whole wheat (I use malted, stoneground)

½ c. dried cranberries

½ c. dried apricots, chopped, or golden raisins

½ c. additional bread flour

Baking spray

Cornmeal for dusting

1 tbsp. butter, room temperature, mixed with 1 tbsp. peanut oil for rubbing on top (don’t use just butter or it will scorch.  Coconut oil would also work)

Mix together yeast, water and honey, preferably in a big electric mixer bowl.  Add the eggs, salt,  flour and fruit a little at a time so as not to make a big mess all over the kitchen.  When the batter is mostly mixed – and yes, it will resemble a thick, sticky batter - turn the mixer on higher and beat it some more.  

Remove the dough hook, cover the bowl and leave the dough to rise at least 12 hours, until doubled.  I covered mine at 8pm and put it in the refrigerator, came back to it at 8am, and put it back on the counter until 10 am.  Then I punched it down and continued on.

When you come back to the dough, it should be somewhat bubbly looking as well as doubled in size.  

 

Punch down the dough, mix in 1/2 cup of bread flour and knead the dough within the bowl.  (Shape it into a round and re-cover it for a second rising.   Since the dough will fall some when you move it into the hot pot, it really doesn’t matter where you punch it down and reshape it.) 

Let the dough rise until it has doubled in bulk again.  Assuming your house is around 70 degrees, this should be about 2 hours total.  About 1 ½ hours in, turn the oven on to 475 degrees, spray your pan with cooking spray and dust it with cornmeal and put it into the oven on the second to lowest rack. 

When 2 hours are up, make sure the dough is adequately risen.  Remove the pan from the oven.  As gently as possible, slide the dough out of the bowl and onto the pan.  Careful not to burn yourself.  Gently rub the butter/oil mix on.  Place gently back in the oven.  The dough will fall!  A lot!  But if you are gentle it will not fall completely and it will also rise again in the first few minutes of shock of oven heat.  Resist the urge to open the oven early.   

Bake the bread about 25 minutes, then turn the heat down to 425 and bake another 15 minutes.  Then remove it from the oven and place the bread directly on a rack to cool for 15 minutes before cutting or breaking it open.  This is important to improve the texture of the loaf.  The loaf will be dark, but it will be crunchy outside and chewy and soft inside. 

Wait until it is thoroughly cool to wrap it (that is, if you have any left over!) in wax paper or a waxed paper bag.  Do not use plastic or your lovely, crunchy crust will soften.