This Dried Fruit Bread came about by needing to use up the dried fruits in my pantry before I moved. Made for one tasty bread.
I have no desire to move anything over from my refrigerator and I want to move as little as possible from the pantry.
My poor husband has eaten his fair share of “unique” meals in the last few weeks, especially this last one.
I get many a question along the lines of “does this normally have water chestnuts in it?”
No enchiladas don’t normally have water chestnuts, but it gives it a nice crunch, don’t ya think?
I’m kidding by the way. 😛
I had a very stressful day yesterday…and so I needed to bake!
Everything is pretty much packed up except one 8 by 8 pan and two cookie sheets.
My mixers (yes, I have three) are still out though.
So I looked through my cupboard to see what I could use up.
And I had a ton of dried fruit but none of them were a full bag.
I also had a little bread flour to use up.
Okay, dried fruit bread it is.
In this recipe I used 2 cups of bread flour and 2 cups of all-purpose…that is only because of what I had.
Feel free to use either all bread or all-purpose if you would like.
You can also use pretty much any type of dried fruit you would like (just make sure to soak them in liquid or else they will suck the moisture out of your bread).
This is just a free form bread so you can play around with the shapes as you would like.
It’s hard to believe that this is the last thing I will have baked in my apartment kitchen.
While it has served me well it will probably go into shock when the new tenants move in….I know the oven will.
Who knows, maybe the oven will appreciate it’s time off.
Though I am sure it will miss all the baked goods it helped create.
Oh and yes the pictures are taken on packing boxes, that is all I had to work with.
P.S. It’s a great day to buy my cookbook Holy Sweet!
Want More Bread Recipes?
Orange Blossom Chocolate Challah Bread
Dried Fruit Bread
Ingredients
- 1 package active dry yeast
- ¼ cup warm water, about 105 to 110 degrees
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter
- ¾ cup whole milk
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups bread flour
- ¼ cup golden raisins
- ¼ cup dark raisins
- ¼ cup chopped dried apricots
- ¼ cup dried currants
- melted butter
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, dissolve the yeast in ¼ cup warm water.
- Melt the 1/3 cup butter in a small saucepan.
- Add the milk and heat until warm, about 110°.
- Combine milk mixture with yeast mixture, the sugar, salt, eggs, and 1 cup all-purpose flour and 1 cup bread flour.
- Soak dried fruit pieces in either hot water or liquor for about 10 minutes.
- If you do not do this, the dried fruit will suck the moisture out of your bread, and you don't want that!
- Beat on low speed of mixer until blended and smooth. Cover and let rise for about 45 minutes in a warm place.
- Stir in the raisins, apricots and currants. Beat in remaining flour, about 1/3 to ½ cup at a time.
- Place dough hook on mixer(or do by hand) until the dough is smooth and elastic.
- Divide in half and shape each half into a 12x8-inch oval loaf. Brush each loaf with melted butter.
- Place in a large greased baking sheet and let rise for 40 minutes.
- Breads should be almost doubled.
- Bake in a preheated 350° oven for 25 to 30 minutes.
- Cool on rack.
Dana says
Good luck with the move!
Jenny says
Moving boxes make a great plate – and are so appropriate!
Cheryl says
Its amazing the leftovers that you have and what yoku make of them. And your pictures on a packing box are still fantastic.
Deborah says
Wow – this looks great!! And I’m impressed – I think that cooking and baking would be the last thing I would want to do with all of the moving going on!
Hannah says
What a resourceful way of using what you have, right down to the packing box background! (I would have never known if it weren’t for the zoomed-out shot, honestly) Look delicious, as always.
Tanna says
I think your pantry must be getting really bare.
The fruit bread looks terrific to me. I love the many different fruits!!
I say must be getting bare since otherwise I’d expect some ooy gooy on top 😉 ;)) ;)))
I think that oven will probably go in to shock and cry uncontrollably and so loudly that it will have to be replaced!
I wish you a joyous unpacking! It’s usually the best part.
DaviMack says
May nothing break, and may your journey be swift.
MrsPresley says
you never cease to amaze me! this fruit bread looks wonderful… and aside from that single picture, you can’t even tell that you took the pics on packing boxes!! 🙂 good luck w/your move and congrats on the house!
Elle says
That is a truly yummy looking bread, full of fruit. How appropriate that the photos are on packing boxes. You will treasure these photos one day, even though right now you probably never what to see a packing box again….well maybe the ones with the cookbook collection 🙂
Belinda says
Oh my gosh, Peabody! Only you could take a bit of flour and some odds and ends of dried fruit, toss together an amazing looking loaf of bread, and set it out on a cardboard box on your way out the door to a new home and have it look gourmet! I bet that oven WILL miss you and your collaborations. 🙂
S. from The Student Stomach says
Desperate times call for desperate measures! But this bread looks super. Good luck with your move!
Nemmie says
I hope your house has the same gorgeous lighting as your house, so you can still take those amazing pictures!
The bread looks great, by the way 🙂
Katie says
oh wow that looks delicious. So packed full of dried fruit and inviting looking. I bet it would be wonderful lightly toasted with some jam
Julie O'Hara says
Peabody,
Congrats on your new home. The kitchen looks wonderful!! I’ve been so focused on work that I haven’t done a blogging event or visited other blogs in so long…it’s shameful! I’m glad you posted cider donuts. I’m going to try donuts again this fall, but I want a different recipe than the pumpkin ones I did last year. I learned that donuts used to be a traditional halloween food before mini candy bars came into vogue.
Julie
lynn says
You are amazing. A bread this beautiful is thrown together with leftover bits and bobs? I am so excited to see what you make in your gorgeous new kitchen!
Nabeela says
Wow, such a pretty bread from your pantry ingredients? Amazing!
VeggieGirl says
ah yes, when I’m stressed out, baking is what I do – a LOT. Today for instance (I was stressed out from my classwork assignments and studying), I made 2 batches of 2 different types of cookies, as well as a batch of Carob-Hemp Squares (did you receive my email from last week?). So, at least being stressed out yields tantalizingly scrumptious results ;0)
what a delicious-looking sweetbread you made, just by using up the ingredients you had on-hand!! lovely!!
Ivonne says
That’s so funny! This must be such an exciting time for you … gorgeous bread!
veron says
The weather is so perfect for making bread. This quite the lovely speckled bread. You don’t need anything on it and it taste yummy on its own!
Amy says
That is a beautiful loaf of bread! I can’t wait to see pics of your new kitchen. 🙂
Henry VIII says
Too funny. I’m in the same boat, being a pastry chef and in the process of moving out of state. I, too, have had to cut down on my cooking supplies and tools, but have refused to pack others until the last minute. By the way, I’m jealous of your 2 mixers: I think I need to get the larger Kitchen Aid to complement my old one…
Patricia Scarpin says
If I lived nearby, I would gladly help you unpack, my friend – in exchange of a few slices of this bread, of course. 🙂
Sara says
That was the worst part of the moving for me….the packing of the food. With limited space in the 2 cars I didn’t get to bring as much as I wanted. But our neighbors and the food bank were happy.
sara says
Good luck with moving! Now, if only I were the sort of person who could manage to do something with yeast in the middle of a move…I’m scared enough of it as it is!! 🙂
c says
Peabody:
Thank you for this bread! I see all those glowing bits of fruit in the bread, and the knobby bumps all over hiding even more fruit… I love reading this blog for its unabashedness– glorious butter! and lots of it! and the highest quality, tastiest chocolate available! But this bread bursting with fruit makes me happiest.
And, this is my first time commenting. I’ve been reading for about a year and a half, and I was too shy to come out and comment along with the 200+ others who responded when you were curious as to how many people read your blog. Your fruit bread’s brought me out however. 🙂
Kristen says
I’ve been gone for too long… I had no idea you were moving! And you are still baking? You go girl!
Can’t wait to see what you can do in your new digs!
Off to read the scoop…
kate says
hey i’m going back home too , and cleaning out my store and freezer.hahaha …even i’ve been making crazy combinations and my hubby keeps wondering if its supposed to taste like that .hehe what all do we subject our husbands too. Well good luck with the shifting.
cheryl says
I just can’t resist it, would like to try it out one day. This is my first time i leave a comment on your blog, and by the way i’m from the Asia. Love your recipes, simply sound delicious, but some of the ingredients we can’t get here, too bad.
wendyywy says
I was tempted by the look of your loaf and I made it according to your recipe. But….. the amount of fruits that were seen in my loaf was nothing to be compared to yours. According to your recipe the amount of fruits: 1/4 + 1/4 + 1/4 + 1/4 = 1 cup in total. You seem to use more than a cup of dried fruits. How much did you use anyway, definately not a cup. I’d definately make this bread again as this is delicious.
Jackie says
Hi Peabody
You mentioned in your heading that you could soak the dried fruit in Liquor, I’m curious to know what kind of liquor would you recommend. Also if you soak the dried fruit in liquor longer than 10 minutes would you taste the alchol in the bread. Did you use more than 1 cup of dried fruit it looks like a lot more than 1 cup. Thank You.
Tamara Jones says
I just stumbled across this site through another site and I must say, that bread you made from scratch looks amazing! I’m going ahead and seeing what other recipes you may have to share in your blog. BTW, there is nothing wrong w/ having the bread sitting on a moving box: I can eat off a table if I knew it was sanitary, so even more so a box since it’s made from what nature has to offer. I’m sure you’re well moved-in your new digs by now. I hope where you are now has an awesome kitchen. No one deserves it more than people like yourself that take full advantage of it. Have a great weekend and I look forward to reading some of your more recent posts. Take care!
Dianne Antonio says
This looks like what I am trying to find, copycat for Cobbs bread in Toronto. Apricot, raisin, currant bread. Thnx
Peabody says
Hope it’s close to what you are looking for!
Lynne Lancaster says
I just saw this bread, and it looks delicious. We are moving and I found dried cherries in the pantry. I would love to try this, but the loafs appear very large. Would it be possible to put them into 4 loaf pans?
Peabody says
I’ve never made them in loaf pans. This type of bread I tend to free form. But you can always try.