This recipe makes two loaves.
Dough:
- 888g bread flour
- 250mL Grainfields Organic BE Wholegrain Liquid
- 345mL water
- 150g sultana or raisins
- 100g hand crushed walnuts
- 20g butter
- 7g packet of yeast
Cinnamon swirl: (optional)
- 40g raw sugar
- 8g cinnamon
Method: One hour before making the bread combine 200mL of boiling water with the sultanas in a small bowl and soak to soften the fruit. Do not discard the water. Once fruit water mixture is cool, drain the sultanas and add the remaining liquid to your dough bowl, top up the water to a total of 345mL, then add the Grainfields Organic BE Wholegrain Liquid, yeast, butter and flour. Mix on a stand mixer for 8 minutes, adding the sultanas and walnuts in the last two minutes. Alternatively knead the dough for 8 minutes adding the sultanas and walnuts in the last two minutes. Place dough in a bowl and cover with plastic or a tea towel.
Let the dough rise (ferment) for around an hour or until at least doubled in size. Remove dough from bowl and fold a few times, roll into a ball and place back in the covered bowl for a further 40 minutes or until doubled in size again. Now, remove the dough from the bowl, cut dough in half with a knife and roll it into two even balls. Lightly sprinkle the dough balls with flour, cover with a tea towel and let rest for 15 minutes. Flatten each dough ball gently with the floured side down and gently massage half the cinnamon/sugar mix onto the up facing sticky side. Rolling the dough will then give you the nice swirl effect in the finished bread. You can now shape your dough to go into a bread tin, or shape into a long oval fruit loaf and put on a baking sheet. Next, sprinkle lightly with flour and cover with a tea towel. Proof the loaves for around 45 minutes or until doubled in size.
Meanwhile, pre-heat the oven with a baking tray in the middle to 230°c also place an oven proof dish or bowl containing 500mls of boiling water on the tray below. Score the top of the bread with a knife, slide onto the pre- heated baking tray and close the oven door to bake. The water creates steam which is needed to help the bread rise. Bake for 15 minutes at 230°c. and then lower the temp to 200°c for a further 30 minutes or until golden brown. It is cooked though when the bottom of the bread sounds hollow when tapped. Place bread on a rack to cool.
Tips: Having all the ingredients at room temperature before starting helps to get the dough started at room temperature. Colder weather will make the dough ferment slower. It was a balmy 25°c Brisbane day when this bread was made and the dough started off fermenting at 26°c, perfect! Every oven is different and times and temperatures may need to be adjusted to what works for you and your equipment. Steam is important to baking bread and if your oven does not seal properly and cannot hold the steam in, a dutch oven works very well for baking bread.
The addition of Grainfields Organic BE Wholegrain Liquid at a rate of around 40% of the total water is a great way of improving any bread recipe. Grainfields Organic BE Wholegrain Liquid adds acidity, good bacteria and enzymes which soften the dough and make it easier to digest. The finished bread has all the same health benefits as sourdough but without all the effort of building and maintaining a starter culture.
