Fruit and Nut Braid

By pattie_d

This tender loaf, loaded with dried fruit and nuts, makes delicious coffee bread.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 3/4 cup milk
• 3 large eggs, 1 divided
• 3 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour*
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup Baker's Special Dry Milk or nonfat dry milk powder
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
• 1/8 teaspoon Fiori di Sicilia or lemon oil, or 1 teaspoon Buttery Sweet Dough Flavor
• 1 1/2 cups dried fruit: any mixture of cranberries, cherries, apricots, raisins, or pineapple
• 1/2 cup pine nuts or chopped macadamia nuts

Details

Servings 16
Preparation time 20mins
Cooking time 60mins

Preparation

Step 1

*For added fiber, substitute 1 to 1 1/2 cups King Arthur 100% Organic White Whole Wheat Flour, or 1 cup Hi-maize Natural Fiber for an equal amount of the all-purpose flour.

Heat the butter and the milk together until the butter melts. Cool to lukewarm, then stir in the 2 whole eggs and one yolk (reserve the white to brush over the dough before baking). Mix in the remaining ingredients, except the fruit and nuts. Let rest for 30 minutes, then knead until the dough is smooth and satiny. (Use a bread machine set on the dough cycle, if you like.) Knead in the fruit and nuts at the end. Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place for 2 hours, or until the dough has doubled in bulk.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly greased surface, divide it into three pieces, and let rest for 10 minutes. Roll each piece about 30" long. (If the dough "fights back," let it rest for a few minutes midway through the rolling.)

Braid or simply twist the strands together.

Place the braid onto a greased or parchment-lined baking sheet, or into a greased ring mold. Pinch the ends together. Cover and let rise for about an hour, until it's puffy. Preheat the oven to 350°F while the dough rises.

Whisk the egg white with 1 tablespoon water, and brush it over the risen loaf. Bake the bread for 35 to 40 minutes, until it's a deep golden brown. Remove from the oven, and after 15 minutes turn it out of the pan onto a rack to cool. Yield: One loaf, about 16 servings.