very berry bread

Although it is not the yuletide season, I was in the mood to bake a loaf of bread that had a lovely Christmasey aroma.

This loaf of bread is full of the lovely aroma of spices such as cinnamon, ground nutmeg, etc.

For an even more lovely Christmasey aroma, you can add orange juice instead of the mixed berries juice that is in this recipe.

INGREDIENTS

250ml mixed berries juice

100ml water

25g butter (softened)

1 tbsp castor sugar

1 tbsp milk powder

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp mixed spice

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

500g bread flour

2 tsp instant dry yeast

1/2 cup assorted dried berries (eg. cranberries, blueberries, cherries, boysenberries, etc)

METHOD

1. Place all the ingredients (except the bread flour, yeast and mixed dried berries) in the bucket of the breadmaker machine.

2. Add the bread flour, making sure that the wet ingredients are totally covered.

3. Add the yeast.

4. Place the bucket in the breadmaker machine and set to "dough" cycle. Start the cycle.

5. Ten minutes into the cycle, add the mixed dried berries without stopping the cycle. Let the cycle continue.

6. When the cycle has been completed, turn the dough onto a floured board. Using floured hands, knead the dough 5 times.

7. Place the dough in a loaf pan that has been greased and lined with baking paper.

8. Cover the loaf pan with a dry cloth and leave for 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.

9. Bake in an oven preheated to 185 degrees celsius for 35 minutes.