The wonderful smell of potpourri in a bread… cran-raspberry juice, apple, orange peel, ginger and coriander. Not a sweet bread like cinnamon rolls, but sweet like a kiss on the cheek.
I chose ‘potpourri’ for the title of this recipe because of the wonderful smells that came from the boiled mixture – and because when you put more than three ‘flavor’ ingredients in a recipe, naming the recipe can get kind of challenging. “Cran-Raspberry Apple Orange Peel Ginger Coriander Bread” is just poor form.
If I drank tea, I would serve this bread on heirloom china plates arrayed upon fine lace doilies while affecting a generically posh almost-British accent to discuss everything but Brexit because that’s gauche. Not sure why, really. There’s just something tea-ish about the light fruity flavor.
Next time I make this, I will throw in some raisins and possibly slivered toasted almonds. There really is no limit to pretention when making multi-ingredient breads.
Fruity Potpourri Bread
Ingredients
- 1¼ teaspoon yeast
- ¼ cup water
- 2 cups cran-raspberry juice
- 1 Granny Smith apple chopped finely
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground corriander
- 1 tablespoon dried orange peel
- 1 tablespoon crystalized ginger
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3½ - 4½ cups unbleached flour
Instructions
-
In a pot on the stove, boil the crans-raspberry juice - and add the apple, brown sugar, orange peel, ginger, corriander. Cook until the apples are soft and then set aside to cool.
-
In a mixing bowl, soften the yeast in the water. When the cran-raspberry mixture is around 110 degrees F, add it to the yeast along with 2 cups of flour. Mix for two minutes until smooth. Slowly add flour ¼ cup at a time and stir until it is kneadable.
-
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead, adding flour as necessary, until the dough is smooth and elastic.
-
Place dough into a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a tightly woven towel for an hour - or until the dough has doubled in size.
-
On a lightly oiled work surface, divide the dough in half (for 2 medium loaves) or six pieces (for 6 mini-loaves). Place into well-greased pans and cover with a towel for another 45 minutes.
-
30 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
-
Before placing the pans in the oven, slit the tops of the loaves (I snipped mine with scissors). Bake for 20 minutes or until the internal temperature of the loaves reaches 190 degrees F.
-
Remove from pans and cool bread on a rack. And then call everyone you know to come over and eat some yummy bread with you.