Get ready for another big batch of baked goods–it’s time for this year’s adventure (XMAS 16) into holiday baking (aka everyone’s presents for Christmas this year). Last year I made 6 Simply Delicious recipes as gifts, and this year came out to a total of 7. 🎅 I’m going to attempt to cover them in the order they were made, and the first recipe of the batch was 17-47: Italian Fruit Bread. 🇮🇹
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This recipe seems similar to a panettone, although not as sweet or flaky and shaped differently. Despite the variations, I still thought it made a nice Christmas gift, especially only just including a few slices in each gift bag. 🎁
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I ended up multiplying this recipe by 4, which gave me WAY too much bread. My scaling on all the other recipes I made for this year’s gifts worked out fine, but I went way over on this one. I found willing takers for it, but I think I would have been okay with only doubling it. 🍞
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Ingredients. I ended up not even using the apricots and only going with the leftover mixed fruit from Thanksgiving’s 16-52: Apple Nut Saucepan Torte. I threw in some extra regular and golden raisins that I had, but I think it probably could have used a bit more fruit–this bread benefits from being full of sweet bits.
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Dissolving the yeast–bubbles are a positive sign, that means the yeast is still good.
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I got my Christmas gift a bit early this year–a new food processor. I’ve been wanting to replace my 30+ year old one for a long time now, and a recent sale on Amazon (don’t worry, it’s not one of the recalled ones) finally made it a reality. This recipe was its maiden voyage–here it’s chopping up some pecans (replacing pine nuts) for the bread dough.
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Mixing the processed walnuts into the dough mixture. I admit, I over-processed them a bit, but it takes a bit to get used to a new machine.
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Reserve flour on the side for adding into the dough once mixed–they always seem to need a bit more flour than suggested. Rosemary was picked from my mom’s garden and dried on my balcony this past summer. ☀
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Dough’s been mixed, now it’s time to let it rise. Note the line on the inside of the bowl where the dough comes up to in this picture…
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…and how you can’t even see any semblance of that line in this picture, after it rose. What a difference NEW yeast makes (and not storing it in a jar above the toaster oven–lesson learned).
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Chopped the big dough up into 8 smaller ones (remember, I multiplied this recipe by 4).
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Here’s where I rise/proof my dough at home–on top of the fridge. No drafts, relatively warm, and safe from wandering pets.
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Haven’t picked up a bread lame yet to slash the tops of my loaves, but this curved paring knife works okay too.
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The first round of loaves–not perfect, but they have a certain rustic charm. I put beach towels over my wooden buffet table to protect it from the heat/moisture of the various rounds of baked goods cooling on top over the week.
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After slicing into one of the loaves. Has a great scent of rosemary, and as you can see, not a lot of fruit. I put 4 slices (about 1/2″ thick each) into a small plastic bag for each person, and gave my one vegan recipient two large uncut sections of loaf, since there weren’t too many other goodies suitable for them. I did make a special vegan-adapted batch of 17-41: Molasses Oatmeal Bread for them though–it worked out really well, as did this bread. Not the most exciting goodie in the batch, but festive all the same. 🎄
Grade: B+
🎅🏼 Interested in the full list of Simply Delicious treats we made for 2016’s holiday baking extravaganza? (XMAS 16) 🎄
- 17-47: Italian Fruit Bread
- 17-42: Luscious Lemon Bars
- 17-41: Molasses Oatmeal Bread
- 17-20: Macadamia Chip Cookies
- 17-48: Buttery Vanilla Rolls
- 17-49: Apple Muffins
- 17-25: Almond Rolls
- 17-40: Apple Rolls
How about another year’s Simply Delicious holiday bake-off? XMAS 15