Cranberry, Date & Apricot Fruity Loaf

What you’ll need

Ingredients 

200ml full-fat milk

45g unsalted butter

500g Strong white Bread Flour

7g fast action yeast sachet 

7g salt

45g caster sugar

Two large eggs

100g dried cranberries 

30g dried dates

100g dried apricots

Zest 1 large orange

Olive oil for greasing 

Icing- 150g icing sugar mixed with 4-6tsp lemonade

Method 

•Lightly grease two 6” round cake tins with a little olive oil and set to one side. 

•Pour the milk into a small saucepan and add the butter. Heat on medium heat until the butter has melted. 

•In a large bowl, mix the flour, yeast, salt and sugar together, and make a well in the middle. 

Add the beaten eggs to the well, gradually add the milk mixture and bring all the ingredients together with a round-bladed knife until it forms a rough dough. (Alternatively, you can mix this in a bowl of a stand mixer.) 

•Knead the mixture until smooth, then add the dried fruit and orange zest. Pop in a large oiled bowl and cover with a tea towel and leave for 1 1/2 -2 hours until doubled in size.

•When the dough has risen, weigh the dough and divide it into two equal pieces. Shape each piece into a ball and place it into the tins. Cover with a tea towel and leave to prove once more until it has risen and slowly springs back when you prod it gently.

•Heat oven to 200 fan and bake loaves for 20-25mins or golden brown. The loaves will sound hollow when you tap their underside. Place on a cooling rack to cool. 

•For the sugar glaze, mix the icing sugar with the lemonade until thick, then brush all over the loaves while they’re still warm. Leave to cool, then slice and eat as it is, or toasted with lashings of butter.