Description
A rich, festive loaf with sweet spices and dried fruits, perfect for holiday celebrations.
Ingredients
Scale
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 packet (2 1/4 tsp) instant yeast
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups warm milk (about 110°F)
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup dried fruits (cranberries, raisins, or apricots)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together warm milk, instant yeast, and a pinch of sugar. Let it sit until frothy (5-10 minutes).
- In another bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir to mix.
- Pour the yeast mixture into the dry ingredients, add butter, eggs, and vanilla. Mix until a shaggy dough forms.
- Knead the dough on a floured surface for about 10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
- Gently fold in dried fruits.
- Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size (1-2 hours).
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
- After rising, punch down the dough, shape into a loaf, and place in a greased loaf pan.
- Let rise again until puffy (30-45 minutes).
- Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown (30-35 minutes).
- Cool before slicing for at least 20 minutes.
Notes
For gluten-free, use a gluten-free all-purpose blend. Vegan options can replace eggs with flax eggs.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 200
- Sugar: 5g
- Sodium: 200mg
- Fat: 5g
- Saturated Fat: 2g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 35g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 30mg