Festive fruit bread

MAKES 2 LOAVES (or one very large one) Light like a panettone and buttery like a brioche, this bread is wonderful and so Christmas-y. I’ve written the recipe differently to my usual format so that it’s easy to follow – trust me, as you’re buttering gorgeous, warm slices of this Christmas fruit bread, you’ll forget the effort.

CHRISTMAS EVE

1¼ cups high- grade flour

1 tsp yeast

½ cup water

Mix together in a medium bowl, cover and refrigerate overnight.

1 cup raisins ½ cup cranberries or

goji berries

½ cup Brazil nuts,

roughly chopped

¼ cup candied orange or

ginger, or a mix

½ cup pitted dates or figs,

chopped

¼ cup rum or fruit juice,

or a mix

Mix together in a large bowl and set aside overnight, stirring occasionally.

CHRISTMAS DAY

1½ cups high- grade flour

100g butter, softened

1⁄ 3 cup (packed) brown sugar

2 large eggs, lightly beaten 1 Combine the flour/yeast mixture with the Christmas Day ingredients above and knead in a mixer, with a dough hook attached, until it becomes a soft, sticky dough – about 7-10 minutes. Divide in half and put each bit of dough into floured bowls. Cover and leave in a warm place for 1½-2 hours, until they have risen.

2 Gently plop your dough pieces onto a well-floured surface and carefully pat each into a 10-15cm rectangle.

3 Spread the fruit over each, leaving a small border, then roll up from the long side. Turn it 90 degrees and brush the dough so it’s free of flour as you roll it.

4 Line two loaf tins with baking paper and shape each bit of dough to fit into the tins. Press gently into each. Cover and leave to rise for 2 hours or until dough doesn’t spring back immediately when gently pressed.

5 Preheat oven to 160oC fan-bake.

6 Bake for 35- 45 minutes, until the tops are a deep golden brown and the bottoms sound hollow when tapped. Cool in the tins for 10 minutes before turning out. Slice warm or cool and eat with lots of butter!