Upload new pictures on 16-11-2016

I really loved this loaf as it is not hard but have a different texture than the normal bread. It is fruity and I can just eat pieces for lunch or even dinner. 

INTRODUCTION

I have a confession to make.. I was lazy and rushing for time, therefore, I did not do second proofing for this bread….. I did not regret either… I like the bread… It is soft, full of fruity aroma and with a crusty top.

I am having a few pieces of my bread already. You may be wondering what is my bread spread? My bread spread is yoghurt.. Yes, it is yoghurt, the type of combination when I am doing some serious weight reduction years ago… In fact I like this combination. This is a healthy combination.. A non fat yoghurt spread on a piece of healthy fruit bread..

I am rushing out from my house to get my car from the workshop. I usually lack patience of preparing bread when I am at home, for the kneading, 1st proofing and second proofing. Just before we went out, I told my kids that I wanted to prepare some bread.. I usually used this slot of time when i am out of the house to do bread proofing…

Seriously, I do not have time to search for a recipe and I like to do my pastry based on what I have in my kitchen. As I still have a lot of dry fruits in my shelf; and some wholemeal flour and wholemeal bran that I bought months ago, so I am using this to prepare the wholemeal fruit loaf. Since it is going to be healthy, instead of using butter or cream, I have used olive oil instead..

After the kneading, since I am unsure when I will be back, I have therefore decided just to proof my bread once. I let it directly proof in the loaf tin and went out. One hour later when I am back, the bread is just nicely proof and I immediately on my oven and bake it.

The verdict is it is a nice bread. It is soft and moist. The softness is different from from than the type you found in buns or white loaf. Being a wholemeal bread, it is less springy but that is perfectly ok for me. One of the reasons for second proofing is to get rid of the airy holes resulted from yeast fermentation and have a finer gluten structure. That essentially is not required for a wholemeal bread. 

WHAT IS REQUIRED

Serving size: 1 normal loaf

• 1 packet of instant yeast (about 10-11 grams)
• 1 egg
• 400 grams of wholemeal flour
• 100 grams of wholemeal bran (can be replaced by wholemeal flour or bread flour)
• 240 grams of fresh milk
• 60 grams of olive oil
• 50 grams of castor sugar (not in picture)
• Pinches of salt (not in picture)
• 200 grams of mixed dry fruits (not in picture)

STEPS OF PREPARATION

• Pre heat the oven to 200 degree Celsius (just before the proofing was done) and lightly grease a loaf tin.

• Put all dry ingredients in the mixing bowl. Make a well, add all wet ingredients except olive oil , use a tablespoon to slightly stir until it is crumby. Transfer the mixing bowl to a stand mixer and beat at low speed for 2-3 minutes until a dough is form.

• Add the olive oil and continue kneading at medium high-speed for about 20-30 minutes or when the dough did not stick to the wall of your mixing bowl. Transfer the dough to a flat surface. Use a rolling pin to roll it into a square, add some dry fruits, fold and roll again. Continue doing this until all the dry fruits were added. Shape the dough follow the shape of the loaf tin.

• Let it proof in the loaf tin for 45 minutes -1 hour or when the loaf have double in size. Baked in the preheated oven of 200 degree Celsius for at least 45 minutes. 

• At about 35 minutes or when you start to smell the aroma of the bread, use an oven thermometer and insert into the bread and see if the temperature inside the loaf is more than 90 degrees Celsius. If it is less than 90 degrees Celsius, your bread will not be cooked and it is likely that when you take out the thermometer, there will be some wet dough stick to your thermometer. In this case, continue baking until when you inserted again the oven thermometer, the thermometer shows at least 90 degrees Celsius. If you find that the top starts to turn brownish, you can lower the temperature by 10 degree Celsius. General rule of thumb is that if you are unsure, rather bake slightly longer than under cooked.

If you don’t have an oven thermometer, one way of testing is after about 45 minutes (which is a reasonable timing for this size of loaf), take out the loaf from the loaf tin and try to use your finger to knock the bottom of the loaf. If it is a hollow sound, your loaf is cooked, otherwise, the loaf is uncooked. Put it back into the loaf tin and continue baking for another 10-15 minutes until you are certain that the dough is cooked. Again, if the top layer has signs of getting burnt, lower the temperature slightly.

CONCLUSION

This is a nice loaf. Simpler and healthier than other loaf. It is full of fibre and in fact two pieces of the bread can “satisfy” my hunger for quite a while. It is not unusual to have single proofing bread in the internet and for me I don’t mind this faster version of bread making. What surprises me it my girl love it saying that it is full of nutty flavour, soft but chewy. For a change, why not make this healthy fruit loaf for your Christmas breakfast?

Hope you like the post today. Cheers and have a nice day.

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