Servings: 20 Servings
Equipment
- Stove
- oven
- bowl
- saucepan
- loaf pan
Ingredients
For the Dough:
- 1/2 cup Warm Water – Warm water activates the yeast kickstarting the fermentation process and helping the dough rise. Its gentle warmth ensures the yeast is active, resulting in a light, airy texture in the final bread.
- 2 tablespoons Dry Active Yeast – Active yeast acts as the leavening agent causing the dough to rise. It ferments in the presence of warm water, producing carbon dioxide gas that creates air pockets, resulting in a fluffy, well-risen bread.
- 2/3 cup Canned Pumpkin – Canned pumpkin offers a natural sweetness and a vibrant orange hue to the dough. It adds moisture depth, and a subtle earthy flavor, creating a unique and flavorful bread with a hint of autumnal warmth.
- 10 tablespoons Unsalted Butter – Rich and creamy unsalted butter adds moisture and a luxurious, buttery flavor to the dough. It enhances the dough’s tenderness and provides a delightful, indulgent taste in each bite.
- 1 1/2 cups Milk – Milk adds a velvety richness to the dough contributing a tender crumb and a slightly sweet flavor. Its proteins and fats enhance the bread’s texture, creating a moist, soft interior.
- 2/3 cup Prune Plum Filling – Prune plum filling infuses the dough with a rich fruity sweetness and a hint of tartness. Its jam-like consistency adds moisture and bursts of fruity flavor, elevating the bread with a delightful fruity essence.
- 2 tablespoons Salt – Salt enhances the dough’s flavor balancing the sweetness and highlighting the natural taste of the ingredients. It also controls the yeast’s fermentation rate, ensuring a well-developed, harmonious flavor in the bread.
- 2/3 cup Granulated Sugar – Granulated sugar provides sweetness feeding the yeast and enhancing the dough’s rise. It also adds a pleasant sweetness to the bread, balancing the other flavors and creating a delicious, mildly sweet base.
- 3 tablespoons Ground Cinnamon – Ground cinnamon infuses the dough with warm spicy notes and a delightful aroma. Its presence creates a cozy, comforting flavor profile, reminiscent of fall spices, adding depth and complexity.
- 2 tablespoons Molasses – Molasses contributes a deep robust sweetness and a subtle bitterness to the dough. It enhances the bread’s color, adding a rich, caramel-like hue, and imparts a complex, earthy flavor that complements the other ingredients.
- 2 tablespoons Honey – Honey adds a natural sweetness and a floral aroma to the dough. It enhances the bread’s overall sweetness and complements the other sugars providing a nuanced, honeyed taste.
- 4 Large Eggs Beaten – Beaten eggs enrich the dough, adding moisture, structure, and a velvety texture. They contribute to the bread’s tenderness, creating a soft, luxurious crumb and a golden-brown crust.
- 16 tablespoons Wheat Flour – Wheat flour with its gluten content, provides structure to the dough. It contributes to the bread’s elasticity and helps it hold its shape, ensuring a well-formed, airy loaf.
- 1/2 cup Pecan Meal – Pecan meal adds a rich nutty flavor and a slightly coarse texture to the dough. It provides a delightful crunch and enhances the bread’s overall texture, adding a layer of complexity to each bite.
- 4 cups All-Purpose Flour – All-purpose flour balances the dough ensuring it’s not too dense. It adds a softer, more delicate texture to the bread, creating a light, tender interior.
- 4 cups Bread Flour – Bread flour has a higher protein content than all-purpose flour resulting in a stronger, more elastic dough. It yields a chewy texture and a well-developed crumb, creating a satisfying bite in the finished bread.
- 6 tablespoons Melted Unsalted Butter – Melted butter brushed on the bread’s surface adds a glossy finish and a rich buttery taste. It enhances the bread’s aroma and appearance, creating an irresistible, golden crust.
For Fruits And Nuts:
- 2 cups Chopped Walnuts – Chopped walnuts add a robust earthy flavor and a satisfying crunch to the bread. They provide a delightful contrast in texture, enhancing the overall nuttiness of the loaf.
- 1/2 cup Chopped Dried Apricots – Chopped dried apricots add a tropical sweetness and a chewy bite. They contribute a hint of tartness creating a vibrant, fruity flavor in the bread and adding a pop of color.
- 1/2 cup Chopped Dried Apples – Chopped dried apples offer a natural sweetness and a slightly chewy texture. They infuse the bread with a fruity orchard-fresh taste, complementing the spices and enhancing the overall flavor profile.
- 1/2 cup Dried Cherries – Dried cherries impart a burst of tart sweetness and a chewy texture. They add a fruity complexity to the bread creating pockets of juicy, tangy flavor.
- 1/2 cup Dried Dark Raisins – Dried dark raisins add depth to the bread providing a richer, more intense raisin flavor. They offer a chewy texture and a burst of sweetness, creating a satisfying contrast within the bread.
- 1/2 cup Dark Raisins – Dark raisins bring a classic sweet raisin flavor and a natural sweetness to the bread. They offer a chewy texture and bursts of sweetness, enhancing the overall fruity profile of the loaf.
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine 4 cups of all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons of dry active yeast, 16 tablespoons of wheat gluten, 3 tablespoons of grounded cinnamon and 2 tablespoons of salt. Mix well.
- In a separate bowl or saucepan, mix together ½ cup warm water with 1 tablespoon of honey until the honey has dissolved.
- Pour the honey mixture into the dry ingredients along with 10 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted), 1.5 cups of milk, and ¼ cup canned pumpkin. Mix well until a dough forms.
- In another bowl, beat 4 large eggs together and add them to the dough mixture gradually while mixing.
- Add in 2 tablespoons of molasses and continue to mix until all ingredients are well combined.
- On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough for about 10 minutes until it is smooth and elastic.
- Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel, and let it rise for about an hour in a warm place until doubled in size.
- Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Once the dough has risen, punch it down and knead in 1.5 cups of pecan meal and 1/4 cup finely granulated sugar.
- Add in a variety of chopped dried fruits and nuts (such as walnuts, dried apples, cherries, dark raisins, apricots, golden raisins).
- Shape the dough into a loaf and place it in a greased 9×5 inch loaf pan.
- Bake for about 45 minutes or until golden brown on top.
- Let the bread cool before slicing and serving.
Notes
• Make sure to use room temperature ingredients when making the bread. This will help the bread to rise properly.
• Use fresh fruits, nuts, and spices for the best flavor.
• If the top of the bread starts to brown too quickly, cover with foil and continue to bake until done.
• Let the bread cool completely before slicing.
• Be sure to grease the pan before adding the batter. This will help the bread to release easily from the pan.
• If you want a sweeter bread, you can add more honey.
Nutrition
Saturated Fat: 397g
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