Fruit Toast Loaf

The Dough

• 50 g Nuttelex melted, plus extra for greasing
• 450 g strong white flour, plus extra for dusting
• 14 g easy-blend yeast
• 50 g caster sugar
• 150 ml warm milk of your choice
• 1 egg, beaten

For the spice & fruit mix

• juice of 1 orange
• 1.5 tsp Dutch cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 50 g dried apricots, chopped
• 50 g dried figs, chopped
• 50 g pitted dates, or raisins chopped
• 50 g sultanas

1. Soak the dried fruits in the orange juice for about 30 mins, strain and set aside the fruit and juice- keeping both.
2. Place flour, yeast, caster sugar and 1 tsp salt into a large mixing bowl with the spices and soaked fruit and mix well. Make a well in the centre and pour in the warmed milk, fruit-soaked orange juice you set aside, the beaten egg and the melted Nuttelex. Mix together to create a dough – start with a wooden spoon and finish with your hands. TIP: If the dough is too dry, add a little more warm water; if it’s too wet, add more flour.
3. Knead until dough is smooth and springy. Transfer to a clean, lightly greased bowl and cover loosely with a clean, damp tea towel. Leave in a warm place to rise until roughly doubled in size – this will take about 1 hr depending on how warm the room is.
4. Next, get the dough back into shape with an extra few seconds of kneading before placing in tins.
5. Dust your two x 2lb loaf tins with flour. Halve the dough. Use a little flour to help you shape each half into a smooth oval, then pop them into the tins. Then again, cover each loaf tin loosely with a clean, damp tea towel and leave them to prove for another 20 mins.
6. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas and bake for 20 mins.
7. Let cool in the tins before turning out and slicing.
8. Serve with lashings of Nuttelex