Traditional German Christmas Fruit Bread - Kletzenbrot

Total Time: 3 hrs Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 2 hrs 30 mins

Ingredients

• 2 cups dried pears, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
• 1 1/2 cups dried figs, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
• 1 cup dried prunes or 1 cup dried plum, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup raisins or 1/2 cup sultana
• 2 tablespoons candied orange peel, diced
• 2 tablespoons candied lemon peel, diced
• 1/4 cup kirschwasser or 1/4 cup rum
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 (1/4 ounce) packet active dry yeast
• 1 1/3-1 1/2 cups unbleached whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla (or seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean)
• 1/2 cup blanched almond, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup walnuts, broken into large chunks
• 1/2 cup hazelnuts (some may be halved, leave others whole)
• butter

Recipe

• 1 place the dried pears, figs, prunes, raisins or sultanas, candied orange and lemon peel, and the spices into a medium saucepan with a cup of water, the sugar, and the kirsch or rum. bring just to a boil over high heat, stirring often. immediately remove from heat and cover; set aside to steep.
• 2 meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl dissolve the yeast in a half cup of the lukewarm steeping liquid, and let sit until bubbling (about 5 minutes).
• 3 gradually stir the flour into the yeast mixture, adding a little more liquid or flour if necessary to make a firm dough. wrap the dough with a clean tea towel, and leave to rise for 30 minutes.
• 4 gradually add the nuts, candied orange and lemon peel, and the dried fruit and knead well into the dough. form the dough into a loaf. leave to rise for an hour again.
• 5 preheat the oven to 400°f (200°c). butter the baking sheet (or line with parchment paper), and bake the loaf for about an hour (50 to 60 minutes).
• 6 let cool for 5-10 minutes before removing bread to rack. allow to cool completely.
• 7 wrap bread in cling wrap and then in foil, and place in a cool spot or the refrigerator to mellow for up to several weeks.
• 8 allow bread to come to room temperature before serving. serve sliced with or without fresh butter, as desired. good with a cuppa. frohes fest!