Recipe: Hutzelbrot (Black Forest Fruit Loaf) for Donner

Hutzelbrot
Black Forest Fruit Loaf

(Source: Julia Kammerer - This is my granny's recipe. She usually makes it around Christmas. With its spices and lots of dried fruit it is yummy and moist and keeps quite some time when you wrap it in tin-foil. Feel free to replace any of the dried fruit, but stick to the total weight. For my part, I NEVER use candies citrus or orange peel and replace it with dates or raisins. I stongly advise you to do the same;).

250 g dried pears
250 g dried plums
125 g dries figs
30 g candies orange and citrus peel, cubed
125 g walnuts, chopped
250 g flour
25 g fresh yeast
100 g caster sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp ground aniseed
1 tsp ground ground cloves
1 pinch allspice

Soak pears in 1/2 l water for 3 hrs, cut into strips, then boil in the same water for 20 minutes until soft. Drain and keep the cooking water.

Put the flour into a large bowl.

Dissolve the yeast in 2 tbsp of the cooking water, then add to the flour.

Mix all ingredients and knead well. Then shape into 3 loaves.

Leave to prove for 2 hours.

Bake in a preheated oven at 175C (350F) (gas mark 3) for 1 hour.