This is a slightly sweet, slightly enriched bread with great texture and taste. It’s good anytime, and ideal with breakfast. Try it toasted and add marmalade, or yogurt or kvarg or cream cheese or …. whatever takes your fancy.

Makes: One large loaf (12 – 15 slices of varying size)

Time: See notes below – times vary a lot, depending on temperature and method

Level: It’s fairly easy if you’ve made bread before, otherwise it’s a good learning experience.

Need: I use a stand mixer, but it’s not essential provided you’re happy kneading by hand. I also use a Dutch Oven (a cast iron lidded casserole dish), also not essential but well worth using. A proving basket (banneton) should be used to give the dough shape and visual appeal.

Ingredients

200g – 250g sourdough starter
190ml – 200ml lukewarm liquid (half water, half milk)
30g butter, melted or very soft
375g strong white flour
50g ground almonds
7g fine salt
30g sugar
100g glace cherries, chopped into quarters
50g – 75g flaked almonds

For a non-sourdough (i.e. yeasted) option, replace the starter with 100ml liquid and 100g flour, plus 7g instant yeast. The first prove will probably take around 90 minutes, the second prove about 45 minutes. Then bake as below.

A note about sourdough proving times: Long proves = more flavour, so be patient. I like to leave my dough overnight for its first prove. Usually this takes anything from 10 – 15 hours, depending on room temperature. The second prove, for me, tends to be quicker, maybe around 4 – 5 hours. But many excellent bakers extend the second prove by placing their dough in the fridge.

Method

1. Pour starter into a large mixing bowl (or bowl of your stand mixer.)

2. Add the liquid and butter then stir together well.

3. Tip in the flour, ground almonds, salt & sugar. Mix to form a dough. (This can be done in the stand mixer using a dough hook on slow speed for about 5 minutes)

4. Either tip out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead by hand until the dough is smooth and springy when prodded (about 15 minutes) or keep it in the stand mixer bowl and use the dough hook for around 8 minutes on medium/fast speed.

5. Tip the kneaded dough into a lightly oiled bowl and pull and stretch it over itself a few times then invert it so any “joins” are below. Cover and leave for the first prove – ideally overnight.

6. When the dough has risen to at least twice its original size, tip it out, then flatten and stretch it. Add most of the cherries and flaked almonds, dotting them all over the dough. Fold the dough over and repeat with the remaining cherries and flaked almonds.

7. Shape the dough into a tight ball, dragging the surface under the ball with the palms of your hands. The idea is to create tension. Flour the ball and invert it into the banneton. Add some more flour round the edges to make sure it comes out easily later.

8. Place inside a proving bag, fill with air and seal the open end. (I use a kitchen bin liner.) Leave for the second prove.

9. When the dough has risen again invert the banneton & dough onto a large circle of baking parchment with a few cuts around the edges so that it sits neatly inside the Dutch oven. Lift the parchment and dough into the COLD Dutch oven and cut slashes on the upper surface with a sharp knife or razor blade.

10. Put the lid on the Dutch oven and place into your main oven. Bake the loaf for 50 minutes at 230°C / Fan 210°C / 450°F / Gas 7. Remove the Dutch oven lid and continue baking the loaf for a further 10 – 12 minutes. Tap the bottom of the loaf to check that it has baked. A firm, hollow sound tells you it has.

11. Leave in the Dutch oven for 5 minutes then remove to a wire rack to cool fully.

12. Resist the urge to eat it too soon – before it has cooled. (This could be the hardest part of the whole process.)

Preparation

I wish you every success with your bread making. I hope you have a go at this one and enjoy making and eating a lovely loaf. Below are some quite different breads that you might want to try: