This weeks bread recipe is for something a little bit different – today I’ll be sharing my recipe for a blackberry and apple loaf!
When I say this recipe is a little different, it’s because the bread is naturally coloured purple and this is through the use of blackberries (which are still in season, I think). Normally when you add additional ingredients which may colour or tint the dough don’t add that much colour, this isn’t the case with blackberries.
This bread is made with an enriched dough, which means it’s going to taste good (the addition of butter and eggs) – this recipe also features fresh blackberries and dried apple. I like to use dried apple as it allows you to have the flavour but not the moisture of fresh apples – when you add too much moisture into a recipe, you have to balance the amounts out and it can get confusing very quickly. To make a long story short, use dried apples instead of fresh for this recipe.
I know that this flavour combination is a little out there and you may associate it with more sweet dishes like a apple and blackberry crumble, it’s very well balanced and tastes amazing once baked – you’ll have to trust me on that one!
Anyway, let’s get started, shall we?
Ingredients:
500g Strong white bread flour.
50g Fresh yeast.
75g Butter.
75g Granulated sugar.
15g Milk powder.
1 Egg.
150ml Water (Luke warm).
100g Fresh blackberries.
20-30g Freeze dried apples (I use Liobites).
Method:
Before you get started on the recipe, you’ll want to do some prep work. Start by weighing up all of your ingredients, lining a loaf tin with parchment paper and get any equipment you may need ready, such as a stand mixer (or mixing bowl) and spatulas.
I like to start with the dough. To make the dough you’ll want to start with taking a mixing bowl and place in the bread flour and salt, giving them a brief mix just to combine the two.
Then place the remaining ingredients into the bowl and mix them all together on a low speed to start with (for 2 minutes approx), working your way to a high speed (for 6 minutes) until a dough has formed. The dough should be soft, if it’s sticky, don’t worry too much, we should be able to fix this in a little bit.
Flour the work surface with a generous amount of bread flour and place the dough onto it. Knead the dough until the dough is smooth and elasticated. This may take some time, but the dough will become easier to work with as some of that flour is incorporated.
Place the dough into the lightly oiled bowl, cover the bowl with cling-film and allow to proof until the dough has doubled in size, for me this is usually about an hour but depending on the climate where you live this time may require adjusting.
Once the dough has completed its first proof, you’ll want to generously flour your worktop and place the dough onto it. You can then knock the dough back, this is just the process of removing the gases that had built up during the first proof.
You can then go ahead and bring the dough into a ball shape, then roll it into a fat sausage shape or a loaf shape, just big enough to fit into a standard loaf pan.
Cover loosely with clingfilm and place somewhere warm to proof for a second time. The dough should only need about 45-60 minutes but depends on the climate where you live – if you live somewhere warmer, the dough will proof quicker.
Preheat your oven to 180˚c/350˚f, around 15 minutes before you intend to use the oven.
After the dough has proofed, it should be well risen and ready for the oven. Just before you place it into the oven, sprinkle over some oats and then go ahead place it into your preheated oven and bake for 35-40 minutes.
Remove the bread from the oven and empty straight onto a cooling rack and tap the bottom of the loaf – if it sounds hollow, thats a good sign and shows the bread is baked.
Allow to cool until fully cooled down, then you can slice it up and enjoy it however you like. I like it toasted with butter but you can use it however you like!
That’s all for today guys, I hope you enjoyed. If you did, don’t forget to share this recipe with your family and friends and enjoy it. I’ll be back soon with another blog post and YouTube video, so join me then. In the meanwhile, don’t forget to check out my other social’s – Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube. The YouTube tutorial will be linked down below.
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