1 large gallon soup pot or Dutch oven

ingredients:
8 oz. dried pears or apples or both
1/2 cup raisins
1 /2 cup chopped dried plums (prunes)
1/4 cup candied citron
2 cups wine, or water or apple juice
peel from 1/2 orange, grated or finely chopped
peel from 1/2 lemon, grated or finely chopped
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup chopped almonds
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground anise
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1 cup water
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup melted butter (1/2 stick)
1-1/2 oz, 1 1/2- tablespoons yeast (1 1/2 packets)

Directions:

So I would normally use the dried fruit, so I dried these pears and apples in the oven.

In this recipe you want to use dried fruit and rehydrate it with wine. If you don't want to use wine
you can just use apple juice or even water. The recipe is very flexible you are going to end up with a dried fruit and nut stew. If you don't have 1, 2 or even 4 of the ingredients you can substitute or use more of one.

I didn't have any plums so I used extra raisins. I used candied orange peel, instead of just
orange peel. I used extra citron because I didn't have a fresh lemon. Then I added 2 cups of wine,

I didn't have any plums so I used extra raisins. I used candied orange peel, instead of just
orange peel. I used extra citron because I didn't have a fresh lemon. Then I added 2 cups of wine,

3. I had a vanilla bean so I used that, and I ground my anise seed in a mortar and pastel.
Add the anise, vanilla bean, the cinnamon and cloves

4. Chopped the almonds and walnuts then add to the stew and simmer for about 15 min until
all the fruit is hydrated.

5. Next melt the butter and add it or put it in the stew if it is still warm. I did the fruit stew a day in advance.
I added the brown sugar with the water and yeast to let it start working. (that is what you see in the measuring cup), measured my salt and 3 cups of flour out in a bowl and I have another cup in reserve but I don't want to
overdo the flour even though I am pretty sure it will take all 4 cups like it usually does.

6. Next I added all the ingredients in the pot except the flour and mixed them in well.
Then I added the flour a cup at a time and worked it in. I needed an extra cup and a half of flour I think
after the 3 to get a nice smooth dough that wasn't sticky like you see above.

7. Now let this rise for an hour maybe 2 or even 3 if it is cold outside. I put mine in the oven that I preheated to 170 degrees then turned it off, and put the bread dough in the pot and covered with a towel.

8. Chopped the almonds and walnuts then add to the stew and simmer for about 15 min until
all the fruit is hydrated.

9. When the dough doubles then I punch it down and form into 2 loaves. One I put in a bread pan
and the other I made just an oval loaf, which is probably what my grandma and sisters did.
I am brushing this with an egg wash just so the crust is a bit shinny. If want to skip this step
that is fine.

10. I bake this at a very low temperature as it will get very dark in color and almost look burnt,
so I don't want to brown it too much. So I go low and slow at 300 degrees for 1 hour and
250 degrees for another half hour. I know this sounds like a long time but you make sure
This dense bread is cooked through and through and not gummy.

I always put an oven thermometer on the pan or hang it in the center so I can tell
the exact temp. I often have to raise or lower the temp to get a true reading.