Date and Fig Bread
This is a moist, chewy bread packed with goodness. For me it’s a breakfast bread, but it would be equally at home on a cheeseboard.
Ingredients
- 400 g wholemeal flour
- 100 g strong white flour plus extra for dusting
- 10 g salt
- 20 g yeast
- 50 g butter softened
- 1 tablespoon treacle
- 300 ml water
- 75 g dried figs chopped
- 75 g dates chopped
Instructions
- Put the flours, salt, yeast, butter, treacle and water into a bowl and mix for 5 minutes.
- Tip out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes, then put the dough back in the bowl and leave for 1 hour to rise.
- Line a baking tray.
- Incorporate the figs and dates into the dough, then divide it into two pieces.
- Shape the pieces into balls, place on the baking tray and leave to rise for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/gas mark 7.
- Dust the loaves with flour and, using a knife, make three equidistant horizontal cuts all around each ball.
- Bake for 30 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.