Grandmother Bread with Fresh Berries

A deliciously fruity and beautiful bread.

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Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 1 loaf

Prep Time: a couple of hours, including rising time   Cook Time: 25 minutes  

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups warm water
1 teaspoon yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup fresh berries
3 1/2 cups flour

Directions

This is a Grandmother Bread recipe.

In a large bowl, combine water, yeast, berries, sugar, and salt. Let sit five minutes. Stir in flour with a heavy spoon until dough becomes too stiff to continue stirring easily. Add a little more flour and begin kneading. Using fresh berries is a bit different than using dried fruit, such as raisins. I go ahead and add the fresh berries early in the process, right into the warm water before adding flour. When making muffins or pancakes, for example, you’d add the fresh berries last in order to avoid squishing your berries. But when making bread, you’re dealing with a dough that is going to become quite stiff. You just can’t add the berries at the end and expect them to be thoroughly mixed. You’ve got to go ahead and get them in.

My tips for using fresh berries in making a yeast dough? Knead gently, and as briefly as possible. Trust the dough. Oh, and you’re gonna squish some of the berries. It’s okay.

The amount of flour is approximate–your mileage may vary! Continue adding flour and kneading (gently!) until the dough is smooth and elastic. Let dough rise in a greased, covered bowl until doubled. (Usually, 30-60 minutes.)

Uncover bowl; sprinkle in a little more flour and knead again before shaping dough into a loaf. Place in a greased loaf pan and cover with greased wax paper or a wet paper towel. Let rise until loaf is tall and beautiful and berry-licious! (About an hour, depending on the temperature in your kitchen.)

Bake for 25 minutes in a preheated 350-degree oven.

Categories: Breads, Breakfast, Fruit Breads, Yeast Breads

Submitted by: suzanne-mcminn on April 6, 2011