Caraway and Dried Berry Loaf
- Details
Baking bread is a delightfully rewarding cooking journey, watching what was once a blob of dough emerge as a warm loaf from the oven. This recipe is great for beginners. It’s easy and doesn’t require fancy equipment, but give yourself some lead time as the dough does need to sit in the refrigerator overnight. The texture and flavors are what is really special about this loaf. The barberries give you a tangy fruity burst in every bite, and the caraway is a perfect complement. Enjoy this bread toasted with your favorite cup of tea or with a hearty soup or stew.
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 cup warm water, about 100 degrees
- 2 teaspoons instant dry yeast
- 3/4 cup barberries or dried cranberries
- 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon white sugar
- 1/2 cup instant dry oats
- 1 tablespoon caraway seeds
- 2-1/4 cups all purpose flour
Instructions
To Make the Dough
- Combine the warm water and yeast in a large mixing bowl and allow it to sit for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the remaining ingredients. It will look slightly wet and ugly, and that's okay.
- Cover the dough in the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rest for 2 hours at room temperature.
- The dough will almost double in volume. Keep covered and put in the fridge overnight.
The Next Day:
- Form the dough into a ball and place it on a sheet pan lined with parchment.
- Rest the shaped dough for an hour at room temperature and then scoring the top of the loaf with an X.
- Preheat the oven to 450. In the preheated oven add 3 cups of hot water to a sheet pan on the lower rack - this will create steam and make a beautiful crust.
- Let the oven steam for 15 minutes, then put loaf in the oven.
- After the bread has baked for 20 minutes, loosely cover it in foil to protect the loaf from browning too much. Bake for an additional 20-30 minutes until the internal temperature of the loaf reaches 200 degrees, or when it sounds hollow when tapped.
- Let the loaf cool for an hour before slicing and enjoy!
Very interesting bread which is incredibly easy and undemanding! The barberries are REALLY tart. I was startled with my first bite of the bread! But the flavor grows on you. I plan to use less barberries next time. As written, it uses the whole jar of barberries, Next time I will use half the amount, The caraway seed is a warm, complementary flavor. And those little barberries are nutrient powerhouses, so be adventurous and bake this bread!
Is there a way to adapt this recipe to make it gluten free? It sounds amazing, and I have a ton of barberries.
If you use your favorite gluten free bread mix, caraway and barberries would be a tasty addition for similar results.