Recipe - German Holiday Loaves (Hutzelbrot)

2 tablespoon Active dry yeast OR 2 cakes
yeast
1 pt Sweet cider; lukewarm
7 cup Rye flour
4 cup Whole wheat flour
One half teaspoon Salt
Three fourths cup Unsweetened prune juice
Three fourths cup Pear nectar or pear puree
1 pound Seedless raisins
1 pound Dried currants
1 cup Chopped dates
Grated rind of 3 oranges
Grated rind of 3 lemons
1 cup Split almonds
2 tablespoon Ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon Ground allspice
1 teaspoon Ground cloves
One half cup Unsweetened grape juice

Soften yeast in cider. Add 4 cups of rye flour and 2 cups wholewheat flour
and salt. Mix well. Let rise in a warm place for about 4 hours. Add prune
juice and pear nectar or puree. Meanwhile, soak fruits, rind, nuts and
spices in grape juice. Add them to the mixture. Stir in enough of the
remaining flours to make a stiff dough. Knead. Shape into 4 or 5 round or
oval loaves, and place on oiled, floured cookie sheets. Set in a warm place
to rise. When loaves are 1/3 larger than the original size, brush with egg
yolk diluted with water and bake at 350 F for about 1 hour and 20 minutes.
The bread keeps well and improves with age.

Formatted by Mardi Desjardins March 12, 1998

Recipe by: The Natural Foods Cookbook by Beatrice Trum Hunter, 1972

Posted to MCRecipe Digest by Mardi amdesjar@mb.sympatico.ca on Mar 12,
1998