This German fruit bread has the perfect balance between mild sweetness and an amazingly rich flavor. It’s bursting with dried fruit, infused with rum, for an extra festive touch. Hazelnuts and almonds give it a nice crunch and a hint of a nutty taste. Stored in an airtight container or covered with a cloche it stays fresh for weeks.
German Fruit Bread (Früchtebrot)
Course: Desserts, Sweet breadsDifficulty: simple4
servings30
minutes55
minutesIngredients
125 g / 4.4 oz pitted, dried prunes
125 g / 4.4 oz pitted, dried dates
125 g / 4.4 oz dried figs
50 g / 1.8 oz soft, dried apricots
100 g / 1.8 oz dried apple rings
125 g / 4.4 oz raisins
125 g / 4.4 oz candied lemon peel
125 g / 4.4 oz candied orange peel
50 ml / 1.7 fl oz Jamaica rum
1 vanilla bean
3 eggs
125 g / 4.4 oz sugar
150 g /5.3 oz plain, all purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
125 g / 4.4 whole hazelnuts
125 g / 4.4 oz whole almonds
Method
- Cut the dried fruit into smaller pieces and place in a mixing bowl. Add raisins, lemon and orange peel, pour in rum and stir well to combine. Cover with a lid and set aside overnight to infuse.
- Next day: adjust the oven rack to a middle position and preheat the oven to 180C / 355F. Butter a 9-inch (25 cm) loaf pan and dust it with flour. Slit the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the pulp. Beat the eggs with sugar and the scraped out vanilla pulp until light and fluffy. Combine flour with baking powder, sieve onto the egg mixture, and fold in gently. Finally, fold in the rum-infused fruit, hazelnuts, and almonds.
- Transfer the mixture into the prepared baking pan and bake for 55 – 60 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest in the baking pan for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and let cool down completely on a cooling rack. Serve in thick slices.
Notes
- You can substitute the candied lemon and orange peel with Old English fruit and peel mix. Your fruit bread will be just as delicious.
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Looks delicious Anna. Now to find the time to assemble the ingredients and actuallly bake one. I’m sure it taste scrumptious! Bet you had loads of help making it, too.