I’ve been experimenting with some variations on my salt-crusted bread recipe.
Firstly, a black salt and Kamut loaf, made by substituting wholemeal Kamut flour for the 00 flour in my original recipe:
- 200g active sourdough starter ( 166% hydration, ie. fed at a ratio of one cup water to one cup flour)
- 350g bakers/bread flour
- 175g semola rimacinata di grano duro (remilled semolina flour)
- 175g wholemeal Kamut flour
- 375g water
- 15g extra virgin olive oil
- 12g fine sea salt
- 10g brown sugar
- Black Salt, for the pan
I followed the same methodology as used in my original salt-crusted loaves, sprinkling crushed black salt inside the tin in place of the Maldon. It gave the loaf a beautiful speckled crust…
The bread was dense with a slightly cakey crumb and a subtle nutty flavour…
Secondly, I raided Pete’s muesli supplies to create this sourdough fruit loaf…
- 200g active sourdough starter ( 166% hydration, ie. fed at a ratio of one cup water to one cup flour)
- 700g bakers/bread flour
- 375g water
- 15g extra virgin olive oil
- 12g fine sea salt
- 10g brown sugar
- 600g mixed dried fruit and nuts
I omitted the salt crust this time. There was enough dough for one large tinned loaf and a smaller freeform one. I baked them at a slightly lower temperature (200C with fan) to prevent the fruit from burning, and as a result the loaf in the tin needed a slightly longer baking time. The little loaf burnt anyway, but the gerry-rigged pullman tin seemed to protect the crust of the larger loaf as it baked.
The fruit and nut mix included roasted skinned hazelnuts, sunflower seeds, pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds), golden raisins, chopped dried figs, cranberries, dried blueberries and currants. These were all added during the initial mixing, and imbued the dough with a soft purplish tinge…
Pete and I adored this bread. We had trouble eating anything else all weekend!
PS. As I mentioned in the previous post, if you’d like to try these recipes with a 100% hydration starter, reduce the added flour weight by 25g and increase the water to 400g. If my maths is correct, that should work!
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
Are there ever any fights in your home about who gets the crust Celia – I think seeing that you are the creater of all these magnificent loaves, that you should get first option.
:-) Mandy
Mandy thank you! I need you to tell my boys that.. ;-)
Both breads look divine! I could SO live a week on nothing but your beautiful fruit and nut bread. Must start a starter today!
Thanks for stopping by! I could live on the fruit bread as well, I’ve decided! :)
The fruit loaf looks amazing!
Suelle, thank you! I made the same dough into rolls yesterday, only I added macadamias this time – the rolls were very filling!
That fruit loaf is RIGHT up my street too. Can I come over and have a sour dough lesson one day? :)
Of course you can, Sally… :)
Oh my gosh, those are beautiful! Wow!
Thanks Misk! They were fun to make!
Wow, they both look fabulous. That’s definitely the best looking fruit bread I’ve seen for a very long time, and especially toasted!
I’m intruiged by both the black salt (have heard it has a sulphurous/eggy edge to it) and the use of Kamut flour. I keep seeing Kamut in my local veggie co-op, thinking of you and then resisting. I have far too much flour already but definitely want to give this one a try. I love the look of the dense crumb, a bread to really get your teeth into :-)
C, Pete said it’s a muesli loaf as far as he’s concerned, since it has nuts and seeds in it as well.
The black salt was a gift from my friend Moo…I wrote about it here:
https://figjamandlimecordial.com/2011/07/02/black-salt/
The Kamut is an interesting flour to use – on its own it makes a very dense, cakey crumb, but combined with bread flour, it just gives the loaf a nutty overtone. It worked well in this case…
They really look wonderful, hats off to you!
Thanks Cindy! They were even more fun to eat.. ;-)
Fantastic job, Celia! what a great recipe for the holidays!
Thanks Sally, I’ve made another fruit loaf (we ate the first one in a heartbeat) and sliced it up straight away and put it into the freezer. I’ll been pulling out a couple of slices for breakfast each morning! :)
That fruit and nut loaf looks like the one for me, I could make that one, but i can’t keep up with what i want to make this week!! c
Celi, it’s a bit like that at this time of year. I’m madly baking as well.. :)
Good morning Celia, I am sitting here having my macchiato and would dearly like a slice of that buttered fruit toast please. I can almost smell it. What a wonderful baker you are! I’m ever so pleased to have found your web site.
Incidentally, we had the mother of all thunder storms, teeming rain and lightning in the mid of the night. My poor mop top in the wine barrel was on its side again this morning.
It’s going to be a very wet summer!
Lizzy, thank you, and I hope it’s a hot summer as well as a wet one, or the plants just aren’t going to grow! Hopefully all the rain will mean the bushfires won’t be too much of a problem this year…
What a gorgeous looking slice from your fruit loaf!!! That’s definitely going on my ‘to bake’ list.
Thanks Mel! Pete complained that I’ve used up all his muesli mix, so we have to go and stock up today!
I think you put the muesli mix to a very good use,
And I always go for the salty bread- using black salt is a genius idea-
does it smell a little like sulphur?
Heidi, the salt is made by adding vegetable carbon to it as the crystals were forming – it doesn’t smell like sulphur to me (although sometimes the pink salts do!). It made for a very pretty loaf, I think..
There is nothing more disappointing than a fruit loaf with a couple of scant sultanas thrown in, and a hint of perhaps a little cinnamon…. yours my lady definitely wouldn’t disappoint! Look at all that fruity goodness!
Brydie, thank you, I got very carried away and the bread was actually hard to shape with so much fruit in it! But every mouthful is full of fruit and that makes my Pete very happy! :)
What a gorgeous Muesli Loaf! I think having my breakfast musesli slathered with butter all toasty would make it much easier to manage first thing in the morning, Yumm…
Thanks Becca! I had one of the rolls sliced and toasted today for breakfast and I couldn’t eat another thing until lunch! :)
They look lovely and wholesome :) I remember Dan doing a salt wash thing at the back of the Handmade Loaf where he talks about finishes. Never tried it though, your black salt sounds like it really makes the crust extra special!
All evolved from your white toast bread darling, so thank you again for the inspiration. I remember reading about Dan’s salt wash now that you mention it, must look it up again!
Celia your fruit loaf looks particularly amazing! Pretty please: what is your method for such even fruit distribution?
Rose, thank you! I don’t know if this is what makes the difference, but I mix together the starter, water and oil first, then add all the fruit and nuts, before mixing in the flour and salt. Also, it’s quite a low hydration dough, and therefore quite stiff – I think if the dough is too wet the inclusions all fall through to the bottom.
Thank you Celia, I will try that method, I appreciate you answering my query.
Hope it works, Rose! :)
I’m not a fruit bread fan but I think I might make a batch of this to take to my parents over Christmas. Dad LOVES fruit bread!
Claire, the nuts make a big difference, and the same dough works well shaped into buns! :)
I have some sourdough proving in the kitchen right now, Celia, but I can’t get my hands on all the different flours that you manage to find. Your fruit loaf looks simply divine – I’ve got some dried figs and fennel seeds lined up for my loaves today – I’ll tweet you a pic if they turn out!
Amanda, health food stores stock Kamut, spelt and other specialty flours, but I’ve also bought them from Santos Trading online. Just a little bit makes quite a big difference to the finished loaf. Have fun with your new starter! :)
I’ve never played with kamut flour before! :O And your cross section of fruit bread is the prototype for all fruit breads-look at that perfect fruit distribution!
Lorraine, it’s an interesting flour to use – usually the water content needs adjusting a little. I find a straight kamut loaf too heavy, but mixed with regular bakers flour, it adds a very nice flavour!
I really take my hat off to you Celia – your bread is always stunning!
Nic, that’s very kind of you, thank you! :)
I refuse to show my husband your fruit bread–he’d leave home and have breakfast at your house! More fruit than dough is his motto. Two beautiful loaves. I agree with you about the kamut flour. Lovely flavour when used as an additive.
Liz, I bet you make an amazing fruit and nut loaf! :)
Oh Celia, these breads look so so good. I can almost feel and taste the slight cakiness to the Kamut loaf, and the fruit loaf – that is a fruit loaf! Yes. thanks for the inspiration.
Craig
Oooh, you bake such gorgeous bread, Craig, so that means a lot coming from you, thank you! :)
Wow that bread looks like a perfect award winning Easter Show loaf!
Tania, that’s a nice thing to say, but alas, it’s very unlikely to be the case – all those shows have VERY strict rules about how the finished product is supposed to look! I thought about entering something once, and then found out that it had to be made to a set recipe!
Thank you Celia, I now have some idea of how to use my black salt!
Tandy, I think my salt is a bit different – it didn’t have any real aroma to it – but I still think it would be a good way to use any interesting salt!
I’ve really enjoyed going through your blog, but I’ve loved everything in it, I wanted to comment on all the posts! But I’m short on time….
So this one, you see, has the recipe I am after! I love fruit loaf and I really have been wanting to try making my own. Thanks for this, I’m bookmarking the recipe!