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Lincolnshire plum bread
Spiced yeasted fruit loaf for slicing and buttering
BritishPlum bread is the dark, spiced fruit loaf of Lincolnshire bakeries, sold year round but especially at Christmas, sliced and spread with butter or eaten with a wedge of Lincolnshire Poacher cheese. There are no plums in it: 'plums' was the old word for dried fruit. The dough is enriched with butter, egg and mixed spice and packed with prunes, raisins and currants. Chef's tip: soak the fruit in hot tea for an hour so it stays juicy and doesn't steal moisture from the bread.
- Total time
- 75 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
- ¾ cup hot black tea
- 16 oz strong white bread flour
- ¼ oz instant dried yeast
- 2 ⅛ oz soft brown sugar
- 2 tsp mixed spice
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 ⅛ oz buttermelted
- 1 egg
- ¾ cup milkwarm
- 1 tbsp honeywarmed
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Soak the 10 ½ oz mixed raisins, currants and chopped prunes in the ¾ cup hot black tea for 1 hour, then drain, keeping 2 tablespoons of the tea.
60 minStep 2: Mix the 16 oz strong white bread flour, ¼ oz instant dried yeast, 2 ⅛ oz soft brown sugar, 2 tsp mixed spice and 1 tsp salt. Add the 2 ⅛ oz butter, 1 egg, ¾ cup milk and the saved tea and knead for 8 minutes to a soft, smooth dough.
10 minStep 3: Knead in the drained fruit until evenly spread. Cover and rise for 1½ hours, until doubled; rich dough is slow.
90 minStep 4: Divide in two, shape into loaves and drop into two greased 450 g loaf tins. Cover and rise 45 minutes. Heat the oven to 350°F (325°F fan).
45 minStep 5: Bake for 35–40 minutes until dark brown and hollow-sounding underneath. A common mistake is a hotter oven; the sugary fruit burns before the centre cooks. Cover with foil if it darkens too fast.
40 minStep 6: Brush the hot loaves with 1 tbsp honey and cool on a rack.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 260 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 48 g
- Fat
- 6 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does lincolnshire plum bread take?
- About 75 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 45 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of strong white bread flour?
- Plain flour, same amount (the dough will be softer and rise a little less).
- What can I use instead of soft brown sugar?
- White sugar + 1 tbsp molasses or treacle per 200g.
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