Cranberry Oatmeal Bread

Ingredients

75g rolled oats, plus more for the crust
175g dried cranberries
450g strong white flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon or mixed spice
finely grated zest of a mandarin, clementine or orange
50g unsalted butter
1 tsp instant dry yeast
oil for kneading

Method

Place the oats and cranberries in a bowl with 375ml of boiling water. Let stand for 15 - 20 minutes until the mixture is warm.

In another bowl, spoon the flour, salt, spice and zest. Rub in the butter, add the yeast then add the cranberry mixture and mix well. Let stand 10 minutes then oil a patch of worktop and your hands, then knead the dough on it for 10 seconds then let rest for 10 minutes. Repeat the knead sequence twice more at 10 minute intervals then cover the dough and leave 30 minutes.

Pat the dough into rectangle and roll up tightly. Squeeze the dough seam-side down into a large deep 19cm long loaf tin, or place on a baking tray, lined with non-stick surface or parchment paper. Leave an hour until risen by half. Heat the oven to 425°F. Brush the loaf top with water, press on a handful of oats, cut a slit down the middle and bake for 50 minutes. It will scorch on the top but that’s typical for fruit bread.

Source: Dan Lepard