Hutzelbrot

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 500 g pear(s), dried
• 250 g prunes, pitted
• 1 ½ liters of water
• 1,000 g flour (Type W 1050)
• 500 g flour (Type R 1150)
• 2 ½ cubes of yeast, fresh
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 500 g fig(s)
• 100 g candied lemon
• 200 g candied orange peel
• 400 g raisins
• 200 g currants
• 200 g almond(s), chopped
• 200 g hazelnuts, ground
• 300 g sugar
• 1 pinch of salt
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp anise, ground
• 1 tsp. clove powder
• 1 pinch of allspice
• ½ tsp lemon zest
• 4 tbsp cherry brandy
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• n. B. cherry(s) (slicing cherries)
• n. B. Almond(s), peeled
• e.g. candied lemon or orange peel
• possibly grease for the sheets

Instructions

Working time approx. 2 hours; Rest time approx. 12 hours; Total time approx. 14 hours

Fruit bread according to family recipe

Soak the pear slices and prunes in 1.5 liters of water in a saucepan for 2-3 hours. Then boil in the soaking water for 15 minutes. Drain the water (from now on referred to as fruit broth) and set aside. Note: the fruit broth will be used entirely for the dough and the glaze. Roughly chop the pears and chop the prunes. Make a pre-dough from the flour, yeast, 1 tablespoon of sugar, and 1-2 tablespoons of fruit broth and let it rise, covered, for about 20-30 minutes. In the meantime, chop the figs, almonds, and hazelnuts. Let the candied lemon peel, candied orange peel, raisins, and currants steep separately in the kirsch. Now mix the pre-dough with the sugar, salt, and spices (anise, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, lemon zest). Add up to one liter of liquid (fruit broth) as needed and beat vigorously until the dough bubbles and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Then carefully knead the cherry-soaked fruit into the dough. Finally, stir in the pear slices and plums and knead the entire dough vigorously. Form several balls of the dough, cover, and let rise overnight in a warm room on 2-3 baking sheets lined with baking paper. The next day, shape the balls into loaves as desired (approx. 10-15 loaves, depending on size). Let the loaves rise for approx. 15-20 minutes on greased baking sheets or those lined with fresh baking paper. Then bake in a preheated oven at 150°C – 180°C for approx. 25 minutes. In the meantime, bring the remaining fruit broth to a boil. Mix 3 tablespoons of sugar with the starch powder, then carefully stir it into the fruit broth, a little at a time, until a smooth glaze forms. Spread the glaze over the still-warm fruit breads and garnish with cherries, peeled almonds, candied lemon, or candied orange peel, if desired. Because the glaze makes the Hutzelbrot sticky, we recommend wrapping the breads completely in cling film. To do this, place film over the top of the Hutzelbrot and fold down all sides. Then seal the ends with some sticky tape. The Hutzelbrot also makes a great gift.