Fruit and Nut Bread ~ a no knead bread {in memory of Mary}

This is for Greta who asked about my bread in my last post {who I am

happy to have as one of my blog friends while she does not have a blog, though

if she did, I would read it!). 

{recipe just below this part}

***

I am doing this in Memory of Mary who was my librarian at the 

public library in Fort Langley BC... she was so incredibly kind to me

when I was an undergratuate at TWU many many years ago.

She fed people not only with books from her library,

but listened, did not judge, was supportive, understanding...

when I left she had me and another friend over for lunch,

it's where I first experienced a Christmas Cracker (but ones not for Christmas)

I did not understand how precious she was until later, really,

I mean I experienced her love, support but I was so blessed,

I did not realize how dear it is and how blessed I was to have her in my life. 

When I first posted on Facebook a picture, during lockdown, 

of this bread that I had with my Husband in beautiful Sunshine, 

in the first month of lockdown and I remember Mary,

who was facebook friends with me,

commented and said something like 'well done or good job' and I could

just hear her voice (by this time she was on the East Coast of Canada)

and she just loved how beautiful my table was and the bread. 

Here's the post that I recorded what I wrote on Facebook over 5 years ago:

"This morning's breakfast was really special.

I wrote about it this morning, after breakfast, on social media...

"Happy sunshine filled post coming right up! I woke up realizing I had to get that bread (it was still rising in 2 covered bowls) in the oven for breakfast! So I did! The smell of fresh bread with dried cherries and pecans cannot be oversold :) I set the table with nice blue and white dishes, used my Grandma's silver-plate silverware, juiced a lemon and put in 2 mugs with boiling water and honey, got out cherry jam and my best vegan "butter". And then the bread was done, my Husband prayed for the meal and I sliced that steaming just out of the oven bread for breakfast and we sat down to a feast of fresh bread and mandarin oranges, steaming mugs of fresh lemon and honey and hot tea! I told my Husband that this breakfast, and on a sunny morning, reminded me of Narnia when Mrs Beaver makes a delicious breakfast for her guests. It was a wonderful start to the day and we have enough bread for 4 or 5 more meals!""

Above is a picture from this blog post that I took of my monitor and cropped ( :) ).

***

Mary's obituary said that later she ran a bed and breakfast ~ 

"Even in her 70s, she managed to harness the energy to start and run Comfort Cove,

 a very successful bed and breakfast on Cape Breton Island."  

Remembering her beautiful home, so classically British, so warm,

and such delicious food, well, I guess to me Heaven would include

such a place as she must have created in her seventies. 

***

The ingredients that I used, based on THIS recipe

6 cups all-purpose 

1 teaspoon yeast

3 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 cup dried cherries

1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

zest from two oranges (I have some frozen and just use what looks good)

3 cups water (I use spring water that I buy at the store, room temp)

This is what I did:

Put all dry ingredients together in order.

Forgot to mix dry ingredients LOL

Added the 3 cups water and mixed immediately,

creating a very soft pliable dough.

I was careful to get any dry flour from the bottom mixed in.

I covered it (the dough in the big bowl)

with two tea towels and then a big plate and left it. 

I made it last night before dinner,

about 5 PM or so.

I left it completely until a bit after 8 AM.

Then what you are supposed to do is

put flour on the board or pizza peel before putting the wet dough on.

I forgot LOL and did that afterwards 

I made a DOUBLE batch for 4 medium size loaves, that last

us about 2 or so meals each, because the bread 

does not cut even especially when it's warm out of the overn and

my beloved Husband thought that it was not baked through

when it was actually just that amazingly fresh and warm. 

He ate his with leftover clotted cream LOL 

I had peanut butter on one side, cherry jam on the other.

I was dreaming of making fried runny eggs for myself with it but that 

will have to wait until Monday's breakfast! 

Baked on 400 about 45 minutes. 

All loaves were done (they had the hollow tapping sound). 

It's an amazing recipe! 

The smell when it's baking of the cherries heating up can't be beat.

Craisins work well as well (dried cranberries) and I think raisins themselves

would also work just fine. 

It's always amazing and like you are having a bread from a nice bakery 

or fancy brunch with just made in house bread at a restaurant. 

***

So, to answer Greta's question, which is:

i've never tried raising bread overnight. do you think it works better?

all I know is that THIS recipe works by resting it for hours. 

Other breads have different methods. 

I have a few cookbooks just on breads...! 

but the bread I made consistently is this one because

it's so easy, that I can make it up quickly

and have it for breakfast warm the next day.

Washup is not too bad either, esp. if you wash up immediately.

what kind of bread are you making? 

This whole post answers Greta's second question. :)

***

Thanks to Elizabethd who is the inspiration for my recording this in the first place!

***

I have really had a lot of blessings from my blog over the years,

so many blog friends, from all over the world.

***

I am thankful!

***

PS: 

Here is what I wrote years ago:

First, so I don't forget, Elizabethd, the bread I baked is from this recipe

and I think the first time I posted it was here. 

I basically look at the ingredient list

.....to quote directly it is this:

6 cups all-purpose or pastry flour

1 teaspoon yeast

3 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 cup dried cranberries (sweetened or not)

1 cup sliced or slivered almonds

zest from two oranges

3 cups water (the water does not have to be warm)

(again this is from here, I can't claim this wonderful recipe as my own!)

The only change I make is that I always use spring water and I add the yeast to the

water before I add it to the batter.

Everything, save the water and yeast,

I add first, mix together and then add the water with yeast. 

The water I use straight from the jug of spring water that I buy

from the grocery store, room temperature. 

I mix it by hand because I like to do so.  Last time I accidentally missed

a bit of the flour at the very bottom, but it really did not matter

as it stuck to the bottom and was not part of the dough that rose.

The neat thing about this recipe is you mix the dough as described,

cover it (I personally use two clean tea towels that I only use for bread)

and leave it.  And leave it for hours.  I actually make it one day and put it aside,

covered, and bake it the next day.

It will rise a lot, I find, and is very/fairly wet but easy to deal with.

The day I bake it I grab half of it and put it on a floured pizza peel and 

then use that to put it in the oven, I use a pizza stone; 

I of course preheat the oven to 400F with the stone in it already. 

NO kneading is needed at anytime!!! 

Then I put the second half and did it on a second pizza stone, preheated 

according to my toaster oven's manual instructions for bread. 

The one in the main oven I did for less than 40 minutes - but I think over 30.

Once it taps 'hollow' on the bottom and has some colour, I call it done!

With dried fruit (I use dried cherries and pecans or, like last time, 

craisins, walnuts and sunflower seeds, which was a mix that I got pre-made

and I merely put 2 cups of it in with the dry ingredients as listed in the recipe, etc.)

It's great toasted lightly and lovely with a nice fruit jam/preserve.

Cherry jam or apricot or a nice berry like raspberry or blackberry. 

Of course when it is still warm out of the oven, butter that melts and then

a jam is quite lovely!