Cranberry & Walnut Loaf

Ingredients

• 400g strong white bread flour
• 5g (1 tsp) instant/fast acting yeast
• 25g porridge oats
• plus 1 tsp for topping
• 5g salt
• 75g chopped walnuts
• 100g dried cranberries
• 2 tbs honey
• 350ml lukewarm water

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, yeast and oats
2. Add the salt, walnuts and cranberries and stir well
3. Stir the honey into the lukewarm water to dissolve. Make sure the water is about blood temperature – dip your little finger into the water and it should feel neither warm nor cold
4. Make a well in the flour and pour over the warm water and honey. Using a clean hand, mix well to combine and then knead for a few minutes. Cover the bowl with a clean damp tea towel or cling film and leave in a warm place for an hour
5. Tip the dough onto a lightly floured board and very gently form into a sausage shape then transfer to your Circulon large loaf tin. Sprinkle a few oats on top, then cover again and leave in a warm place to double in size, which may take another couple of hours
6. Preheat the oven to 200ºC fan/220ºC conventional/gas 7 for about half an hour to make sure it’s properly up to temperature
7. When the bread is doubled in size (it should come most of the way up the sides of the tin), place the tin onto a Circulon baking tray. Make a couple of cuts on the top of the loaf with a very sharp knife then bake for 20 minutes without opening the door at all. , Turn down the oven to 180ºC fan/200ºC conventional/gas 6 and bake for a further 15-20 minutes until golden on top and the base sounds hollow when tapped
8. Allow to cool slightly in the tin then turn out onto a rack to cool completely before slicing.