Fruit & Berry Christmas Bread
Make the dough for this Fruit and Berry Christmas Bread in your bread machine! Let your machine do all the mixing and kneading then shape the dough into a loaf and bake it in your oven. Your home will smell wonderful!
I have been making this bread for all of my married life. In fact, I am still using the same bread machine! Yes, this is a bread machine recipe. Can it get any easier than that?! I love a yummy, easy recipe. But I like to use the bread machine to just make the dough, then I shape it into a loaf and bake it in the oven. I prefer to shape the dough and bake it myself – I like the results so much better!
Fruit and Berry Bread is perfect for Christmas!
This is a great Christmas bread recipe! You can serve it for brunch or use it to make toast…it’s so so good! It also makes great french toast!
Fruit and Berry Bread Recipe Tips
- Milk and Butter: Make sure your milk and butter are at room temperature. Cold ingredients do not stimulate yeast growth, so the dough won’t rise properly.
- Baking. You can either bake this bread right in the bread machine or in your oven. The difference will be in the shape: in the bread machine you will have a ‘rectangular’ loaf, but if you prefer you can shape the dough into loaf and bake it in your oven (this is my preferred method).
- Prepare your pan: I lightly grease a large baking sheet.
- When is the bread done baking? The bread loaf will sound hollow when you tap the top, and the top should be golden brown.
- Freezing: This bread freezes very well. Just make sure to let the bread cool completely before freezing. I like to freeze my bread loaves in plastic bread bags.
- Tip! Don’t try to slice into your bread too soon after baking or you’ll squish it…ask me how I know.
Fruit and Berry Christmas Bread
Make the dough for this Fruit and Berry Christmas Bread in your bread machine! Let your machine do all the mixing and kneading then shape the dough into a loaf and bake it in your oven. Your home will smell wonderful!
- Prep Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
- Rising Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 55 minutes
- Yield: 1 loaf 1x
- Category: Bread
- Method: Bread Machine
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk
- 1 egg beaten
- 2 tbsp soft butter
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 3 cups flour
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 3/4 tsp ground ginger
- 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 2 1/2 tsp bread machine yeast
- 2/3 cup dried cranberries
- 1/3 cup raisins
- 1/3 cup chopped dried apricots (about 10-15)
Instructions
- Put all of the ingredients, except the raisins and fruit, into the bread machine in the order listed above.
Baking it in the bread machine:
- If you are baking the bread right in the bread machine choose the ‘Bread’ setting.
- Then add the raisins and fruit at the ‘Fruit & Nut’ signal.
- Let it bake!
Making dough, then baking in your oven:
- If you wish to bake the bread in your oven, choose the ‘Dough’ setting.
- After the dough is ready, remove it from the bread machine, and on a lightly floured surface, knead in the raisins and fruit.
- Shape your dough as you wish (I shape mine in an oval).
- Grease a baking sheet, and put the dough onto the pan.
- Now you have to let the dough rise before baking.
- To do this, turn on your oven for 1 minute at 200 degrees, then immediately shut it off.
- Then place your dough in the oven and let it rise until it doubles in size (about 1 hour).
- After this time, remove the dough from the oven, then preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Bake your bread for 20-25 minutes.
- Enjoy!
Keywords: bread machine dough, fruit and berry bread
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Oh my! Doesn’t that look delicious! My kids are on a real “dried fruit” kick right now. I’ll be sure to make this so that I can surprise them in their lunches soon!
Found you on Miz Helen’s. I LOVEEEE how pretty this bread it…so colorful & cheerful! thanks for sharing:)
Yes I like the results of using the “dough only” function on my bread machine and then shaping and baking myself. This looks like a great recipe.
Sue 🙂
Hi Joanna,
This bread is just perfect for holiday entertaining. We would just love this bread and will try it very soon. Thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday. Hope you are having a great week and come back soon!
Miz Helen
This looks so good, and perfect for Christmas morning!
Kat 🙂
I found you through Foodie Friday and so glad I did! What a great bread – great spices and all off the fruits – yummy! Good for you for bypassing the bread machine this year. Making bread by hand is such a nice tactile sensation. I’ve saved this to make it this year. Thanks for sharing!
Oooo, I want these right now!
Mmm, that looks soo good Jo-Anna! I don’t have a bread machine, but I’m sending this recipe to my friend to make. : )
~ Catie
Congratulations!
Your recipe is featured on Full Plate Thursday this week. Have a great week and enjoy your new Red Plate!
Miz Helen