Here is my home made Christmas Bread taken last year. Dusted with icing sugar and decorated with a bow, it certainly looks the part!
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First bake your pumpkin, cut into pieces, and you can leave the skin on, in the oven till cooked and much reduced in size. When cool enough to handle you will find that the skin comes off very easily and you can also remove any stringy bits or seeds now, and for the bread any scorched bits too. Either refrigerate, freeze and use the pumpkin for various dishes.So I take 400g of my frozen and prepared pumpkin, and leave it overnight to come to room temperature. In the morning I warm it gently and add 50g butter, and about 50g golden caster sugar. If the pumpkin is very sweet this may be OK but if you have a sweeter tooth, then add another 25g. I then whiz it together to a smooth pulp.
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Whilst this is warming gently, to baby bath temp, sift 500g strong white flour with 1/2 tsp ground allspice and 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg, and 1tsp fine salt. You may need up to another 100g flour if the mixture is too wet!
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Dissolve 20g fresh yeast with 1 tbs water.
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Put the pumpkin, butter, caster sugar mixture into your large bread mixing bowl, gradually add half your sifted flour, spices and salt. Add the yeast and keep beating, maybe with a wooden spoon, or even your hand.
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Add 1 beaten egg, and keep mixing, gradually adding the other half of the flour. The dough should be very soft, but workable. Add more flour if necessary to get a good working but soft dough.
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Knead until it is smooth, then let it stand and double in size. How long this takes will depend on how warm your kitchen it. I leave it to rise and normal room temperature and am guided by look rather than time. It could take two hours to rise.
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Bake a selection of nuts in the oven for 10 minutes at Gas No 1: I use 25g pistachios for the green colour, and 25 grams walnuts. Next year I would like to find a local walnut tree to give me special Kenilworth walnuts for my bread! I have my eye on a couple of trees, but there were no mature nuts this year.
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For the fruit element, I use 30 g candied peel, 30 g dried cranberries, and a large handful of raisins. These I soak in some alcohol about 2 tbs, in a closed container overnight, I use calvados, but any would do. I only add the fruit at the last knock down. Here you can choose and replace with whatever 'jewels' you fancy: sour dried cherries, pineapple, for example. Each year your loaf will be unique!
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Knock back the dough, and incorporate the fruit and nuts. Leave the dough to relax again and then shape and fit to your tin(s). I used a normal high cake tin 8 inches wide, lined with baking parchment, about four inches higher than the tin. Because I had to add the extra 100 g flour I had sufficient to make a second smaller loaf. An alternative would be to make a few small brioche type buns. Between the tin and the parchment I placed some thickish computer paper on its side to provide a collar. The dough should come about 10 cm below the rim of the tin.
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Allow to rise again at room temperate, covered, until it is at least 2 inches above the cake tin rim. Put into a pre heated oven, Gas Mark 6, and bake for about 40 minutes. Check after 25 mins, and adjust oven or protect the top of the loaf with a square of baking parchment balanced across the top of the paper to prevent scorching.
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Remove from the oven, and remove from the tin. Check to see that the loaf looks cooked and return to the oven for a few more minutes if necessary. When cool, and ready to serve, dust liberally with icing sugar, and decorate with ribbon if you wish. I tried the recipe again a few of weeks ago, and it was just as good as last year.
