a fruity nutty loaf

this here - teamed with a steaming cup of green tea - has been my little survival kit for winter's chilly mornings... my home-baked fruit + nut loaf (mmmm!)

a little tired of spending up to $7 or $8 for designer fruit bread, i decided to embark on my own fruit bread baking adventure!

and although winter (thankfully) is now in the past, i still delight in this little luxury most mornings and have no doubt this little habit will continue well into the warmer months... ...although i should work on reducing the amount of butter i've been spreading on it!

to make follow these here easy intructions...

take one packet of crusty white breadmix, prepare and add to breadmaker according to packet instructions. set the cycle time to three and a half hours or thereabouts (sweet or french, depending on your machine). fifteen to twenty minutes into the cycle (while the dough is kneading) add a small handful of roughly chopped walnuts, around 3/4 cup of sultanas, two tablespoons of brown sugar and a teaspoon each of nutmeg and cinnamon. then leave the breadmaker to do its thing. if you're the particularly adventurous type or have some dough know-how you could most certainly do this by hand.

a bit over three hours later you will have wonderfully sweet baking aromas wafting through the house and a great fruit loaf too. best served toasted with a generous spreading of real butter :)