Ingredients

3/4 table spoon of dried lemon peel

3/4 table spoon of dried orange peel

1 table spoon of dried currants

1 dried fig and 1 dried date and 2 of pieces of candied ginger, all chopped into small pieces

1 cup of Earl Grey with one spoon of sugar

250 ml of luke warm milk

60 grams of sugar

1/2 cube of fresh yeast, or one sachet of dried yeast

Note: the original recipe asks for a whole cube of yeast for 350 grams of flour. I generally use about half a cube for 500 grams, so I went with this amount.

350 - 450 grams of flour, I used Swiss Dark

Note: the recipe asks for 350 grams of flour with 250ml of liquid. I experimented and used 450 grams to make a soft and slightly sticky, but no longer wet dough rather than a batter. Worked well.

1 teaspoon of salt

1/2 teaspoon of each cinammon and ground cloves, and 2 teaspoons of ground nutmeg or allspice

1 egg, lightly beaten

100 grams of soft butter, in little pieces

1 egg yolk mixed with 1 tablespoon of milk

Method

soak dried fruits in a cup of Earl Grey for at least three hours or over night, drain well - candied peel can be used, then omit the sugar

mix yeast with warm milk and 2 teaspoons of sugar, leave for 5 minutes

sieve flour into a bowl, mix with sugar and spices

make a dent in the middle of the flour and add the milk, egg and butter

gently mix the liquid with the flour working from middle towards the outside

remove dough from bowl, gently kneed for 5 minutes on floured surface and work in the drained fruits

clean and dry the bowl, oil it lightly and add the dough again, cover with cling film and leave to rise for two hours or until doubled in size

gently knock it down, shape and out into a 30cm cake tin

cover with clean cloth and leave to rise for 30 min

preheat the oven to 200dC, brush the bread with the egg, carve, and bake for about 30 min or until the loaf sounds hollow