This is a great bread to make for special occasions and holidays. It's soft, a little tangy, a little sweet, and incredibly good. The bread also is easy to make and helps you use up a cup of discard/starter. The swirl of cranberry sauce running through the bread is pretty and fills in nicely for jam. You can also make the bread using cherry pie filling or use thick cherry preserves, if you prefer. Sorry, I can't post a photo of the sliced bread with the swirl, because the bread was eaten before photo time! You can butter a slice of warm bread and be in heaven, but eating it plain will get you half-way there. The bread is great for breakfast, or try it with your tea or coffee later in the day. Enjoy!
Sourdough Cranberry or Cherry Swirl Bread -- Makes 1 Loaf
1 cup of sourdough starter/discard
1/3 cup of canola oil
1 large egg
1/3 cup of sugar
1/3 cup of milk
1 cup of flour (you can make half of the flour white whole-wheat or whole wheat)
In a large bowl, mix all of the ingredients listed above well and let them sit for at least an hour (four or five hours is fine, too). When you're ready, mix in:
1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon of salt
Knead the mixture for three to five minutes, kneading in 1/4-1/2 cup of additional flour if the dough seems sticky. Flatten out the dough to a (roughly) 12-inch square. Spread the square evenly with with:
1 cup of cranberry sauce (homemade or store bought) or 1 cup of cherry pie filling or thick cherry preserves
Sprinkle over the cranberry sauce/cherry pie filling/preserves:
1/4 cup of chopped almonds
Starting on one side, roll up the dough, jelly-roll-style, around the filling to form a log. Place the dough log in a loaf pan spritzed well with non-stick cooking spray. If you would like a nice crust on the loaf, mix together in a cup:
1 egg yolk and 2-3 teaspoons of water
Brush the egg mixture over the top of the dough and then sprinkle on 1 tablespoon or so of sugar. Loosely cover the loaf with plastic wrap and let the dough rise until it has increased by about one-third in size (the time will vary depending on the temperature in your kitchen--usually a couple of hours for me). You can make a few slashes (about 1/4-inch deep) across the top of the loaf with a sharp knife if you want (but it isn't necessary). Bake the bread at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes or until lightly browned and/or it has reached an internal temperature of about 200 degrees. Let the loaf cool in its pan for 15 minutes before removing it to cool completely. The loaf will slice best if it has a chance to cool.
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