Use Your Pantry Staples Fruit and Nut Bread

I had made Bulgur Pudding With Honey and Dates for breakfast, and had about 1 1/2 cups of it left over. It was too delicious to throw away, so I put it in the fridge and decided to make bread from it. I think you could also use a lot of other ingredients instead of bulgur -- the point would be to include some combination of whole grains, dried fruits and nuts, then use bread flour rather than all-purpose, so that you can develop enough of the gluten to get a decent rise. The bulgur pudding I started with had been made with milk, honey, dates, dried apricots and spices, so those flavors contributed to my final bread. I then added dried cranberries, rolled oats, and sunflower seeds. Add whatever spices you like, or if you want, try my Gingerbread Spice Mixture.

• Ready In: 1 hr 50 mins
• Serves: 16
• Yields: 2 loaves

Ingredients

• 1 -2  cup  cooked bulgur (or other cooked whole grain, such as kasha, quinoa, brown rice, steel-cut oats, or grits)
• 1 -2  cup  diced  dried fruit, of your choice (apricots, currants, dates, cranberries, cherries, raisins, sultanas ( or a mixture)
• 2⁄3 cup rolled oats (or dried muesli mixture)
• 1⁄2 cup unsalted sunflower seeds (or flax seeds, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, or seed of your choice)
• 1 1⁄2 cups  very hot water
• 1⁄2 cup honey
• 2  teaspoons salt
• 2  teaspoons cinnamon or 2  teaspoons ginger or 2  teaspoons nutmeg, choose your favorite
• 1 1⁄2 tablespoons instant yeast
• 3 -4  cups bread flour
•  oil, for coating bowl
• 1  egg
•  sugar, for sprinkling on tops (turbinado, caster) (optional)

Directions

1. Mix cooked cereal with hot water in a large mixing bowl.
2. Add dried fruit to mix, stir well, and leave to rest until mixture comes to room temperature.
3. Add honey, rolled oats, spices, salt and seeds, mix well.
4. Sprinkle in one cup of bread flour, mix until good and messy.
5. Add instant yeast, mix well.
6. Continue adding bread flour until mixture is ready to turn out and knead.
7. Knead on floured surface, adding flour until dough is tacky but no longer sticky. This will probably be about 10-15 minutes.
8. Add oil to bowl used for mixing, coat all sides. Add bread dough to bowl and flip around a few times to completely coat the dough with oil.
9. Set in a warm spot to rise for 60-75 minutes, until at least doubled in size.
10. Punch down dough, turn out to floured surface.
11. Knead again briefly, then cut into 2 loaves, or about 16-20 rolls.
12. Put into loaf pans, or shape into free-standing loaves, and set aside to rise for another 30-45 minutes, until doubled. Cover completely with plastic during rising time.
13. Just prior to baking, mix egg with about 3 tablespoons of water, and use mixture to brush over tops of bread. Sprinkle with sugar, if desired.
14. Bake 350 degrees F for 25-35 minutes for loaves, 15-20 minutes for rolls.
15. Cool on a wire rack.