FRUITED SOURDOUGH SANDWICH BREAD

This soft sourdough loaf is studded with sweet raisins and tangy apple pieces. I like it served simply toasted with melting butter; or as a grilled cheese sandwich with apples .

Ingredients

2/3 C sourdough starter, fed or unfed

2/3 to 3/4 cup lukewarm water*

1 Tbsp. olive oil or vegetable oil

1 tsp. to 4 Tbsp. sugar, to taste

1 1/4 tsps. salt

2 1/4 C Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

1/4 C potato flour or 1/2 C instant potato flakes

1/3 C rolled oats, traditional

2 tsps. instant yeast

1 C diced Granny Smith apple (about 1 small apple), peeled or not

1 C raisins, golden ,dark, or both

*In summer, or during hot/humid weather, reduce the water by 1 Tbsp.

Instructions

Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl, the bowl of an electric mixer, or the pan of your bread machine, and mix and knead to form a smooth yet sticky dough. If you're kneading by hand, you'll want to keep your hands well greased.

Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover it, and allow it to rise for about 90 minutes. The dough will become puffy, though it may not double in bulk.

Lightly grease an 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" loaf pan.

Gently deflate the risen dough, and shape it into a log. Place it in the pan, cover it lightly, and allow it to rise until it crests at least 1" over the rim of the pan, 60 to 90 minutes.

Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F.

Bake the bread for 40 to 45 minutes, tenting it with foil after 15 to 20 minutes; it will continue to brown slowly. When it's done, the bread will be golden brown, and will register 190°F on an instant-read thermometer inserted into the centre

Remove the bread from the oven, and after a couple of minutes turn it out of the pan onto a rack to cool.

Yield: 1 loaf, about 12 to 16 servings.~~~Al (Alex-Alexander)D. Girvan