The good news is that the judges occasionally have specials in which they demonstrate some of their prized recipes. This one is a chocolate and cherry loaf recipe Paul Hollywood featured in a Christmas special. And it is delicious!
2-1/2 cups bread flour
1-1/4 teaspoons salt
2 Tablespoons olive oil
<1 Tablespoon fast action yeast (about.67 Tablespoon, I used one envelope)
1-1/4 cup cold water
13 oz. jar black cherries, drained (I used dark sweet frozen cherries)
3.5 oz. plain chocolate chips
3.5 oz. white chocolate chips
- Put the flour into a bowl with the salt, olive oil and yeast. Slowly add the water and mix by hand until the dough is pliable. (*I actually used my blender to mix the dough.)
- Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 4-7 minutes. Add the cherries to the dough, then add the chips. (*Warning - I probably added 2 more cups of flour to get it to the right consistency. I think my frozen cherries were extra watery, but Paul Hollywood says to add more flour if the mix becomes "too sloppy.")
- Mix well. Put the dough back in the bowl and leave to rest for 1 - 1-1/2 hours until doubled in size.
- Dredge a baking tray with flour. Shape the dough into a 2-strand plait and place on the baking tray. Dust with flour, place in a large plastic bag and leave to prove (rise) for 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 400F. Bake the bread for 20 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 375F and bake for a further 20-25 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.