Here’s another of my after-yoga-treat recipes.  It is basically my favourite bread recipe with a heap of chopped fruit and some warming spices thrown in. Contrary to popular belief, bread making is very easy and there is no need to add sugar to make a great tasting and nourishing bread…

Lynn’s Ginger & Apricot Bread
4 cups unrefined spelt flour
1 1/2 cups water
Juice of 1 orange and it’s zest (optional but extra tasty)
250g dried fruit, finely chopped. I use roughly 130g apricots, 20g crystallized ginger (surface sugar removed), 50g medoul dates (stoned) and 50g sultanas.
2 tbsp fat (eg, olive oil or butter or 50:50 of both)
2 tsp fast action dried yeast
1/2 tsp ginger powder
1 tsp cinnamon powder
1/4 tsp cardamon powder
1/4 tsp nutmeg powder

1. Make the fruity bread dough.
You could use a bread machine on the dough setting (takes about 90 minutes) or…
a)In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredient by hand.
b)Work into a smooth pliable and elastic dough by repeated kneading for about 10 minutes.
c)Leave the dough ball, covered, to double its size in a warm room (about 30 -60 minutes).
d)Knock back the dough by kneading again for a few minutes.
e)Reshape into a ball and again set aside in a warm place to double in size (30 – 60 minutes)

2. Prepare the dough for baking by shaping in any way you wish. 
I like to divide it into 12 - 16 and roughly roll each piece into a ball.  
Other times I divide it and place the pieces in the pits of a non stick muffin pan.  
Most simply, form into one or two large balls, deeply slit across the top in a star pattern – makes a beautiful loaf.
Or make a rough oblong from the whole dough and place the into a non stick bread pan.
Plaited dough is also easy to do and the end result is attractive and can be torn easily into individual servings.  To plait you split the dough into three equal parts, form equally long peices by gentle rolling, stick the three together at one end and plait as you would a pony tail.

3. Bake on a tray, in a preheated oven at 200 C. 
If you have a dough setting on your oven then all the better but it’s not at all essential.
Baking time will vary according to the way you divide your dough, or not.  If you bake a single loaf then it will probably take about 30 minutes to cook through.  If baking small rolls, plaits or muffin pan rolls then they may only need 15 – 20 minutes to cook.  Keep an eye on the bread as it cooks. To check that baking is finished, knock the top crust gently with a knuckle or finger nail.  If it sounds good and hollow, it is probably done.  You can also check with a sharp knife but the knock test is usually sufficient.

4. Cool the bread.
Turn out from any pans / trays you have used and place on a wire rack to cool.

5. Storage.
Bread freezes well if needed.  It doesn’t keep at all well in a fridge and should not be stored at room temperature in airtight containers.  Spelt bread tends to stay more moist than wheat bread.  Store covered but able to breathe.

For a totally refined sugar free version, replace the crystalised ginger with an extra tsp of dried or 2 tsp freshly grated ginger.