Plump raisins, cinnamon, pecans and walnuts make up this very satisfying and tasty bread. Plan to make it the day before though as it needs time to ferment overnight.
Place the water into a large bowl and sprinkle the yeast over top. Let sit for a minute or so without stirring. Once the yeast has dissolved, stir to combine. Let sit for about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile gather the oil, sugar, salt and flour.
To prepare the rest of your mise en place, roughly chop the nuts and gather the raisins, brown sugar and cinnamon. Set everything aside.
To mix the dough, add the oil and sugar to the yeast mixture and stir to combine. Next, add approximately half of the flour. Stir to incorporate. Add the salt and stir again.
At this point, add just enough flour to form a clay mass (or shaggy mass) about 5 cups worth in total. Stir to combine. Once the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, transfer it to a lightly-floured counter top.
Knead the dough until it is soft and smooth about 8 minutes or so. Gently shape the dough into a round.
Once the dough has been kneaded, flatten it slightly and add the cinnamon, sugar and nuts. Fold and continue to knead just until everything is incorporated. Dust the counter and dough as needed, but only if the dough is overly sticky.
You may find it easier to add the nuts in a few stages, as they tend to fall out as you knead. Don’t worry just keep kneading until they are somewhat evenly distributed.
Flatten the dough slightly and knead the raisins into the dough, working in batches if needed. Some of the raisins and nuts may fall out but, again, don’t worry. Just press them in at the end. Form into a round.
Brush a large bowl lightly with oil. Make sure the bowl is large enough for the dough to at least double in volume as it ferments. Place the dough into the bowl; turn to coat with the oil.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let ferment and rise in the refrigerator overnight.
Line a large baking sheet with parchment.
Gently remove the dough from the bowl and flatten slightly with your hands. Divide the dough into 2 equal portions. Form each piece into about a 6-inch round. Place the dough balls onto the baking sheet making sure there is enough room between them for the dough to rise again.
Cover the dough and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (
’175°C). Bake the bread for about 45 minutes, or until golden brown. When done, the bottom of the bread should sound hollow when you tap the bottom.
Transfer the bread to a cooling rack and let cool completely before slicing.
This recipe is adapted from Del Vecchio’s Bakery on Fenwick Island, Delaware.