cherry-hazelnut bread

How To Make cherry-hazelnut bread

• 1

  Make the sponge. In a medium bowl, mix together the water, 1 cup of the flour and the yeast. Cover and let it rest at room temperature for 4-8 hours. Bubbles should have formed at the surface. Then stir in the remaining 1/4 cup of flour, cover and refrigerate overnight.
• 2

  Make the dough. In your stand mixer with the bread hook attachment, combine the water and the flour until they just combined. Cover the bowl and let it stand for 10-20 minutes. Then add the honey, salt and the sponge. Mix on low-medium speed for 3-4 minutes. If the dough is very wet, you can add a few more tablespoons of flour. The dough should be supple and somewhat sticky. Add the hazelnuts and cherries, mixing on low speed for an additional 4-5 minutes, pulling the dough down off the hook as needed. Gather up the dough with your hands, shape it into a ball and transfer it to a lightly oiled bowl, turning the dough to coat it with the oil on all sides. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let the dough rise in a warm area for 2-3 hours. The dough will rise only a small amount (i.e. not a full doubling). After 2-3 hours, remove the dough from the bowl and place it on a well floured surface. Divide the dough into two equal sized pieces. Using floured hands, re-shape each piece into a ball and place them on a large baking sheet dusted with cornmeal. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for another 3 hours in a warm area.
• 3

  Pre-heat your oven to 450 degrees. Place an oven-safe baking dish on the lowest rack to heat while the oven comes up to temperature. Remove the plastic wrap from the dough and transfer the baking sheet to your pre-heated oven. Carefully add about 2 cups of water to the heated baking dish and immediately close the oven door to trap the steam. Bake the loaves for 30-40 minutes. The tops should be deeply golden brown. Remove from the oven and transfer the loaves to a wire rack to cool. Allow to cool completely before slicing. Wrap the cooled loaves tightly and store at room temperature for 2-3 days or freeze for later.
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