Chocolate Vegetables

from The Bread Book by Linda Collister and Anthony Blake

Notes by the author:
This loaf is quite delicious and simple to make, but it does take 13 days, including three days to make the starter.  I quickly discovered it is a good idea to write down the date of Day 1 or you can easily lose your place in the recipe. You will end up with enough starter to give away two portions, keep one for your next loaf and have one to bake. You cannot easily use easy-blend dried yeast or dried yeast granules to make this. Eat this bread within three days of baking , or freeze for up to one month.

Makes 1 large loaf

STARTER:
280g (10 oz) unbleached plain flour
15g (1/2 oz) fresh yeast

FOR DAY 1 AND DAY 5:
200g (7 oz) sugar
140g (5 oz) unbleached plain flour
230ml (8fl oz) milk

FOR FINISHING LOAF:
200g (7 oz) sugar
85g (3 oz) sultanas
280g (10 oz) unbleached plain flour
110ml (4 fl oz) vegetable oil
60g (2 oz) walnut halves or pecans, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
few drops vanilla essence
2 eggs, size 3, beaten
2 Bramley apples, peeled, cored and diced (I use Granny Smith in Australia)

TOPPING:
100g (3 1/2 oz) light muscovado sugar
110g (3 1/2 oz) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

22.5 x 32.5 cm (9 x 13 inch) cake tin or roasting tin, well greased.

To make the starter, put the flour in a large non-metallic mixing bowl and make a well in the centre.  Crumble the fresh yeast into the well, then pour in 455 ml (16 fl oz) water and stir, using a wooden spoon, until the liquid is smooth.  Stir in the flour to make a sticky batter.

Cover with a damp tea-towel and leave on the kitchen table or work surface so the batter absorbs the yeasts naturally present in the air.  Stir once a day for each of the next 3 days, redampening the towel each day.  The starter will then be ready to use.

To make the dough, stir the starter you have made, or any starter you have been given.

Proceed as follows:
  Day 1     Add the sugar, flour and milk to the starter.  Stir well, cover with a damp tea-towel and leave overnight.
  Day 2     Stir well and re-cover with a damp tea-towel.
  Days 3 and 4     Do nothing but re-dampen the tea-towel each day.
  Day 5     Stir well and add the same quantities of sugar, flour and milk as for Day 1.  Stir well again, cover with a damp tea-towel and leave overnight.
  Day 6     Stir well and re-cover with a damp tea-towel.
  Day 7, 8 and 9     Do nothing but re-dampen the tea-towel each day.
  Day 10     Stir well and divide the mixture into 4 portions.  Give 2 portions to friends with instructions, keep 1 portion for your next batch (see below) and use 1 portion to make the loaf.

To make the loaf, preheat the oven to 180C (350F, Gas 4).  Put your portion of starter mixture in a large mixing bowl and add the sugar, sultanas, flour, vegetable oil, nuts, salt, cinnamon, baking powder, vanilla essence, eggs and apples.  Thoroughly combine, then put into the tin and level the surface.  Sprinkle over with the muscovado sugar, then drizzle over with the melted butter.  Bake for 30-40 minutes until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.  Turn out and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

TO KEEP THE STARTER:
Add 1 teaspoon sugar to the portion of starter you are going to keep for your next loaf.  Stir well, then store in a covered container in the fridge for up to 1 week.  To make a fresh loaf, begin at Day 1, using this starter.

Note:  These amounts of starter and ingredients also fill two 455g (1 lb) greased loaf tins, two 12-hole American-style muffin trays.

My Notes:
- It is a very sweet loaf that turned out differently each time but still tasty. 
- I have considered adding ginger and dates instead of apple and cinnamon,  just haven't tried it yet. 
- If the starter separates while on the bench it is fine.  Really, unless it goes mouldy or smells really off instead of yeasty, it survives even sub-tropical Qld heat.
- The portions of starter fit nicely in old 375g butter containers for giving to friends.
- My aunt has successfully frozen this, then defrosted in fridge slowly and off she went again.
- The author had a friend who also tried orange rind and prunes.

Good luck!