Summer Fruit Bread

This bread machine loaf captures summer in every slice. Frozen blueberries and chopped peaches bake right into a spiced dough made with a mix of bread flour and whole wheat, giving you a fruity, lightly sweet bread with a gorgeous purple-streaked crumb.

Ground cloves and cinnamon add warm depth that complements the fruit without turning this into a dessert. An egg and butter enrich the dough just enough to keep the crumb tender around all those juicy fruit pieces.

The frozen blueberries are actually an advantage. They release less juice during kneading than fresh ones would, so the dough stays manageable and the berries hold their shape better in the finished loaf.

Kitchen Tips

• Use frozen blueberries straight from the freezer. Thawed berries burst during kneading and turn the entire dough purple (though it still tastes great).
• Chop the peaches small. Large chunks create air pockets in the dough and can make the loaf collapse around them.
• The fruit adds moisture, so the dough may look slightly wetter than a standard loaf. That’s normal.
• This bread is best eaten within 2 days. The fruit makes it more perishable than a plain loaf.

Variations

• Swap peaches for nectarines or diced plums when they’re in season.
• Replace blueberries with raspberries for a tarter, more intensely colored bread.
• Add a teaspoon of vanilla extract to the wet ingredients for a pastry-like sweetness.