Calabria fruited hearth bread is a delightful, sunny bread from the Calabria region of Southern Italy!

This hearth bread is unique and wonderful and yet you can still make it in your bread machine.

Calabria is a sunny region in the south of Italy, on the "toe of the boot".  It has a wonderfully diverse climate--deep in the Mediterranean yet with towering mountains where the temperatures can drop below zero.  The orchards surrounding the quiet villages produce a wonderful assortment of fruit.  No wonder Calabria with its Old World charm, inspired a bread like this. 

We've captured the charm of Calabria in this wonderful bread.  You'll find a delightful assortment of sunny fruit in every bite, just a touch of spice, and a bit of sourdough tang.  This is a very balanced bread with the sweetness of the fruit playing against the complex flavors of rustic sourdough.  The crust is chewy but not heavy.  If you toast it, you will find a crusty, hearty bread.  It's a hearth bread like no other and one that you'll be very proud of. 

With all the fruit in this bread, this is not an inexpensive bread.  But it's worth it. You'll find over a cup of premium dried fruit in each loaf.   

• This package contains two hearth bread mixes.  Each mix makes a large loaf--approximately two pounds.
• Each mix includes over a cup of specially selected premium fruit.  Each package of two mixes contains nearly 2 1/2 cups.
• SAF yeast packets are enclosed.  You provide only water.
• Directions and tips for perfect bread are included.  

This bread is a wonderful complement to great meals.  It also makes a great appetizer and you'll absolutely love it for morning toast.  And try it for a surprisingly delightful ham sandwich!     

Delight your family and friends with this bread.

For a crusty bread:  This hearth bread naturally forms a more chewy crust than most other mixes and a "medium" crust setting will be right in most bread machines.  To maintain a chewy crust, store your bread in a paper bag, not plastic.  (In plastic, the bread sweats and softens the outer crust.)

If you bake it in your oven:  In your bread machine, this mix forms a very moist dough ball--too sticky to handle.  You'll want to reduce the water by a couple tablespoons.  You can make a wonderful sourdough bread in your oven but it takes a little patience.   With less water, this is a slow riser.  Allow at least a couple hours for it to rise on your counter.   

"This is really different!  It's colorful and sunny.  I like it a lot."--Mandi