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fig orange bread
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Fig & Orange Bread

Soft orange bread with an orange and fig filling: a fig newton in bread form!
Course Breakfast, brunch
Keyword fig bread, fig orange
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Servings 2 loaves

Equipment

  • stand mixer to knead the dough
  • food processor to make the paste

Ingredients

Orange Milk Bread

  • 1 cup whole milk
  • ⅓ cup bread flour
  • 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
  • ¼ cup warm water
  • ½ tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 450 grams bread flour
  • ⅓ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • Zest of 1 orange

Fig & Orange Filling

  • 1 cup Sun-Maid Mission Dried Figs
  • ¾ cups orange juice
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • Pinch salt

Instructions

Make the filling:

  • In a blender or food processor, blend the filling ingredients until they form a paste. Set in the fridge until it’s time to shape the breads.
    A bowl of blended fig paste with a white spatula sits next to a red bag of Sun-Maid California Mission Figs, several whole dried figs, and ingredients ready for baking delicious Fig & Orange Bread on a white surface.

Make the bread:

  • In a small pot, combine the ⅓ cup flour and 1 cup milk. Cook on medium for a few minutes, whisking constantly as it thickens and becomes a paste. Transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer.
  • Combine the yeast, water and ½ tablespoon sugar in a small bowl or cup and let the yeast prove. It should rise and foam.
  • Add the rest of the dough ingredients to the stand mixer bowl along with the yeast and fit it with the dough hook. Knead the dough on medium for about 7-10 minutes. It should be sticky but a bit firm. Transfer it to an oiled bowl and turn the dough a few times to cover it in oil. Wrap the bowl in plastic wrap and set in the fridge overnight.
    A ball of dough for Fig & Orange Bread sits in a clear glass mixing bowl on a white surface.
  • The next day, prepare two loaf pans with a light layer of oil and some parchment paper.
    A glass bowl filled with risen Fig & Orange Bread dough is covered with clear plastic wrap, resting on a light-colored marble surface.
  • Flour a countertop and turn the dough onto it. Halve it and roll each half out to about 12×20 inches. You want the shorter side to be about as long as your loaf pan. Spread some of the fig paste on the dough, in a thin, even layer. Roll up the dough into a log and use unflavored dental floss to slice the log into 3 inch long logs. Place them, swirl side up into the loaf pan. Repeat with other dough.
    A rectangle of dough for Fig & Orange Bread on a floured surface is evenly spread with a dark cinnamon sugar mixture. Nearby are a wooden rolling pin and a bowl of cinnamon filling.
  • Set loaves in the microwave or a warm dry place for a second rise. They’ll take about 60-75 minutes, depending on the temperature of your kitchen. The loaves will have risen above the pan line and look puffy.
    Two metal loaf pans filled with unbaked cinnamon rolls and Fig & Orange Bread, arranged in neat spirals, are placed side by side on a white marble surface.
  • If the loaves were in the oven, remove them and preheat the oven to 375 F. Brush an eggwash on top of the loaves (1 egg mixed with 1 tablespoon of water) and cover with foil to form a ‘tent’ to prevent them from overbrowning (but leave enough room at the top for the loaves to grow without touching the foil). When the oven is ready, place the loaves in and bake for 40-50 minutes, checking doneness with a thermometer if possible (should register 190 F).
  • The loaves are best straight out of the oven, when warm. Store in an airtight container. They can be rewarmed in the microwave.