Holiday Fruit Bread

Ingredients

 * 1 large egg
 * 1½ cups buttermilk
 * 1 tsp vanilla extract
 * 1 tbsp grated lemon peel
 * milk for glaze
 * 3 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into ¼-inch pieces
 * 1 cup golden raisins
 * ¾ cup chopped dates
 * ½ cup chopped prunes
 * 1 to 1½ cups ruby port
 * fine yellow cornmeal for dusting
 * 4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
 * ½ cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
 * 1½ tsp salt
 * 2 tsp baking powder
 * 1 tsp baking soda
 * ½ tsp ground cinnamon
 * ¼ tsp ground cloves

Directions

 * 1) In shallow bowl, combine raisins, dates, prunes and enough port to just cover.
 * 2) Let stand 30 to 60 minutes.
 * 3) Lightly oil large baking sheet and dust with cornmeal; set aside.
 * 4) Preheat oven to 375 °F.
 * 5) In large bowl, mix flour, ½ cup sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and cloves.
 * 6) Cut butter into dry ingredients with a pastry blender or rub it in with your fingers until mixture resembles fine crumbs; set aside.
 * 7) In small bowl, whisk egg then whisk in buttermilk, vanilla and lemon peel.
 * 8) Drain fruit; discard port.
 * 9) Add fruit to flour mixture and toss well.
 * 10) Make a well in flour mixture, add buttermilk mixture and stir briskly with wooden spoon just until dough pulls together in a mass.
 * 11) Let stand 3 minutes.
 * 12) Lightly dust work surface and hands with flour.
 * 13) Turn dough out onto surface and divide in half.
 * 14) Knead each half 30 seconds then pat into 1-inch-thick circles.
 * 15) Brush off any flour on dough, then fold each circle in half (but not perfectly, the top should be set back from bottom by about 1 inch)
 * 16) Lightly brush loaves with milk and sprinkle generously with sugar (about ½ tablespoon).
 * 17) Transfer loaves to baking sheet.
 * 18) Bake 25 minutes.
 * 19) Reduce oven temperature to 350 °F.
 * 20) Continue baking until loaves are golden brown and crusty, 20 to 25 minutes.
 * 21) Transfer loaves to wire rack and cool completely before slicing.
 * 22) To store, wrap cooled loaves in foil and refrigerate.