Ingredients

1 orange
1 lemon
75g sultanas
75g raisins or currants
50g chopped peel
3 tablespoons rum or brandy /
140ml tepid milk
1 egg
50g butter
1 teaspoon dried yeast /
400g bread flour
50g caster sugar
half teaspoon cinnamon
half teaspoon salt /
50g chopped blanched almonds
50g glace cherries
225g marzipan
Melted butter for brushing on baked loaf
Icing sugar for dusting

Method

Finely grate lemon and orange, and press fruit.
Add juice and brandy/rum (replace with water if preferred) to sultanas, raisins and mixed fruit. Allow a few hours for dried fruit to soak in juice beforehand. Retain grated peel for later.

To 140ml tepid milk, beat in 1 egg then 50g soft butter. Add teaspoon dried yeast and swirl to mix. Set aside whilst you prepare other ingredients.

In a mixing bowl add 400g flour, salt, 50g caster sugar and half teaspoon cinnamon. Add 50g chopped almonds and 50g glace cherries.
Add soaked fruit and grated peel, then tepid milk mix.
Stir with a wooden spoon until there is no dry flour in bowl. This should only take a minute or so.
There is no kneading, time and water do that job.
Use spatula to scrape dough from sides of bowl. Swirl bowl sides with olive oil. Put cling film and tea towel over bowl.
Now leave for 12-14 hours. Don’t put it in a warm place, room temperature will be fine.

When it has risen use a spatula to tip dough from bowl onto work surface, either floured or oiled. I use a stainless tray spread with olive oil.
The rich dough is a little sticky. Lift and stretch into a rectangle, then fold the dough on the short side back over a third, then fold the other sort edge back over this. See sketch 1
creating an envelope of thirds. Rotate and repeat. This stretching of the dough should make it easier to work. Repeat a few times then make a rectangle 23 x 30cm.
Roll marzipan into 20cm length and place firmly in middle of dough, along shorter length. Fold one side over marzipan, then the other side over, again creating an envelope. See sketch 2
Lift onto baking tray, endeavouring to retain the shape.
Cover with clingfilm and tea towel and leave for 2 hours.

Preheat the oven 15-20 mins before dough will be ready. Initially I heat the oven to 220 ° then turn down to 190 °C/375 ° F/Gas 5 when I put stolen in oven.
Bake for 30 mins, checking it is cooked by tapping the base to see if it sounds hollow.
Brush with melted butter and dust with icing sugar.
Enjoy!