Apricot Nut Bread
If you’ve never tasted dried apricots (they smell like butterscotch) you are in for a treat with this nut bread, perfect for winter when local fruit is less available and oranges are plentiful.
Enjoy with a steaming hot beverage; eat with yogurt or fruit for a light meal.
The recipe is adapted from a recipe in the book “Honey & Oats: Everyday Favorites Baked with Whole Grains and Natural Sweeteners” by Jennifer Katzinger (Sasquatch Books, 2014).
Makes 2 loaves
3 ⁄4
into cup raisin-sizedried apricots,bits chopped
1 zest tablespoon grated orange
3⁄4 cup water
3⁄4 cup orange juice (3 medium oranges if squeezing)
1⁄4 cup vegetable oil
3⁄4 cup rolled oats, plus a couple pinches for sprinkling
12⁄ cup (1 stick) butter, melted 1⁄2 cup honey 2 large eggs 1 cup whole milk 1 1⁄4 cups all-purpose flour 1 1 ⁄4 cups whole-wheat flour 1 tablespoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1 ⁄2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 ⁄4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 34⁄ cup chopped pecans
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease and flour two 9-by-5 inch loaf pans.
In a small saucepan, combine apricots, zest and water; bring to a boil and then remove from heat.
In a small bowl, combine orange juice and oil; stir in oats and let soak about 10 minutes. In a large bowl, whisk butter, honey, eggs and milk. Strain water from fruit and add fruit to butter mixture. Stir in oats and orange juice. Add flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and pecans. Stir until just combined and pour into loaf pans; sprinkle tops with oats.
Bake in preheated oven 42 to 48 minutes, until golden and firm to the touch. Cool in pan 20 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack to cool.