APRICOT-ALMOND GIFT BREAD

Apricot-Almond Gift Bread image

This flavorful sweet bread is packed with dried fruit and nuts and has a very moist crumb. The recipe makes one large loaf or three small loaves that you can give for holiday gifts.

Provided by Susan G. Purdy

Categories Brunch Breakfast Dessert Bake Cake Bread Food Processor Dried Fruit Almond Fall Winter Edible Gift Kidney Friendly Vegetarian Pescatarian Peanut Free Soy Free Kosher

Yield Makes 1 large loaf or 3 baby loaves

Number Of Ingredients 19

Ingredients

Bread:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons wheat germ
1 cup dried apricots (moist-style)
½ cup (2½ ounces) blanched almonds
⅓ cup canola or light olive oil
1 large egg, at room temperature
¾ cup apricot nectar or buttermilk
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Icing (optional):
⅔ cup sifted confectioners' sugar
2 to 3 tablespoons milk, water, or fruit juice (or as needed)
Special Equipment
9- by 5- by 3-inch loaf pan or three 5¾- by 3¼- by 2-inch baby loaf pans; food processor and kitchen shears or cutting board and knife; wooden skewer or cake tester.

Steps:

Pan preparation:
Butter the pan(s) or spray with butter-flavor nonstick vegetable spray and dust with flour. Tap out the excess flour.
Make bread:
Position rack in center of oven. Preheat oven to 350°F.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, and wheat germ. If using a food processor, add the apricots and a generous tablespoon of the flour mixture to the bowl and pulse until the fruit is cut into small (¼-inch) bits. Or, cut up the apricots with oiled kitchen shears or an oiled knife. Scrape the apricot bits into the bowl with the flour. Chop the nuts and add them to the dry ingredients.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, egg, nectar or buttermilk, and extracts. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour in the oil-egg mixture. Whisk or stir just to blend well; don't over mix.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan(s), filling them about two-thirds full. Bake 60 to 65 minutes for a large loaf, 40 to 45 minutes for small loaves (or for the time indicated for your altitude in the chart below), or until the bread is golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan(s) on a wire rack.
Make icing:
To make the icing, whisk together the sugar and liquid in a small bowl until thick and smooth. When the bread is completely cooled, drizzle the icing over the top; it will harden as it dries.
Cooks' Note
Icing measurements stay the same at all elevations, but if you are baking the bread at high altitude, follow the adjustments below.
If baking at 3,000 feet:
Increase flour to 2 cups plus 1 tablespoon. Decrease baking soda to ¼ teaspoon. Decrease granulated sugar to 1 cup minus 1 tablespoon. Increase to 2 large eggs. Place rack in center of oven; bake large loaf at 375° for 50-55 minutes, baby loaves for 30-35 minutes.
If baking at 5,000 feet:
Increase flour to 2 cups plus 1 tablespoon. Decrease baking powder to 1¼ teaspoons plus ⅛ teaspoon. Decrease baking soda to ¼ teaspoon. Decrease granulated sugar to 1 cup minus 2 tablespoons. Increase to 2 large eggs. Increase apricot nectar (or buttermilk) to ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons. Place rack in lower third of oven; bake large loaf at 375° for 48-50 minutes, baby loaves for 35-40 minutes.
If baking at 7,000 feet:
Increase flour to 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons. Decrease baking powder to 1¼ teaspoons. Decrease baking soda to ¼ teaspoon. Decrease granulated sugar to ¾ cup. Increase to 2 large eggs. Use buttermilk, not nectar, and increase to 1 cup. Place rack in lower third of oven; bake large loaf at 350° for 60-62 minutes, baby loaves for 30-35 minutes.
If baking at 10,000 feet:
Increase flour to 2¼ cups. Decrease baking powder to 1¼ teaspoons. Decrease baking soda to ⅛ teaspoon. Increase salt to ½ teaspoon plus ⅛ teaspoon. Decrease granulated sugar to ¾ cup minus 1 tablespoon. Increase to 2 large eggs. Use buttermilk, not nectar, and increase to 1 cup. Place rack in lower third of oven; bake large loaf at 350° for 60-65 minutes, baby loaves for 32-37 minutes.