Honey Apricot Bread Recipes

APRICOT BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Soak apricots in warm water for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a bowl, cream the sugar, butter and egg. Stir in orange juice. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; stir into creamed mixture just until combined. Drain apricots well; add to batter with nuts. Pour into a greased 9x5-in. loaf pan. Bake at 350° for 55 minutes or until bread tests done. Cool 10 minutes in pan before removing to a wire rack.

APRICOT HONEY BUTTER

Steps:

• Grate rind and squeeze juice from lemons; you'll need 2 tablespoons grated rind and 1/2 cup lemon juice.
• Combine apricots, lemon rind, water, lemon juice in a medium saucepan. Don't use aluminum; stainless steel is good.
• Bring to a boil over high heat, cover, reduce heat to low and STIRRING FREQUENTLY, keep at a low boil for 35 - 40 minutes or until apricots are tender.
• CAREFULLY pour into blender or food processor and process until smooth. Return to saucepan.
• Add honey; stir and return to boil. Again reduce heat and cook, UNCOVERED, at a low boil until very thick. STIR FREQUENTLY.
• Ladle into hot sterilized jars. Remove air bubbles, wipe rims, add hot lids and rings.
• Process in boiling water bath for 5 minutes OR refrigerate and use within 1 month.

APRICOT OAT BREAD

Steps:

• Place bread ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer; add the dried apricots just before the knead cycle ends.
• Remove the bread promptly from the machine when it's finished, and glaze with the warmed honey. Allow to cool completely before serving.

FRESH APRICOT-HONEY SPONGE CAKE (RUSSIAN STYLE)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Grease a 9-inch cake pan with butter, and dust with bread crumbs; set aside.
• Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the sliced apricots, and drizzle with honey. Cover, and cook gently until the apricots have softened, then allow to cool to room temperature.
• Meanwhile, beat the egg whites to soft peaks with an electric mixer. Slowly pour in sugar while continuing to beat to stiff peaks; set aside.
• Beat the egg yolks on low speed for a few seconds until slightly thickened. Slowly pour in sugar while continuing to beat until thickened and light-colored. Beat in milk, then sift together flour with baking powder, and fold into yolks along with cooled apricot mixture, walnuts, and egg whites until combined.
• Pour into prepared pan, and bake in the middle or bottom of the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Loosen the cake by running a knife around the edges of the pan. Invert cake onto a plate, then place another plate on the cake bottom, and flip right-side-up; cool completely before serving.

APRICOT WALNUT BREAD

Steps:

• Drain apricots and reserve liquid.
• Place apricots in a food processor and puree.
• Add enough of the reserved liquid to the puree of apricots to make one cup. Set this mixture aside.
• Cream sugar and shortening with a mixer until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time.
• In a seperate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
• Fold in dry ingredients and apricots to eggs sugar mixture alternating. (dry, apricots, dry, apricots, etc.).
• Stir just until all ingredients are moistened.
• Stir in walnut pieces.
• Spoon batter in a loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until a knife stuck into the middle of the bread comes out clean.
• Remove from pan and cool on a wire rack.

APRICOT HONEY CAKE

Steps:

• In a small bowl, soak the apricots in the rum for at least 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350° and grease a 10- by 5-inch loaf pan.
• In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk. Stir in the honey, vegetable oil, grated lemon and orange rind and juice, sugar, salt, and apricot jam.
• Sift the 2 flours and the baking soda into another bowl.
• Strain the apricots, reserving the excess rum.
• Add the flour alternately with the rum to the honey cake mixture. Fold in the apricots. Scoop the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle with the nuts.
• Bake in the oven on the lower rack for 50-55 minutes, or until the center of the cake is firm when you pres sit. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack.