The Daring Bakers’ February 2012 host was – Lis! Lisa stepped in last minute and challenged us to create a quick bread we could call our own. She supplied us with a base recipe and shared some recipes she loves from various websites and encouraged us to build upon them and create new flavor profiles.
I adapted a recipe for Apricot Cranberry Bread from King Arthur Flour. Instead of a whole cup of dried cranberries, I used a half cup dried cherries and a half cup of Craisins. I substituted orange extract for the orange oil/zest and eliminated the nuts and nutmeg. The crust was crisp and sweet and the abundance of fresh dried fruit provided deliciousness with every bite. The undertones of orange and cinnamon were not overwhelming, but complementary to the apricots, cherries and cranberries…just a delightful loaf.
Here are a few tips for making quick breads:
- Quick breads can be sweet or savory, and they are a modern innovation; they became common after the introduction of baking powder and baking soda.
- Baking powder is a combination of acid and alkaline that reacts together when moistened to form gases that raises the baked quick bread. Usage 1 to 2 teaspoons per cup of flour.
- Baking soda (an alkaline salt, sodium bicarbonate) is used when the liquid is acidic, such as buttermilk, honey, molasses, tomato sauce etc. Usage ½ to 1 teaspoon per cup of acidic liquid.
- Be sure your baking powder and baking soda are fresh.
- Measure ingredients accurately, using the measuring tools and techniques suggested.
- Preheat the oven to the correct baking temperature. Arrange racks so that the bread will bake in the center of the oven which has the best heat distribution in the oven.
- To allow for good air circulation while baking, leave at least 1 inch of space between pans and between pans and sides of oven. Switch pan positions and rotate pans halfway through baking.
- The two top secrets to moist, tender quick bread are 1) in the mixing: always use a quick light technique so you don’t over-mix the batter 2) don’t over-bake since this cause dryness in the final baked product.
Apricot Quick Bread…adapted from King Arthur Flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon orange extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 eggs
1 3/4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup dried apricots*, diced
Stir in the flour, then add the milk 1/4 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. Gently mix in the dried fruit.
Spoon the batter into the loaf pan. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove the bread from the oven, and let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing it from the pan to cool completely on a wire rack.
Basic Quick Bread
1 cup (240 ml) (225 gm/8 oz) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon (5 ml) (5 gm) baking soda
1/2 teaspoon (2½ ml) (3 gm) fine sea salt or table salt
1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk or soured milk*
1 large egg
1/4 cup (60 ml) mild- or non-flavored oil, like canola
1 teaspoon (5 ml) flavored extract, such as vanilla or almond
1/3 cup (80 ml) (35 gm/1-1/3 oz) confectioners’ (icing) sugar
1-2 teaspoons (5-10 ml) milk
- Preheat oven to moderate 350ºF/180ºC/gas mark 4. Grease a 9×5 inch (23×13 centimeter) loaf pan with butter and line with parchment paper cut to fit the length and width of the pan, with enough overhang to allow easy removal after baking. Grease the top sheet of parchment.
- In large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking soda and salt to combine. Make a well in the center and set aside.
- Lightly whisk (butter)milk, egg, oil, and extract to combine. Pour into well and stir until just mixed into a batter. The batter will be lumpy and may still show a few streaks of flour.
- Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and cool completely before slicing. Drizzle with glaze, if desired.
- For the glaze: Slowly whisk confectioners’ (icing) sugar and half of the milk, adding more milk as needed to thin the glaze to the desired consistency.
To make soured milk, combine 1 cup milk (240 ml) with 1 tablespoon (15 ml) vinegar or lemon juice and let sit for 10 minutes.
And a big thanks to Sonali of Only Fish Recipes for sharing two lovely blog awards with me. Thank you, my sweet friend!!!
{ 79 comments… read them below or add one }
Congrats on the blog award Lizzy. All of those ingredients added inside including the dried fruits has brought out such a wonderful bread. The pics are simply superb.
I love this type of cakes and yours looks simply perfect!
Life and travelling
Cooking
Great recipe, Lizzy, I love apricots and I definitely want to try this bread. I would love to have tasted those different varieties, they sound incredible!
Oh my, Lizzy! 3 of my favourite flavours in one delicious bread – dried cherries, cranberries and apricots. This looks as delicious as it sounds.
Your bread looks fantastic! I love the combination of dried fruit you used. Wish I had a slice to go with breakfast this morning. Have a great day!!
I loved your recipe Lizzy! What a wonderfull quick bread, full of color and certainly flavour to
Big kiss
Warm congratulationds on the blog award. Your bread looks too fancy to eat. I shall follow your recipe guide;-)
Great cake so full of flavours!
Yummi, it looks delicious!! I want to taste it!!
Delightful, indeed! Loaded with fruit, so colorful! Yummy! Great job on the challenge!
You did great on this challenge. Not only did you bring us two delicious recipes, there is a great list of baking tips here! This post also reflects how much joy and inspiration you are getting out of participating in the Daring Bakers. Sure wish I had a few slices of this bread with my coffee this morning-yum! Happy Monday Liz.
These apricot quick bread looks absolutely perfect & tasty! What a great combination! Congratulation on the blog awards. You really deserve them! Glad to drop by your blog & be your follower, it’s really a fantastic blog you’ve got here. Have a lovely week!
I’m agree you have a GREAT blog,congrats on your award,this apricot bread looks perfectly YummY
Ridwan
It’s funny, I only like apricots in dried form. There is something about them fresh that I just cannot get past. Your bread sounds wonderful. I love that there are so many pieces of fruit in every bite!
Congratulations on your well deserved blog awards!
Your apricot bread looks lovely and thanks for the recipes;-)
I love apricot and this must be very delicious
Love your apricot bread, Lizzy, and love the recipe, as well. So easy to make and totally delicious with my morning coffee:DDD
It’s amazing how a good quality ingredient can make such a difference! Looks like the perfect way to start the week!
Liz,
Thanks for the generous praise and a fabulous recipe! I will definitely try to talk my wife into trying it.
oh Lizzy how you have the time to make so many recipes dear? (really and make the posts?) I admire you.
Love this cake Lizzy!!
Liz!! That sounds divine.
Congrats on the blog awards & the loaf looks lovely.
Lovely apricot bread! I make something similar to this with a little beer in the batter
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What a great combination of dried fruits. This bread sounds like it’s full of flavor! What a creative take on the challenge.
I love the texture of dried fruit, I get this is tasty.
The bread looks lovely! I love dried apricots and yet had no idea there were so many different varieties. Thanks for sharing this recipe. Congrats on your awards, Liz.
Lizzy, wonderful as always! This bread looks amazing and I bet tastes even better! have a wonderful week my friend!
I’ve got a carton of buttermilk sitting in the fridge and now I think I know what I’ll use it for. That basic recipe is great…so many options for different flavors and additions. The apricots sound perfect!
Looks & Sounds Great Lizzy!
I love using Buttermilk in my baking!
Oooh, I like this apricot bread, looks yummy good.
Great quick bread and nice filling. A slice in the toaster in the morning with butter..heaven. Great tips too.
I’m a big fan of King Arthur Flour, and this bread looks fantastic!
Your loaf looks fantastic! I want a slice!
congrats on ur award and bread looks awesome and mouthwatering…Apricot cake in new to me..will try
Congratulations on your awards Liz!
this quick bread sounds heavenly, I love all the flavors in it
Your bread looks great Liz! I love how packed with fruit it is. I could seriously eat all of the dried fruits you used by the handful so I know that I would really enjoy a slice of this bread! Yum!
Never heard apricot bread!! I should give it a go now that I’ve got a new bread machine!!
Lizzy this bread looks absolutely perfect. I have enjoyed everyone’s daring bakers quick bread recipes today. Love that you used apricot too… what a nice surprise. Congrats on the awards. You know I think they are all well deserved.
Daring baker posts are always fun! I love a good quick bread (just made banana bread today!) and this looks amazing. I really like the addition of apricots!
Dried apricots are a way of life here. Never thought to use them in a quick bread – but I shall be doing this. There are days when I have a hankering for a semi-sweet and these breads fulfill that need without much need. Kirsten accepted the U of MN Twin Cities today – she decided she would be more successful in her home state. She was very impressed by Iowa’s program though!
thanks for the quick bread tips! super helpful
that bread sounds delicious!
I like the color pops from the apricots!
Great job on the Daring Bakers’ Challenge, Lizzy! Your Apricot Bread looks lovely and delicious!
Btw, congrats on your new awards! Truly well deserved!
Congrats on your award!! Love quick breads and like what you made for Daring Bakers. I adore apricots and need to make this for breakfast this week. xo
Your quick bread looks gorgeous! I have to admit I don’t think I’ve ever made a quick bread. Something to add to the list to try!
Congratulations your award! Well deserved.
WOW, all those flavors! You are a true baker Liz
what a great change of pace with apricots this sounds awesome~
That bread looks pretty and delicious! Love the generous speckled dried fruits
That bread looks like the perfect breakfast bread, Liz. I bet it would taste wonderful lightly toasted with a little butter. I just finished a delicious dinner and I’m hungry again. Thanks!
Nice
Looks delicious! Very, very nicely done!
Sound delicious! Looks like fruit cake which I love and just finished a loaf! I’ll have to bake another one!
Congrats on yet another award! I love quick breads, this looks wonderful. So full of apricots!
Your bread looks delicious! I love the fruit pieces spread throughout the slice. Nice job on the challenge!
All those different dried fruits sound amazing! Well done
Congrats on the awards, Lizzy!
Wish I could reach in and just grab a couple of slices of these with my morning coffee. And with loads of butter too! Yum!
Gorgeous bread! Great job on the challenge, Lizzy… Would have loved to have some of this bread for breakfast this morning! Yum! And congrats on those awards
Lizzy, Such pretty loaves of bread! Apricots and cherries…Yum! Congrats on the awards!
Lizzy, I must say that all your bakes are always turn out to be so perfect! This bread look very delicious with lots of apricots in every slice of them and it is so perfectly risen with a great texture!
Your apricot bread looks fantastic Liz!
I love how you used the dried fruits in here. It doesn’t sound too sweet either so I can imagine having this for breakfast would be still appropriate. This quick one looks easy for me to follow. Thank you for the recipe, I will be making this sometime soon!
I love how elegant the pictures of the quick bread well done. The way the fruit is distributed evenly throughout the crumb a great job on this challenge. Cheers from Audax in Sydney Australia.
Congratulations on the award Lizzy! The quick bread looks so tasty with the infusion of fruits in it! Something I would definitely like to have with my afternoon hot chocolate!
This is such a nice bread.. I would love it with milk.. while it’s still warm
I love the tips you left. If there is one thing that I hate it’s burnt sides & a dry tasting finished product. Especially when it’s sweet. Good job on the challenge, I love everything that you put in here.
Congrats on your awards and for the great job on this challenge. Your bread has the perfect split/indentation done the middle. I also loved that you used apricots, yummy!
Lovely post. I love apricots but normally just eat them plan whether it be fresh or dried. Your bread looks fantastic. I think quick breads are the best.
Congratulations for the blog awards! You merit all the awards in the world.
The cake looks so good… Like a perfect Winter treat before fresh fruit starts appearing.
My goodness this bread looks amazing! Great job packing so many great flavors into your quick bread!
This bread is too gorgeous my friend – so stuffed with flavour!! Thanks for the baking tips as well my friend
And a huge congratulations on your awards, they are much deserved!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Congratulations on the award, Lizzy! You definitely deserve it!
As for the bread *drools* yet another I will definitely be trying.
What great substitutions. I love quick breads and will have to give this recipe a try.
Apricot bread and cranberry bread used to be easy gifts to make (and eat) during the holidays around our house. I love that this has both!
Mmm, I have never had apricot bread – it sounds fantastic. And congratulations!
I adore apricots and have yet to try them in a quick bread like this! Great job with the challenge and I love the quick bread tips!
A huge congratulations on the award! More than well-deserved! My grandmother used to make an apricot quick bread and yours looks just like it. I can tell it’ss just as good too. Brings back nice memories – I need to make it
Congrats on the award Liz! Love your take on this month’s challenge.
This just sounds fantastic, I barely needed to look at the pictures to know it would be!
Apricot Bread recipe is very delicious and good for health. Here i found news varieties of Bread recipes and easy to make at home.