Easy Apricot Bread with Pecans
Have you ever eaten a slice of moist and delicious Apricot Bread with Pecans that is just loaded with the fruit? This recipe delivers that! We have been trying to snack healthier and add more dried fruits and nuts to our diet. Recently we tried these dried apricots.
The apricots are plump and, unlike some we have tried in the past, they don’t taste like dried up coconut husks! Kidding aside, these are delicious, soft and sweet. Anyway, we love to shop at Costco and they usually offer supersize packages. My hubby bought this for me and I love eating them straight out of the bag. However, my kids and hubby, not so much. I thought there must be a way to encourage them to eat this too!
So when I saw this Apricot Bread recipe shared online by my favorite chef, Sara Moulton*, on Facebook yesterday, I decided to give it a try. Of course, me being me, I had to tinker a bit and add a few of my own touches. I was extremely pleased with the outcome and wanted to share with you. Let’s bake!
* Did you see the other Sara Moulton’s recipe I made? It was for a fabulously delicious French Apple Tart. Please check it out here => Fun French Apple Tart – Taking up Sara Moulton’s Challenge!
Ingredients for Apricot Bread with Pecans
You will need the following ingredients to make the Apricot Bread.
For the Dry Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
¾ tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
Wet Ingredients:
¾ cup cranberry juice (or orange juice)
1 large egg
3 Tbs melted butter, use some to generously grease the loaf pan
These are the 2 items for the Filling:
1 cup chopped dried apricots
1 cup chopped pecans
You will need a loaf pan for this bake. I used a 9″ ceramic pan.
Putting it Together
Let’s start by gathering all the ingredients. Next, preheat the oven to 325°F.
Generously grease the 9″ loaf pan.
Prepare and chop the apricots and pecans.
In a large bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients – flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Add the juice, egg, and butter and stir just until combined.
Next, fold in nuts and apricots and mix until combined.
Then, pour batter into prepared loaf pan. This is totally optional: decorate the top with a few slices of apricot and pecans. After that, pop the pan into the preheated oven and bake for 80 to 90 minutes, or until a bamboo skewer or toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the loaf. Baker’s tip: cover the top with foil at 50- 60 minutes to prevent the top from becoming too dark or scorching the decorative apricots and pecans, if using.
Let the bread cool in pan for 10 minutes. Then, tip the bread out of the pan onto a cooling rack. Let it cool on rack for another 30 minutes before slicing.
The Apricot Bread with Pecans is ready. Let’s eat!
Notes on Apricot Bread with Pecans
- You can substitute the pecans with your favorite nuts.
- If you are using fresh orange juice, adding some grated zest from the fruit will add a bit of pop to the overall bake.
- I was doing a bit of research on dried apricots and found this article that extols the benefits of this fruit. It’s an interesting read => https://www.healthbenefitstimes.com/dried-apricots
Easy Apricot Bread with Pecans
Equipment
- 9" Loaf Pan
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¾ tsp salt
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
Wet Ingredients
- ¾ cup cranberry, or orange juice
- 1 large egg
- 3 Tbs melted butter, use some to generously grease the loaf pan
Filling
- 1 cup chopped dried apricots
- 1 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Generously grease the 9" loaf pan.
- Prepare and chop the apricots and pecans. In a large bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients – flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
- Add the wet ingredients – cranberry juice, egg, and butter and stir just until combined. Fold in nuts and apricots.
- Pop into the preheated oven and bake for 80 to 90 minutes, or until a bamboo skewer or toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the loaf.
- Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove onto a cooling rack. Let loaf cool on rack for another 30 minutes before slicing. Let's eat!
Notes
More Fab Food:
If you are in the mood for something savory, please check out this cool Eggplant Parmesan I put together => How to make Fan-Shaped Eggplant Parmesan
These Quick and Easy Canned Tuna Cakes are so yummy, my husband specifically asked for them for his birthday dinner! See how I put them together in under 30 minutes => Easy Canned Tuna Cakes – I made these for my Husband’s Birthday!
Have you ever try cooking something something in a foil or a paper packet? Check out how I make this flavorful and easy dinner using the “en papillote” method with a recipe from Jacques Pepin => Quick Sausage En Papillote: Awesome Recipe from Jacques Pepin
