Apricot Bread and Baking Powder

Let cool. My pan was a little too small for the bread. :(

Have I told you that I've been obsessed with listening to ZZ Top while I'm cooking? I have no idea why. I never listened to them that often in the past. I can't seem to get enough Buffalo wings, blue cheese or ZZ Top. Je ne sais pas! I'm sure blasting "Sharp Dressed Man" in the kitchen is embarrassing my husband though. hehehe

By the way, below is the creepiest toy I've ever seen in my life and I had to share it with you. I hate walking by an entire shelf of them in the store. They've been haunting me for months. They give me nightmares. Ok, they don't haunt me or give me nightmares, but could you blame me if they did??

*Shudder*

Ok, on to less creepy things now. Today I made apricot bread and served it with honey butter (just room temperature butter and honey mixed together, to taste). Before you try a piece, let it cool completely. The flavor is so much better when the bread is room temperature.

Place apricots in a food processor.

Chop them up.

Place the apricots in boiling water.

Chop up the nuts.

Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs.

Pour into a dish and bake.

Apricot Bread

Origina Recipe: The Frugal Girl

Serving Size = 1 loaf

• 6 ounces dried apricots, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups boiling water
• 4 tablespoons butter, room temperature
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon vanilla (I probably used 1/2 tablespoon)
• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder (aluminum free)
• 1/4 cup chopped nuts, optional (I used pecans)

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Chop the apricots (I used a food processor) and pour the boiling water over them. Let them cool.
2. Cream together the butter and sugar (I used my stand mixer). Add the egg and vanilla. Stir in the apricots and water. 
3. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, salt, chopped nuts (if using) and baking powder. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the mixture while gently mixing.
4. Pour the batter into a greased 9x5-inch loaf pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool for a bit, and then remove from pan and finish cooling on a wire rack. 

My loaf came out dark, but I think that's normal because the original recipe picture looks dark as well. I probably should have knocked the temperature down to 325F though since I was using a glass pan. I'll try that next time.

Are you out of baking powder? Here's a recipe for single acting, aluminum free baking powder. By the way, single acting means that when you add it to the recipe you need to bake it right away. It starts working once it hits the heat. Double acting means that it starts to act outside of the oven and then in the heat as well (two reactions), so you can leave it out longer before baking.

Baking Powder (Single Acting) Recipe

• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch (optional)

1. Can be stored up to 4 weeks, so I do not recommend making large batches.

Linking to: Tuesday Night Supper Club, Hearth and Soul, Tasty Tuesday, Real Food Deals, Full Plate Thursday, Sweets for Saturday